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What about poetry inspires you? Ellie Pena's lifelong love of poetry began with a gift from her grandmother. "My mom would read it to me before bed," Pena said of Caroline Kennedy's anthology of children's poems. It wasn't long before Pena began penning her own poetry - at age 8. "They were just simple verses," she said, but even then, her subject matter was focused on change. Pena's first poem was about the slaughter of wild horses in the mountains of Wyoming. Awareness of...
The musical "Annie" is a story of hope and the country's recovery from a dark time - a fitting theme for Nazareth Academy's 2021 spring musical, said Hinsdale resident and cast member Harrison Gianares. After a canceled show in spring 2020 and a fall show compiled of individually recorded monologues, "Annie" takes a welcome step toward normal. The first half of the show is a compilation of individual recordings, but by the time the cast got to the second act, safety measures...
Why is that dinosaur in your front lawn? Whether it's referred to as the big purple dinosaur, Madame Butterfly or the beastie, the whimsical sculpture that adorns the front lawn of Beth Greifenkamp's Hinsdale home is known to all who have the pleasure of passing by. "It's literally a landmark," said Greifenkamp, who refers to the winged creature as "the beastie." Greifenkamp had long admired the work of Milwaukee artist Dennis Pearson when he teamed up with the Milwaukee...
The death of Molly Haunty's friend and sister-in-law in 2015 launched her into a group to which no one wants to belong. Like so many others, Haunty's life had been touched by cancer. "Cancer is pervasive, unfortunately," Haunty said. As her sister-in-law, Nancy, battled metastatic breast cancer, Haunty said she admired her friend's ability to continue living right up to the end. With help from her community, Nancy was empowered to travel, run and even climb a mountain while...
Peggy Smego's job as a real estate broker has always been about navigating life's changes, beginning with her own. "I love helping people get from point A to point B," said Smego, whose own life took a dramatic turn in 2004 when a health crisis left her husband unable to work. The stay-at-home mom of four needed to find a way to support her family. That's when she turned to real estate. "Looking back, it saved my life," said Smego, a broker with Jameson Sotheby's...
Srinidhi Rao's lifelong love of language began when she was still eating from a high chair. Even as a toddler, she loved spelling words. Now a fifth grader at The Lane School, Srinidhi will compete in the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee - her most prestigious spelling accomplishment to date. Competing with students three grades above her, Srinidhi placed sixth in the South Asian Spelling Bee in Chicago as a kindergartner. She may have placed higher had she not forgotten to...
Hinsdale Central senior Katrina Geiersbach isn't just an athlete, an award-winning speaker, an accomplished student and a musician. Geiersbach also is one of 26 high school seniors from across Illinois named to the Illinois High School Association's 2021 All-State Academic Team. The IHSA awards this honor to students who have excelled academically and in extracurricular activities. Geiersbach will be recognized, along with other members of the 2021 team, at a virtual banquet...
How do you approach teaching women's history? In Whitney Wilda's civics class, Women's History Month lasts all year. "It's not just a month for us," said Wilda, who has taught the course at Hinsdale Central High School since it became a graduation requirement in 2016. Wilda said she embeds stories of the contributions of women, past and present, into her lessons all year long. Civics, Wilda said, is the study of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. She said the...
She could have been secretary to the president of a major company, the young bride of a military leader or even a professional musician. But Mary Ellen "Ditty" Reck didn't let any obstacle or opportunity get in the way of her dreams of going to college and becoming a teacher. "I was determined," said Reck, who in her 100 years of life saw that dream, and many others, become reality. Born in 1921, Reck was just a few months old when she faced the first obstacle to realizing...
Should pregnant women get a COVID-19 vaccine? Many people struggle with the decision of whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine. That choice can be even tougher when the decision also affects an unborn baby. Pregnant women and those wishing to become pregnant are full of questions. To provide answers, physicians like Kimberley Darey are doing their best to provide patients with the latest information. Darey practices obstetrics and gynecology and is chief medical officer/vice...
Scott Altemose's search for his family's new home ended when he discovered Robbins Park. Here was a place where his children could kick a ball or swing a bat. And right across the street, at The Community House, was a place where they could learn to do those things and so much more. The Altemose family, including Scott and Katy's three children - Emma, 9, Luke, 10, and Jack, 13 - made Hinsdale their home in 2015, settling into a house just a few blocks from the park that...
What do you hope to accomplish during your term? When independent insurance agent Bob Smith moved his office from downtown Hinsdale to Westmont, part of his heart remained in the village. A graduate of Hinsdale Central High School, Smith said he feels a strong bond to this community. "Hinsdale has a special place in my heart. I want to see it succeed and grow," said Smith, who will do his best to see that happen in his role as chairman of the 2021 Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce...
