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®<br />

Trade bound<br />

Mokena pipefitters help give students<br />

college alternatives, Page 3<br />

Students in charge<br />

Village Hall site of<br />

Student Government Day, Page 16<br />

The chosen ones<br />

Publisher 22nd Century Media reveals winners in<br />

Southwest Choice Awards special section, Inside<br />

mokena’s Award-Winning Hometown Newspaper mokenamessenger.com • March 21, 2019 • Vol. 11 No. 32 • $1<br />

A<br />

Publication<br />

,LLC<br />

William J.<br />

Garrett<br />

Hugh<br />

(Butch)<br />

McCorkle<br />

Richard C.<br />

LaCien, Jr.<br />

Beth Janus-<br />

Doyle<br />

Peter J.<br />

Wilkes (PHOTO<br />

NOT SUBMITTED)<br />

Joseph<br />

Kirkeeng<br />

The six candidates who will appear on the April 2 ballot for LW D210 Board of Education.<br />

Design by Nancy Burgan/22nd Century Media<br />

Six D210 candidates vie for four seats, Pages 4-5<br />

Appraisal Day<br />

SATURDAY,MARCH 23<br />

MOKENA 19102 S.88th Ave.<br />

www.LWCBank.com<br />

SEE OUR AD INSIDE FOR DETAILS!


2 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger calendar<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

