T h e A merican D rea m- - - Verona Area School District

A R T S & E N T E R T A I N M E N T
‘Megan’s of Verona,’ new family cafe
By MELISSA SEYMOUR
Megan’s of Verona, a new restaurant
on North Edge Trail, was opened
in early of January by Roger Mc-
Munn and the McMunn family. According
to Megan’s website, “Megan’s of Verona is a
breath of fresh air for those who are tired of
the ‘drive thru’ style of eating. We’re a great
place for family and friends to get together
and enjoy real ‘home style’ cooking and
service.”
There is a wide variety of food at Megan’s
including steaming hot breakfast, delicious
lunch, and satisfying dinner. And the bar in
Megan’s might even be turned into a smoothie
and milk shake bar for people to sit at and
enjoy this summer. Megan’s website states,
“Whether you’re looking for breakfast, lunch,
dinner, or just a friendly place to relax and
have a muffi n and coffee, Megan’s is for you.
We look forward to serving you soon.”
There is an obvious “homey” feeling among
not only the customers but workers as well
at Megan’s of Verona. McMunn explains,
“Megan’s is really family friendly and comfortable
for everyone. We have a room especially
for younger families that has toys in the
corner so young children can stay happy and
have fun while food is being cooked or their
parents are eating.”
Daughter of McMunn and freshman at
Verona, Hannah McMunn, explains, “One
thing about Megan’s is that it is run by a
Verona family, and just like any other family,
everyone is involved.” The four McMunn
children help with hosting, bussing tables,
and Megan, the youngest, plays with other
children in the play room. She says, “Working
with family does create some stress, and
we are all constantly talking about ways to
improve Megan’s, but its nice being able to
spend more time side by side.”
There are some changes on the horizon for
Megan’s. Owner Roger McMunn explains
how at first things were rough because
Megan’s was trying to cook really gourmet
things but is now doing what they do best
and making what Verona is really asking
for. He states, “We are serving homemade
recipes from our family to yours.” There are
16 Verona High School students working at
Megan’s right now. McMunn explains that
the staff is doing a wonderful job but, “we
need to learn to work smarter, not necessarily
harder, but make better use of our time
and energy.”
So, if you are in the mood for a great meal,
or need a nice place to meet up with family
or friends, Megan’s is the place to go. You
can even check out the menu beforehand at
www.megansgrandcafe.com .
Music students perform in Chicago
On February 26th By KATIE NOYES
, while most of us
had one more school-day left to sit
through, 95 students of the VAHS
music department were enjoying a musical
excursion to Chicago. What many may not
know is how much practice and preparation
went into this trip. “All the rehearsing was
done outside of school time. We held sectionals
and large group rehearsals before and
after school, at lunch time, and on Sundays.
All of the students spent time practicing on
their own as well, plus we had large meetings
for all the students, parents, and chaperones,
and a preview concert! We began our rehearsals
in early December and fi nished the
day before we left,” explained Ms. Georgeson,
the VAHS choir teacher.
Students left early Thursday morning,
at about six-thirty. The fi rst item on the
itinerary was a concert at Tinley Park High
School. Members of VAHS’ band, choir, and
orchestra each performed songs, and then,
Tinley Park High school performed for them
in return. “The Tinley Park High School
audience was very excited by and responsive
to our performance,” said Georgeson. “Our
performance at Tinley Park High School
in Illinois was a great experience. It was
wonderful to see students from both schools
interacting together. The support their
students gave ours was fantastic, and we
responded in kind. There was even mention
of their music department coming up to visit
us here at VAHS,” added VAHS’s Orchestra
teacher, Mr. Vandermeuse.
Next, they toured the Field Museum.
Later that evening, they attended a Blue
Man Group Concert, and got seats right in
the front row where there was a lot of action.
Being seated in the front row meant
constant surprises. The Blue Men climbed
over them, spit bananas at them, and did
countless other unexpected things. “It
“Each unique part of this
tour has created a wonderful
memory”
-Ms. Georgeson
was interactive and fun and they climbed
over me,” said sophomore Kristen Hoel.
Sophomore Ben Mayers added, “It was
really cool, and at the end they had giant
roles of toilet paper!” This concert seemed
to be the favorite and most memorable
among students. “It was a really awesome
experience and they were really funny,” said
freshman Julia Pfeiffer.
After a fun-fi lled night, it was back
to business early the next morning.
Students had a clinic at University of
Illinois-Chicago. Choir and orchestra
performed for one clinician, and band
performed for another. Then, the clinicians
critiqued their performances.
“The university professors who worked
with our students were very impressed with
and complimentary of the level of performance,”
said Georgeson.
Next, it was off to the Museum of Science
and Industry. And later that night, they attended
a Wynton Marsalis (a Grammy award
winning trumpeter and Pulitzer Prize winner)
and Jazz concert at the Lincoln Center
Symphony Orchestra. One of the members
of the jazz band had even recorded music
for the movie When Harry Met Sally. After
a long day of music, students returned
home at about one-thirty in the morning.
“Each unique part of this tour has created a
wonderful memory - and the desire to travel
again - soon!” explained Georgeson. “As a
teacher, it was great to see students of mine
succeed, and as a musician, it was great to
experience such outstanding performances,”
added Vandermeuse.
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