Gym teachers don’t often get the credit they deserve, perhaps because of the saying, “Those who can’t, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach gym.” But Mark Howard’s teaching refutes that saying completely, according to New Trier senior Jessie Serrino of Glencoe, who says Mark’s love of teaching shows, as he lights up the room with […]
‘I always ask my students to try to improve what they’ve written—to make it better,” Deb Graziano says. Deb’s natural inclination is to make it better herself, wherever her profession leads her, and this drive earned her a “Teacher of Distinction” award from the Golden Apple Foundation in 2009 and the great affection of her […]
“The relationship you have with a student has to be based on trust,” says Dan Polonsky, who teaches junior high students at The Cove School. The students in his classes all have significant learning disabilities. Polonsky describes Cove as a place where “students who have experienced a lot of difficulties can show what they’re capable […]
Teacher by day, secret agent by night. At least that’s what some of his students think. Because he requires little sleep, the Physics and AP Physics teacher has been known to review his students’ research drafts and respond to their emails at 1, 2 and 3 a.m. “He makes himself more available than any teacher […]
Every September, we entrust a major part of the care and mentoring of our children to a new teacher or teachers. And if we’re lucky, these individuals give our kids knowledge, perspective and understanding; helping our children become their best selves. Often, they transform and inspire. And they don’t ask for much in return. Sometimes, […]
Choreographer Brian Friedman is one of today’s hottest directors for concert tours, music videos, television shows, commercials and films. Born in Highland Park, Friedman has choreographed and directed numerous music videos—including Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and “Slave 4 U” and *NSYNC’s “Dirty Pop”—and performances, working with artists like Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Usher, Pink and Ne-Yo. As […]
It’s a season ending worthy of a Hallmark television special—a girls’ baseball team knocking off a boys’ team for the division championship. Where’s Geena Davis to star as one of the moms? You don’t need to dream it—it’s a fact. The Chicago Pioneers, one of just two all-girls baseball programs in the country, recently won […]
Highland Park Poetry (HPP), the brainchild of Jennifer Dotson, is raising awareness for poetry in the northern suburbs—including getting poetry by local writers displayed on Pace buses. Envisioning a community forum for poetry, Dotson—a published poet and mother of two—started HPP in 2007. With a steady stream of creativity, she’s the organization’s engine (not to […]
The day after Lore Kirchheimer moved into Glencoe with her husband and their three grade school children, her neighbor Lorraine Sandler knocked on her door. She introduced herself and announced, “I’m taking you to a Hadassah meeting.” The astonished young mother replied “I can’t. I’ve just moved in,” but Sandler prevailed. It was 1960 and […]
Sharon J. King is the head of membership for the Glencoe Women’s Library Club, which raises money to distribute to different area philanthropies, including hospitals and Glencoe Youth Services. But her service hardly ends there. “If something’s happening, Sharon is in the middle of it,” says Club President Peg Malloy. King is so in the […]