In this week’s<br />

Messenger<br />

Pet of the Week.............12<br />

Police Reports................13<br />

Editorial........................19<br />

Puzzles..........................28<br />

The Scene......................28<br />

Classifieds................ 32-40<br />

The Mokena<br />

Messenger<br />

ph: 708.326.9170 fx: 708.326.9179<br />

Editor<br />

TJ Kremer III, x29<br />

tj@mokenamessenger.com<br />

assistant editor<br />

Megan Schuller, x34<br />

m.schuller@22ndcm.com<br />

Sales director<br />

Lora Healy, x31<br />

l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

real estate sales<br />

Tricia Kobylarczyk, x47<br />

t.weber@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

classifieds/Legal Notices<br />

Jeff Schouten, x51<br />

j.schouten@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

PUBLISHER<br />

Joe Coughlin 847.272.4565, x16<br />

j.coughlin@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

Managing Editor<br />

Bill Jones, x20<br />

bill@opprairie.com<br />

president<br />

Andrew Nicks<br />

a.nicks@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

EDITORIAL DESIGN DIRECTOR<br />

Nancy Burgan, x30<br />

n.burgan@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

22 nd Century Media<br />

11516 West 183rd Street<br />

Unit SW Office Condo #3<br />

Orland Park, IL 60467<br />

www.MokenaMessenger.com<br />

Chemical- free printing on<br />

30% recycled paper<br />

circulation inquiries<br />

circulation@22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

The Mokena Messenger<br />

(USPS #025404)<br />

is published weekly by<br />

22nd Century Media, LLC,<br />

11516 W. 183rd Pl.<br />

Unit SW, Office Condo #3<br />

Orland Park, IL 60467<br />

and additional mailing offices.<br />

Periodical postage paid at<br />

Orland Park, IL<br />

POSTMASTER: Send changes to:<br />

The Mokena Messenger<br />

11516 W. 183rd Pl.<br />

Unit SW, Office Condo #3<br />

Orland Park, IL 60467<br />

Published by<br />

www.22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

Megan Schuller<br />

m.schuller@22ndcm.com<br />

THURSDAY<br />

D210 Board of Education<br />

Meeting<br />

7 p.m. March 21 Lincoln-Way<br />

Central High<br />

School, 1801 E. Lincoln<br />

Highway, New Lenox.<br />

Meetings are held on the<br />

third Thursday of every<br />

month at the Knights of the<br />

Roundtable at LWC.<br />

Economic Development<br />

Commission Meeting<br />

7:30 a.m. March 21. Village<br />

Hall, 11004 Carpenter<br />

Street, Mokena.<br />

Adult Book Discussion<br />

7-8:30 p.m. March 21.<br />

FRIDAY<br />

Woodcock Walk<br />

6:30-8 p.m. March 22.<br />

Hickory Creek Preserve,<br />

10537 W La Porte Rd, Mokena.<br />

Spend the first part<br />

of the evening discovering<br />

more about this bird, then<br />

hike to watch the courtship<br />

flight of the male. The hike<br />

is approximately one mile<br />

on both paved and natural<br />

surface trails over uneven<br />

terrain. Be sure to dress for<br />

the weather.<br />

SATURDAY<br />

NAWS Fundraiser<br />

6 p.m. March 23, Gaaelic<br />

Park, 6119 W. 147th St.,<br />

Oak Forest. Partake in a<br />

1940s murder mystery.<br />

Cost is $60 per person.<br />

MONDAY<br />

Jazz from Planet Flippo<br />

Quartet<br />

1-2 p.m. March 25. Mokena<br />

Community Public<br />

Library District, 11327 W.<br />

195th St., Mokena. Spend<br />

an afternoon of hearing<br />

original compositions and<br />

arrangements from Jazz<br />

From Planet Flippo. This<br />

quartet will play contemporary<br />

classics by the Beatles,<br />

Joni Mitchell, David<br />

Bowie, Sting and others.<br />

Village Board od Trustees<br />

Meeting<br />

7 p.m. March 25. Village<br />

Hall, 11004 Carpenter<br />

Street, Mokena.<br />

UPCOMING<br />

Shrek Jr. The Musical<br />

7 p.m. Friday, March<br />

29, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday,<br />

March 30 and 2 p.m. Sunday,<br />

March 31. Noonan<br />

Academy 19131 Henry<br />

Drive, Mokena. Tickets<br />

$10 adult, $8 child through<br />

Diane Simon at simonfamily1995@gmail.com<br />

National Wheelchair<br />

Basketball Association<br />

Championship Tournaments<br />

March 29-31. The Lincoln-Way<br />

Special Recreation<br />

Association will<br />

host two separate National<br />

Wheelchair Basketball Association<br />

championship<br />

tournaments. For more<br />

information on times and<br />

locations visit www.lwsra.<br />

org or call (815) 320-3500.<br />

After Hours Game Night<br />

6-9 p.m. Friday, April<br />