When it comes time to apply to colleges later this year, Hinsdale Central junior Shivani Rao's list of accomplishments will include presenting her own medical research study at the American Society of Hematology's annual meeting. Rao planned to spend the summer of 2020 in a laboratory as part of her summer Science Inquiry and Research class at Hinsdale Central. With classrooms, laboratories and most other things closed due to COVID-19, Rao found a way to complete the class...
What are the 2021 trends for kitchen remodels? Gina Mazzone's career as a kitchen and bath designer was born of a desire to create her own dream kitchen. After taking a class at College of DuPage and completing her kitchen transformation, she knew there were more kitchens out there that could benefit from her newfound love of interior design. "That's when I decided to get into that specific field," said Mazzone, who went on to become a certified kitchen and bath designer....
Doctors go to medical school, police officers attend the police academy and chefs go to culinary school. But for most people, being a citizen of their community requires no training at all. Hinsdale Central junior Suzan Nofal thinks that should change. Nofal is one of more than 20 high school students from across the country chosen to help draw attention to the need for civics education through the inaugural Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship. Throughout the yearlong program fu...
What tools can help people work out at home? With the start of a new year, many have a renewed interest in getting off the couch and back to better health. And like so many things, more workouts than ever are taking place virtually. Luckily, there also are more options than ever for the would-be fitness buff who, for safety or convenience, chooses to work out at home. Fitness Tech - At Home Fitness will be presented by the Hinsdale Public Library at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13....
When choosing a libation, Allen Rodriguez of Fuller House in Hinsdale prefers bourbon. But on New Year's Eve, he likes to bring out the bubbles. Rodriguez said cocktails with a lower alcohol content are a good choice for ringing in the new year because they allow folks to sip throughout the hours leading up to the big event. And of course, nothing says Happy New Year like a sparkling glass of champagne or its Italian sister, prosecco. Influenced by Rodriguez's recent trip to...
December 23 is a date that holds a place in Hinsdale's culture and history. For generations the evening has been reserved for the Hinsdale Assembly's annual ball - the culmination of a year's worth of work and involvement by the program's debutantes and honor guard. "In 57 years the ball has never not been held on Dec. 23," said Laurie Eichelman, chair of the 2020 Assembly board. She said the decision was made back in August to stray from tradition in the interest of safety....
How will self care help keep holidays bright? Like everything else in 2020, the holidays look different this year. And for many, they look a little sadder. "People are needing a little more help right now than they have in the past," said Melissa Roberts New, clinical director and therapist at Spectrum Behavioral Health in Hinsdale. "The holidays are probably one of the harder parts of the year," New said. People turn to mental health professionals to help them deal with the...
Kathy Graham was never a Girl Scout herself. But the Campfire Girls played a big part in the life of this Minnesota native. She became a Bluebird in third grade and worked her way up through the ranks of the organization until senior year of high school, learning lessons and new skills along the way. “I definitely had just a wonderful, fulfilling experience as a young girl. It taught me a lot about the world,” Graham said. Today, she’s dedicated to providing some of those...
How will your donation support remote learning? Hinsdale residents Greg Hart and David Andalcio have more in common than their addresses. They also share a desire to strengthen their community by supporting the needs of others. When Hart, who represents his hometown on the DuPage County Board, realized that remote learning had the potential to negatively impact students without access to computers, he turned to Andalcio to tackle the problem. As CEO of Wynndalco, a technology...
To Kristen Laakso, rooms are filled with much more than furniture and buildings are made of more than wood and steel. For this lifelong student of art and architecture, rooms are full of questions and buildings tell a story. As president of the Hinsdale Historical Society, Laakso hopes to share the stories and answer the questions hidden within the village's oldest and most interesting buildings. "This town has a story to tell," said Laakso, who moved to Hinsdale in 2012 with...
How do controlled burns help Mother Nature? To some, the days leading up to Thanksgiving are for hunting. For others, it's a time to prepare for the holidays ahead. For Erik Neidy, director of natural resources for the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, it's burn season. "There's really about a 10-window in the fall and a 10-day window in the spring," Neidy said. That's when conditions tend to be right for a slow, controlled burn of forest preserve land." The ideal time...
George Floyd, the man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked demonstrations across the country, didn't identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He wasn't victimized for his sexuality and his rights weren't compromised because of his gender. Yet as a person of color, Floyd had a great deal in common with the members of Hinsdale Central High School's Gender Sexuality Alliance, said Bridget McBride, co-president of the club. "The purpose of the club...
What does a psychic medium do? A reminder to see the dentist wasn't what Meredyth Willits' client was looking for in requesting the medium to reach out to her deceased mother. But moms will be moms, in this life and beyond. "It's interesting when spirit can give us those cues," said Willits, who said the woman acknowledged an ongoing issue with the exact tooth her mother pointed to. "There's no one more amazed by this than me." The Hinsdale resident and mother of four said...
