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What was it like to set a Guinness World Record? Annie Gustafson will never struggle to find that "fun fact" to share at a party or office ice breaker. She will always be someone who set a world record. Annie, a seventh-grader at Hinsdale Middle School, was one of 353 dancers to set a new world record for most ballet dancers en pointe simultaneously in New York earlier this year. The group set the new record by performing a bourree together for one minute. The previous...
What does commencement mean to you? Hinsdale Central student body President Will Kusak will perform his final duty in that role - and as a Red Devil - serving as an emcee of tonight's commencement ceremony. The roughly 600-strong class of 2024 had no in-person eighth-grade graduation due to COVID, and embarked on its high school journey split in halves to promote social distancing on campus. "We were labeled as an 'A day' kid or a 'B day' kid, and that just caused such a stir...
What plants will cicadas put at risk? Spring is always a busy time at the Morton Arboretum. Add in millions of emerging cicadas and the season's to-do list gets exceptionally longer. "We're doing a lot to prepare," said Spencer Campbell, manager of the plant clinic at Morton Arboretum in Lisle. He said workers at the arboretum were busy throughout the first weeks of May wrapping hundreds of the arboretum's youngest trees to protect them from this year's expected cicada brood....
What does it take to be a Green Ribbon school? As a rookie social studies teacher in Fairfax, Va., Levi Brown was troubled that his school was not recycling paper. "I took empty copy paper boxes and sent an email to all the staff asking if I could put a box in their rooms" to collect discarded paper, recounted Brown, principal of Clarendon Hills Middle School. A great plan, until he realized the school had no recycling dumpster. "I went around and got them and piled them all i...
Why is prayer important? Kristin Haag Mathews was introduced to faith and prayer as a child. As an adult facing some of life's greatest challenges, she turned back to prayer for strength and guidance. In doing so, Haag Mathews said she found peace and a desire to share it. As leader of the Caring Team ministry at Hinsdale Covenant Church, Haag Mathews introduces others to the power of prayer, helps people in their quest to strengthen their faith and leans on her own faith to s...
What can we learn through traveling? During a trip to Iran 11 years ago, June Scott hiked with a group to a remote village that was so off the beaten path, supplies were brought in by burro. The Oak Brook resident and native Hinsdalean approached an elderly woman sitting on a doorstep wearing a customary head covering. "She asked if we were Americans, and we said, 'Yes,' " related Scott, who had a translator. "She said, 'You know what? We like Americans. We do not like...
What is Zyn and why is it harmful? Parents might not be familiar with Zyn, an oral nicotine pouch, but college students certainly are. "It was huge on my campus and we have Illinois Wesleyan right next to us as well," said Grace Thompson, an intern at Candor Health Education who will graduate from Illinois State University with a degree in public health in May. "Between those two schools, it would just be everywhere. There would be younger people who would come down for...
What's important to know about home care? Sheri Kupres of Home Helpers in Hinsdale was meeting with a family about senior care when the daughter asked her elderly parents about some dents she noticed on their car. "They said, 'Oh, we hit this pole'," Kupres relayed. "And the daughter replied, 'Well, what if it was a person?' " Finding the couple a senior living facility may be the next step for some. But employing a caregiver - as the family mentioned chose - also is an...
What are the keys to foot and ankle health? With the return of spring come April showers, May flowers and an uptick in injuries as people emerge from their winter habits. Ashley Lee, podiatrist at Northern Illinois Foot and Ankle Specialists' Hinsdale office, said the return to activities like pickleball, tennis, running, walking and youth sports results in an increase in visits to her office for treatment of sports-related injuries. The surging popularity of pickleball has...
Before entering the real estate industry, Dario Medina saw his father and brother succeed in the business of buying, selling and developing properties. After a decade-long corporate career in New York, Medina decided to join them. Now the managing broker at Better Homes and Gardens County Line in Hinsdale, Medina earned his real estate license in 2007. He got his start as one of online firm Redfin's first Chicago-area agents before working his way up to management positions...
What is the Ostrega Uhl project? Beautiful music doesn't require a symphony hall, a theater or a trip to the city. It just requires talented musicians to play it and interested people to hear it. That's the philosophy behind the Ostrega Uhl Project, the brainchild and passion project of violinist Brian Ostrega and pianist Stephen Uhl. Whether it's a retirement community, a public library or a church, Ostrega and Uhl want to take classical chamber music anywhere an audience mig...
How did you unearth vintage bottles? That which lurks beneath has been preoccupying Hinsdale's Bronson Welch recently. The Clarendon Hills Middle School sixth-grader recently visited Graue Mill on an unseasonably warm winter day to explore Salt Creek, flowing considerably shallower nowadays due to a dam removal. "All I was doing was just trying to walk the creek because it was cool," Bronson said. As he walked, his sharp vision spied long buried bottles that had been exposed b...