5. Mokena Public Library<br />

District. 11327 W. 195th<br />

St., Mokena. Ages 14 and<br />

up can play games after<br />

hours in the library.<br />

Sensory Yoga<br />

11:30 a.m. Saturday,<br />

April 6. Mokena Public<br />

Library District. 11327 W.<br />

195th St., Mokena. Pre K<br />

thorugh 9 years old. Registration<br />

Required. The sensory<br />

benefits of yoga for<br />

kids help proprioceptive<br />

and vestibular input.<br />

Walking Book Club<br />

9-10 a.m. Wednesday,<br />

April 10. Oaks Recreational<br />

Center, 10847 W La<br />

Porte Road, Mokena.<br />

Flashlight Egg Hunt<br />

8-9 p.m. April 11. Yunker<br />

Farm, 10824 W. LaPorte<br />

Road, Mokena. Join the<br />

Park District to challenge<br />

friends to see who can find<br />

the most treat-filled eggs<br />

using only a flashlight. The<br />

child that finds the golden<br />

egg will receive a basket<br />

filled with treats. Please<br />

bring your own flashlight<br />

and a bag to collect the<br />

eggs. Pizza will be served<br />

after the hunt. The hunt is<br />

for ages 10–15. Preregistration<br />

is required.<br />

NAWS BINGO Night<br />

6 p.m. Friday, April 12.<br />

Traverso’s Restaurant,<br />

15601 S. Harlem Ave., Orland<br />

Park. $25 per person<br />

includes pizza, soda and<br />

10 games of bingo.<br />

MAMMA MIA! Production<br />

7 p.m. on Friday April<br />

12, 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday<br />

April, 13 and 3 p.m. on<br />

Sunday April 14. Lincoln-<br />

Way East, 201 Colorado<br />

Ave, Frankfort. Tickets<br />

available beginning on<br />

March 4 for $10 each.<br />

For more information visit<br />

lwemusic.org.<br />

ONGOING<br />

Kindergarten Registration<br />

Drive<br />

8 a.m.-4 p.m. Ongoing.<br />

District Administrative<br />

Center, 20100 South<br />

Spruce Drive in Frankfort.<br />

Summit Hill School District’s<br />

2019-20 kindergarten<br />

registration drive continues.<br />

Parents may access<br />

www.studentregistration.<br />

org to review the checklist<br />

of documents needed for<br />

registration. Parents have<br />

the option of enrolling<br />

their kindergartener in the<br />

extended day program or<br />

the half-day program. Registration<br />

fee for extended<br />

day is $150. Registration<br />

fee for half day is $125.<br />

Critter Class<br />

5:30–6:30 p.m. on<br />

Tuesdays, March 5–26.<br />

Program Center, 10925<br />

La Porte Road, Mokena.<br />

This 4-week class is an<br />

introduction to some of<br />

the world’s most misunderstood<br />

creatures.Each<br />

class features live animals.<br />

Classes are taught by the<br />

experts from Crosstown<br />

Exotics. Some classes may<br />

take place outdoors. Ages<br />

6-12. For more information,<br />

call the Mokena Park<br />

District at (708) 390-2401<br />

or go to mokenapark.com<br />

to register.<br />

LIST IT YOURSELF<br />

Reach out to thousands of daily<br />

users by submitting your event at<br />

MokenaMessenger.com/calendar<br />

For just print*, email all information to<br />

m.schuller@22ndcm.com<br />

*Deadline for print is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to publication.<br />

Correction<br />

In the March 14 issue<br />

of The Messenger,<br />

Steven Jacobson’s and<br />

Timothy J. Ozinga’s<br />

photos were switched.<br />

This was corrected<br />

on our website. The<br />

Messenger regrets the<br />

error.<br />

Mokena Fire Protection<br />

CPR Class<br />

6 —9:30 p.m. Ongoing.<br />

Mokena Fire Station<br />

1, 19853 S. Wolf Rd,<br />

Moknea. The Mokena Fire<br />

Protection District offers<br />

monthly CPR classes for<br />

the public. Students are instructed<br />

in adult, child and<br />

infant CPR and AED. The<br />

cost of the class is $35 for<br />

Community CPR and $40<br />

Healthcare CPR. Register<br />

for specific dates at www.<br />

mokenafire.org.<br />

Senior Fitness Class<br />

1-2 p.m. Mondays,<br />

Frankfort Township Event<br />

Centre, 20701 Landings<br />

Pointe, Frankfort. Join<br />

the Frankfort Township<br />

for balance strengthening,<br />

chair side light yoga classes.<br />

For more information<br />

and registration, call (815)<br />

806-2766.<br />

Board of Education<br />

Meeting<br />

7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays,<br />

Board Room, Mokena<br />

Elementary School,<br />

11244 Willow Crest Lane,<br />

Mokena. 4907 or visit<br />

www.frankforttownship.<br />

com.


mokenamessenger.com news<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 3<br />

Mokena Pipefitters Union helps<br />

students with career choices<br />

Amanda Del Buono<br />

Freelance Reporter<br />

Seniors at Tinley Park High School visit Pipefitters<br />

Union Local 597 Training Center in Mokena to learn<br />

more about career opportunities following high school.<br />

Photo submitted<br />

College isn’t for everyone,<br />

and, as a young adult,<br />

it can be intimidating trying<br />

to figure out what to<br />

do after graduating high<br />

school. To help his students<br />

make that difficult<br />

but incredibly important<br />

decision, Tinley Park High<br />

School automotive technology<br />

teacher Mark Moberg<br />

has tried to educate<br />

them about the variety of<br />

opportunities available<br />

to them after high school<br />

that are right in their backyards.<br />

For the past 18 years,<br />

Moberg has brought<br />

groups of students to a variety<br />

of trade schools and<br />

organizations in the area<br />

to give them a first-hand<br />

account of potential career<br />

paths outside of college.<br />

With graduation quickly<br />

approaching in just a few<br />

months, he recently took<br />

13 students to the Pipefitters<br />

Union Local 597<br />

Training Center in Mokena.<br />

“I teach primarily seniors,<br />

and it’s getting to<br />

be that time where they<br />

need to make some decisions,<br />

and most of the kids<br />

in my automotive classes,<br />

they’re not probably going<br />

to college,” Moberg said.<br />

“So, I just try to show them<br />

some of the other options<br />

out there, like the Pipefitters.<br />

I take them to UTI,<br />

which is an automotive<br />

school...I just do it when it<br />

gets this time of year.”<br />

The trip to the Pipefitters<br />

Union included a 90-minute<br />

tour of the training<br />

facility. During the tour,<br />

Adam Sutter, admissions<br />

director for the Pipefitters<br />

Union, walked the students<br />

through the stateof-the-art<br />

training facility,<br />

showing them both the<br />

building trades and HVAC<br />

wing, he said. Throughout<br />

the tour, the students were<br />

able to see apprentices on<br />

the floor practicing the<br />

trade, actively welding<br />

and fabricating at the facility.<br />

“He showed all of the<br />

stuff that they’re going to<br />

have to learn to be a member<br />

of the Pipefitters,”<br />

Moberg said. “He showed<br />

what was involved in the<br />

welding class and the heating<br />

and air conditioning<br />

classes. So, he really gave<br />

them a good tour, and he<br />

didn’t hold anything back<br />

with how difficult some of<br />

the training is.”<br />

Throughout the tour,<br />

Sutter explained to the<br />

students the process and<br />

expectations the union has<br />

set for applicants to the local<br />

union and apprenticeship<br />

program, Sutter said.<br />

“We talk to them about<br />

how to apply to the local<br />

union, so they understand<br />

that process, which<br />

is obviously the biggest<br />

process, what we expect<br />

from them, what they can<br />

expect from us in training,<br />

the scope of the work that<br />

we do, the skill that it takes<br />

to actually be successful at<br />

it,” he said. “We talk about<br />

our pay scale obviously,<br />

because they like to hear<br />

about money, and also all<br />

of our benefits as well. We<br />

give them a good idea of<br />

what’s going on out there,<br />

and we tell them exactly<br />

what they need to do and<br />

let them go from there and<br />

let them make their decisions.<br />

This way they’re<br />

educated now to make an<br />

educated decision when it<br />

comes to their career and<br />

what they want to pursue<br />

after high school.”<br />

This first-hand experience<br />

with the trade makes<br />

the best impression on the<br />

students, said Sutter, who<br />

gives tours to many high<br />

schools in an effort to encourage<br />

students to apply<br />

for the union’s apprenticeship<br />

program.<br />

“The building sells itself,<br />

it’s a state-of-the-art<br />

facility, it’s massive,” Sutter<br />

said. “So, seeing that<br />

and actual equipment and<br />

machinery and the guys<br />

working, I mean that really<br />

sets that hook. Going to a<br />

high school and talking to<br />

them about it, I could give<br />

Please see pipe fitter, 11<br />

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4 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger election 2019<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Lincoln-Way Community High School D210 (6 for 4 four-year terms)<br />

Name: William<br />

J. Garrett<br />

Age: 30<br />

Town of Residence:<br />

Manhattan<br />

Occupation: Operations<br />

Manager<br />

Prior elected political experience:<br />

LWHS ESP President,<br />

LWHS ESP Secretary,<br />

and Townes of Leighlinbridge<br />

Treasurer<br />

Why are you running for<br />

D210 Board of Education?<br />

As a graduate of Lincoln-<br />

Way East High School and a<br />

resident of the Lincoln-Way<br />

Community, I have always<br />

envisioned collaborating with<br />

the community to enhance the<br />

educational development of<br />

young minds. My goal, like<br />

most parents, is to provide an<br />

environment that will allow<br />

all children to develop and<br />

become highly competitive in<br />

a global society. My passion<br />

for student success has been a<br />

vital component in my choice<br />

to continue working in schools<br />

for the last 10 years.<br />

What makes you the best<br />

candidate for this position?<br />

The key factors that separate<br />

my skill set from other candidates<br />

is my ability to engage<br />

our stakeholders while keeping<br />

students at the center. My<br />

ability to blend academics with<br />

finances will help position our<br />

schools to mitigate risks, measure<br />

the academic return on<br />

investment, and create a sound<br />

and purposeful financial plan.<br />

It can never be understated that<br />

strategic planning is an investment<br />

in success. I have been<br />

a proponent of data collection<br />

as a method to identify “small<br />

victories” that can be scaled to<br />

ensure programmatic sustainability.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues<br />