What inspires you to create your art? It isn't uncommon for sixth-grader Rosie Sun's teachers to return assignments with notes attached. But rather than suggestions or comments about her math or language arts homework, the messages often include compliments about the doodles she's included along the margins of the page. Any blank piece or portion of paper is an opportunity for Rosie to create something new. Rosie discovered her love of art at age 4 while living in China and...
What's so cool about birding? It's prime time to spot birds in their Hinsdale-area habitats, according to Steve Constantelos of the DuPage Birding Club. "At end of winter and early spring, there are more birds around, and they're singing because it's breeding season," he explained. "This is sort of the best time of year because the leaves aren't coming out yet and the birds will be all geared up for spring." Residents are invited to flock together on a Contantelos-led Winter...
Every Friday a group of Hinsdale Central High School students gathers to help children a world away - and whom they likely will never see or meet. Hinsdale Central's LEAP Into Africa club holds events throughout the school year to support a school in Cape Town, South Africa. While the full group of 40 to 50 LEAP members is invited to meet every other Friday, members of the group's executive team gather every Friday throughout the school year. Poverty and inequality are promine...
Deciding what to wear can be a daily struggle for a lot of women, and even men. Professional stylist Megan Brotschul of Hinsdale said the problem often isn't a lack of clothing, but too much of it. Doing business as Style Strategy, Brotschul helps customers find the outfits that are hidden amongst the clutter of their closet by helping them to see what they already have and offering new ways to put those items together. "It's all in the way you style things," she said....
How can failures help children grow? Failures and mistakes are part of life, and those inevitable moments also can become character-building opportunities. That was the message of Michelle Icard, an expert in adolescence and author of three books on the subject, who spoke to parents Jan. 31 at The Community House. Icard, author of “8 Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success: What to Do and What to Say to Turn ‘Failures’ into Character-Building Moments, said a healthy adole...
What does it take to direct a play? Hinsdale Central senior Emma LoDuca has long been drawn to the enchanting world of live theater. A couple of years ago she developed a passion for the medium of film and sought out a way to support both interests. That way was directing. LoDuca will make her directorial debut with Hinsdale Central Drama's family-friendly production of "James and the Giant Peach" Feb. 9 and 10 in the school's auditorium (see Page 16 for details). The famous...
How can homeowners avoid remodeling woes? Hiring someone to complete a home improvement project can be an exciting step for any homeowner. But to ensure the work is done right, the consumer has some work to do, too, said Jeff Kida, a certified remodeler and owner of DDS Design Services LLC of Hinsdale. A remodeler for more than 20 years, Kida said much of his work involves kitchen and bath remodels for architects and general contractors. "They need someone with design...
What is your train exhibit about? Frank Rozich's interest in model trains goes back to childhood, when he would occasionally be allowed to play with a train that once entertained his father as a child. Decades later, that train now sits on Rozich's mantle and is the flagship piece in what has grown into a prolific collection. A portion of that collection now fills the display cases inside a room at the Hinsdale History Museum at 12 Clay Street. Titled "Miniature Rails, Massive...
How do you know if old stuff is worth anything? Ready to part with that tacky collectible? It could be treasure to Rex Newell. "If something that you have is strange and ugly, it tends to be really valuable," said the veteran antique appraiser. "Strange is good in this business." Newell will offer his services to attendees of his "Antiques Roadshow"-like program from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Hinsdale Public Library (see Page XX for details). He'll also...
How important is self care over winter break? The days surrounding Christmas and New Year's Day are called a break for a reason. Licensed clinical social worker and The Community House staff therapist Shannon Haut said taking time to care for oneself is the very best use of the days and even weeks between one semester and the next. She encourages students to take some time for themselves while class is out of session. "I say lean into that," said Haut, who works with young...
When and where are Christmas worship services? Hinsdale faith communities offer a range of opportunities to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, whose timing this year may alter churches' normal weekend rhythms. Here are the times and activities offered by the towns' houses of worship, from family-friendly fellowship to candlelight services for people who want to step outside just as the clock strikes Christmas. In addition to the in-person services listed below, many...
How can you dress up holiday drinks? Gatherings of friends and family are made extra special this time of year with the help of festive decorations, holiday attire and decadent dishes. For those whose gatherings also include cocktails, local mixologist Michael Bergeron said a cocktail can go from everyday to extra with just a few simple changes. Bergeron is the expert behind the bar at Hinsdale's Que Miso, a new addition to Washington Street that combines the flavors of...
How can meditation ease stress? A calm lake is able to mirror its surroundings in serene tribute. But toss in some pebbles, and the scene is suddenly roiled by the ripples. Meditation expert Umesh Bhatia believes our spirits are likewise too often unsettled by incoming concerns. "The average human has 30,000 to 50,000 thoughts in a day," he said. "The reason why we don't experiment the inner light is because of the rain of thoughts that are coming into our minds." Connecting...