you see facing the Board of<br />

Education, and what would<br />

you do to solve them?<br />

The top issues facing Lincoln-Way<br />

Community High<br />

School District 210 are collaboratively<br />

identifying the programmatic<br />

needs of students,<br />

developing a cost saving strategy<br />

that will balance the fund<br />

balance to revenue ratio, and<br />

align Lincoln-Way with best<br />

practices of the Government<br />

Finance Officers Association.<br />

These three issues are not isolated<br />

but, rather, an intricate<br />

braid of challenges.<br />

Lincoln-Way has again received<br />

the lowest financial<br />

profile designation from the<br />

Illinois State Board of Education.<br />

Out of the 852 schools<br />

reported by ISBE, Lincoln-<br />

Way is one of 29 schools listed<br />

as “Financial Watch.” To increase<br />

the financial stability of<br />

Lincoln-Way, a fiscally sound<br />

district budget will need to be<br />

passed and continuous monitoring<br />

of the financial health<br />

must occur. In order to achieve<br />

a healthy financial institution,<br />

we must set clear goals and<br />

policies, prioritize long term<br />

strategies, and focus tax dollars<br />

into financially responsible<br />

directions that can be<br />

measured.<br />

Name: Beth Janus-Doyle<br />

Age: 40<br />

Town of Residence: Mokena<br />

Occupation: High School<br />

English teacher (18 years)<br />

Prior elected political experience:<br />

LW 210 School<br />

Board Member (elected in 2017)<br />

Why are you running for D210 Board<br />

of Education?<br />

I am running for re-election because<br />

I still maintain that all school boards<br />

should have at least one current teacher/educator.<br />

How can a board that is<br />

supposed to work with the community<br />

to improve student achievement<br />

function properly without the input<br />

of someone who actually “lives and<br />

breathes” education? The day-to-day<br />

workings of a high school are complex,<br />

and much like many other careers,<br />

people cannot truly understand it unless<br />

they are a part of it. I feel I add a<br />

specific and distinct perspective to the<br />

board.<br />

What makes you the best candidate<br />

for this position?<br />

I am a long-time community member<br />

(14 years), parent of a Lincoln-<br />

Way Central freshman, an 18-year high<br />

school educator and my retired parents<br />

have been living in Frankfort for 18<br />

years. I also have many friends, family<br />

members and colleagues who live<br />

in the Lincoln-Way communities. My<br />

unique perspective as a teacher and<br />

parent is important, and first and foremost,<br />

I always have the best interests<br />

of the students in mind when making<br />

decisions.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues you see facing<br />

the Board of Education, and what<br />

would you do to solve them?<br />

Continued Focus on School Safety:<br />

Schools need to continuously evaluate<br />

their safety measures. In this day<br />

and age, schools must be diligent and<br />

make continued efforts to improve. We<br />

are charged with the safety and well being<br />

of other people’s children, and that<br />

is not something that should be taken<br />

lightly. We have worked to implement<br />

several important safety measures, and<br />

have addressed and fixed some worrisome<br />

policies; however, there is always<br />

more work to be done when it<br />

comes to the safety of our students and<br />

staff.<br />

Students’ Emotional Needs: The<br />

social-emotional well being of our<br />

children is critical to their success in<br />

school, outside of school and to becoming<br />

functioning adults. More than ever,<br />

we are facing an increase in anxiety,<br />

depression and other emotional/mental<br />

health issues. It is essential that schools<br />

work (harder) to put plans in place<br />

that address these growing needs. Students<br />

need to be held accountable and<br />

Please see Doyle, 5<br />

Name: Joseph<br />

Kirkeeng<br />

Age: 53<br />

T o w n :<br />

New Lenox<br />

O c c u -<br />

pation:<br />

Banker – president &<br />

CEO First Secure Bank &<br />

Trust; adjunct professor<br />

of business and management<br />

at Joliet Junior College.<br />

Prior elected political<br />

experience: Currently<br />

member Board of Education<br />

Lincoln-Way High<br />

School District 210; previously<br />

a member of the<br />

Board of Education New<br />

Lenox Grade School District<br />

122.<br />

Why are you running<br />

for D210 Board of Education?<br />

After accepting an appointment<br />

to the board in<br />

June 2016, I was elected<br />

to the Lincoln-Way High<br />

School Board of Education<br />

in April 2017. I<br />

have lived in the Lincoln-<br />

Way District for nearly<br />

25 years. I would like to<br />

continue the progress the<br />

board and the administration<br />

have experienced<br />

over the past several<br />

months in these areas: To<br />

continue the path to longterm<br />

financial stability; to<br />

grow the total educational<br />

experience for all of the<br />

students and their families<br />

throughout the district;<br />

and to ensure the pride all<br />

citizens within the district<br />

feel when they interact<br />

with the high school district.<br />

What makes you the<br />

best candidate for this<br />

position?<br />

My professional experience<br />

is in the financial services<br />

industry. This experience<br />

has assisted me in<br />

understanding the financial<br />

challenges facing the<br />

district. This includes the<br />

operating budget challenges,<br />

the long-term debt<br />

issues, the administrative<br />

and cultural opportunities,<br />

and the willingness<br />

to engage with those that<br />

live within our district.<br />

I have worked with all<br />

of the current board members<br />

and the district’s<br />

administration to create<br />

improved practices as<br />

well as enhance policies<br />

to move the district away<br />

from its recent financial<br />

history and create a path<br />

to financial stability. I<br />

have also been very active<br />

in meeting with those<br />

from the community who<br />

have ideas and suggestions<br />

pertaining to many<br />

aspects of how the district<br />

operates and interacts<br />

with the community.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues<br />

you see facing the<br />

Board of Education, and<br />

what would you do to<br />

solve them?<br />

Ensure District’s Financial<br />

Stability: This<br />

can be accomplished by<br />

continuing to improve<br />

the district’s operational<br />

financial position through<br />

expense management,<br />

evaluating potential revenue<br />

sources, and improving<br />

the monitoring,<br />

communicating and assessment<br />

of financial<br />

results. The district has<br />

made great strides; however,<br />

an economic downturn<br />

or changes in our<br />

Please see kirkeeng, 9


mokenamessenger.com election 2019<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 5<br />

Lincoln-Way Community High School D210 (6 for 4 four-year terms)<br />

Name: Richard C.<br />

LaCien, Jr.<br />

Age: 52<br />

Town of Residence:<br />

Mokena<br />

Occupation: Superintendent<br />

and<br />

project manager, member of<br />

Sheet Metal Workers Local 73,<br />

Chicago<br />

Prior elected political experience:<br />

Commissioner of the Mokena<br />

Park District Board<br />

Why are you running for D210<br />

Board of Education?<br />

I am running for the D210<br />

Board of Education because<br />

I have a son in the school<br />

district and I want to be<br />

involved.<br />

What makes me the best candidate<br />

for this position?<br />

I am the best candidate because<br />

no current board members<br />

have construction experience<br />

and I believe that I would<br />

be an asset to the board. I will<br />

be able to fill the gap by bringing<br />

my extensive construction<br />

experience regarding projects<br />

and costs. In addition, I will be<br />

able to give guidance and direction<br />

to the school board on how<br />

to assist those students who<br />

want to make a career by getting<br />

into the trades if college is<br />

not for them.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues you<br />

see facing the Board of Education?<br />

The top issues facing the<br />

D210 Board of Education are<br />

now that we’ve come out of<br />

our financial warning status,<br />

we need to keep our budget in<br />

check and building our reserves<br />

while still accomplishing the<br />

improvements for the district<br />

and doing capital jobs as they<br />

become required.<br />

Name: Hugh<br />

(Butch) Mc-<br />

Corkle<br />

Age: 63<br />

Town of residence:<br />

Frankfort<br />

(Unincorporated)<br />

Occupation: Retired police<br />

detective sergeant, current Lincoln<br />

Way security<br />

Prior elected political experience:<br />

N/A<br />

Why are you running for<br />

D210 Board of Education?<br />

Twenty-eight years of experience<br />

as a police officer, detective,<br />

juvenile officer, child<br />

advocate and all three levels of<br />

FEMA certifications. I am confident<br />

in helping the current administration<br />

becoming a more<br />

secure environment at minimal<br />

to no cost. Voters should question<br />

why anybody would want<br />

to run for a position that doesn’t<br />

pay anything or have any benefits.<br />

I am not looking to build<br />

a political future by any means.<br />

I simply have a gift of knowledge<br />

and experience that I want<br />

to give back to our community,<br />

and create a safe and secure environment<br />

for our children.<br />

doyle<br />

From Page 4<br />

pushed to high standards, of<br />

course, but we are living in a<br />

time with so many variables,<br />

changing social constructs,<br />

and fears that no adults have<br />

ever seen the likes of: social<br />

media, smart phones, instant<br />

access to everything, cyber<br />

What makes me you best<br />

candidate for this position?<br />

I take a common-sense approach<br />

to issues facing the<br />

school district. I believe in accountability<br />

and transparency.<br />

I will not only be the advocate<br />

for our students but also the<br />

parents and taxpayers who fund<br />

our schools. I am the only candidate<br />

with the experience and<br />

education in the area of safety<br />

and will take a proactive approach<br />

to ensure the safety<br />

and security of students and<br />

staff. As I watch all the horrific<br />

events that occur in our schools<br />

across this country I’ve learned<br />

we need to be on top of our<br />

game. I don’t ever want to look<br />

a parent in the face and say,<br />

“I’m sorry we could have done<br />

more but we chose not to.”<br />

What are the Top 3 issues<br />

facing the Board of Education?<br />

Financial Responsibility:<br />

I will work with not only the<br />

other six board members and<br />

the superintendent, but will<br />

also listen to the citizens and<br />

make decisions with the least<br />

impact and maximum effect<br />

for the district.<br />

Future Direction: I’m not a<br />

fan of “we’ve always done it<br />

that way.” In my time at I’ve<br />

come to find that Lincoln-<br />

Way is a great school district,<br />

with administration and staff<br />

who have genuine heart, care<br />

and passion for the students.<br />

We need to be constantly<br />

looking for ways to improve<br />

on problems and correct what<br />

has been working. Together<br />

we can make it better.<br />

Security: As already mentioned<br />

I come from a law enforcement<br />

background. I have<br />

often said if a person knows<br />

right from wrong and can use<br />

an index from vehicle/criminal<br />

code law book they can<br />

be the police. The difference<br />

between police and security is<br />

the power of arrest. I not only<br />

have education in this field, but<br />

the years of experience. I never<br />

aspired to run for any political<br />

office. After two years of<br />

working Lincoln-Way security<br />

I have noticed many flaws in<br />

the system that can be corrected<br />

with little or no tax dollars.<br />

For obvious reasons, I don’t<br />

want to mention what these<br />

flaws are, as persons may want<br />

to take advantage of them.<br />

bullying, increased instances<br />

of violence and increased<br />

number of suicides, just to<br />

name a few. These are all<br />

very important to address, as<br />

a student cannot be successful<br />

without being mentally<br />

healthy. Schools can always<br />

do more to address this.<br />

Finances/Empty Building:<br />

Although the district has<br />

made huge strides in correcting<br />

its financial troubles, we<br />

still have an uphill financial<br />

battle and an empty building.<br />

We need to start focusing on<br />

creative ways to reduce expenditures<br />

and continue to<br />

explore options to increase<br />

revenue. It is also time, now<br />

that some of the “fires” have<br />

been put out/addressed/managed,<br />

to start seeking options<br />

for our empty building.<br />

Name: Peter J. Wilkes<br />

Age: 55<br />

Town of Residence:<br />

Frankfort<br />

Occupation: Attorney<br />

Prior elected political<br />

experience: N/A<br />

Why are you running for D210<br />

Board of Education?<br />

The reason I am running for a<br />

school board position is very simple<br />

and straightforward.<br />

I currently have four children<br />

enrolled in Lincoln-Way East:<br />

two juniors and two freshmen. My<br />

niece is currently attending Lincoln-Way<br />

West, and her two sisters<br />

and brother also attended Lincoln-<br />

Way West. For the obvious reason,<br />

I have a vested interest in the quality<br />

of education provided by our<br />

schools.<br />

What makes you the best candidate<br />

for this position?<br />

I believe the combination of<br />

my professional occupation and<br />

prior experience with volunteer<br />

organizations, along with a<br />

healthy dose of common sense,<br />

qualifies me for a position on the<br />

school board.<br />

As a practicing trial attorney,<br />

I am faced daily with decisions<br />

involving ethical and legal issues<br />

that can be utilized by this board<br />

for all decisions involving the administration<br />

and district. It will be<br />

my goal to ensure all policies are<br />

transparent, ethical and comply<br />

with the law. In my professional<br />

capacity, I have always made sure<br />

that I receive as much information<br />

as possible prior to rendering an<br />

opinion or decision. I will bring<br />

this experience to the school<br />

board and encourage an open dialogue<br />

among the members to ensure<br />

the proper course of action is<br />

taken.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues you<br />

see facing the Board of Education,<br />

and what would you do to<br />

solve them?<br />

With respect to the top three issues<br />

facing the Board of Education,<br />

it is my opinion that fiscal<br />

responsibility, employing quality<br />

teachers and accumulating school<br />

resources are critical.<br />

Fiscal Responsibility: The administration<br />

has done an outstanding<br />

job of devising and implementing<br />

a fiscal plan creating a<br />

solvent district. It will be the job<br />

of this board to make sure that path<br />

continues on in that direction.<br />

Quality Teachers: Teachers undoubtedly<br />

have the biggest impact<br />

upon students. At least that was<br />

my experience in high school.<br />

Providing a classroom environment<br />

that encourages students<br />

to become fully engaged in class<br />

increases the chances of graduating<br />

well-rounded young men and<br />

women who will be best equipped<br />

to continue on in their life journey.<br />

The school district is already<br />

recognized as one of the top districts<br />

in this state, and that is due<br />

in large part to the quality men and<br />

women who currently educate our<br />

children. We need to reward those<br />

who create and promote the learning<br />

environment, and continue to<br />

attract new teachers who possess<br />

the same enthusiasm and passion<br />

as the current staff does.<br />

Resources: If you hire the best<br />

people to teach, and provide them<br />

with the best resources to teach,<br />

our children benefit.


6 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger news<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Village of Mokena Board of Trustees<br />

Economic incentive agreement gets extension<br />

Jon DePaolis<br />

Freelance Reporter<br />

An incentive agreement<br />

designed to attract retail<br />

sales tax-generating businesses<br />

to the Corporate<br />

Corridors North business<br />

park was extended 15<br />

years Monday, March 11,<br />

during the Village of Mokena<br />

Board of Trustees<br />

meeting.<br />

The trustees voted 6-0<br />

to extend the agreement,<br />

which began in 2008 and<br />

was set to expire in four<br />

years. The initial economic<br />

incentive agreement<br />

set a 50-50 sharing<br />

of the 1 percent non-home<br />

rule sales tax, but it does<br />

not include the one-half<br />

of 1 percent portion of the<br />

non-home rule sales tax<br />

set aside for road infrastructure.<br />

Therefore, the<br />

Village shares the one-half<br />

of 1 percent of the sales tax<br />

Round it up<br />

A brief recap of other items discussed<br />

at the March 11 Board of Trustees<br />

meeting<br />

• As part of the Consent Agenda, the<br />

Village Board members voted 6-0<br />

to pass the revised prevailing rate<br />

of wages ordinance from the Illinois<br />

Department of Labor in late February.<br />

• During the work session, the<br />

trustees verbally voiced support for a<br />

special use permit amendment that<br />

would allow RCS Mokena, LLC, to<br />

negate the requirement to provide an<br />

8-foot PVC fence between the parcel<br />

of land of Lot 1 of the Corporate<br />

remaining equally with the<br />

business.<br />

“This economic incentive<br />

agreement has been<br />

very successful in attracting<br />

retail sales tax-generating<br />

businesses to the<br />

industrially zoned properties<br />

in the Corporate<br />

Corridors North business<br />

park,” Mokena Director of<br />

Economic and Community<br />

Development Alan Zordan<br />

said.<br />

Corridors North business park and<br />

the Burnside Station subdivision. In<br />

its place, and after speaking to the<br />

residents’ homeowners association,<br />

RCS Mokena would add supplemental<br />

landscaping along a berm that is<br />

between the homes and Lot 1.<br />

• Also during the work session, the<br />

board members discussed shortterm<br />

and long-term goals for items<br />

identified previously as Village<br />

priorities, including development<br />

along 191st Street and the Interstate<br />

80 corridor, the downtown area,<br />

and capital projects. The general<br />

consensus from the board members<br />

was that more information and plans<br />

were needed.<br />

He listed some of the<br />

businesses that have come<br />

to that business park as<br />

part of the original incentive<br />

agreement, such as:<br />

Win Supply; Central Illinois<br />

Trucks; Point Blank;<br />

Accelerate Indoor Speedway;<br />

and ABC Supply.<br />

But, with the original<br />

incentive agreement’s<br />

term winding down, “it<br />

has become a less effective<br />

tool for attracting<br />

businesses,” Zordan<br />

said.<br />

Zordan said it was the<br />

board’s direction to staff to<br />

extend the incentive agreement<br />

another 15 years. The<br />

extension was reviewed by<br />

the Economic Development<br />

Commission in October<br />

2018 and the Village<br />

Board in December 2018.<br />

Zordan said the new 15-<br />

year term would begin as<br />

soon as it was passed by<br />

the board, eliminating the<br />

four years left on the old<br />

agreement.<br />

Steve Vernon, on behalf<br />

of Corporate Corridors<br />

North, voiced his support<br />

for the incentive agreement<br />

extension during the<br />

meeting.<br />

“I [think] it’s a win-win<br />

for us as the developer and<br />

the Village in their desire<br />

to acquire sales tax-producing<br />

tenants and users in<br />

the area,” Vernon said.<br />

Trustee Joseph Siwinski<br />

also said he felt extending<br />

the agreement was an important<br />

move by the Village.<br />

“It’s fared very well for<br />

the Village over the many<br />

years it has been in existence,”<br />

Siwinski said. “I<br />

think it will help [Vernon]<br />

to continue to develop [at<br />

the business park]. More<br />

importantly, it will help<br />

our Village continue to<br />

grow and provide very little<br />

impact on our residents<br />

or our police officers.<br />

“It provides a great<br />

deal of revenue for our<br />

Please see village, 13<br />

Summit Hill School D161 Board of Education<br />

Contracts, late start and feasibility study among discussion<br />

Megan Schuller<br />

Assistant Editor<br />

Summit Hill School<br />

District 161 Board of Education<br />

members voted to<br />

extended the contracts of<br />

its staff and administrators<br />

during its March 13<br />

meeting. Included in that<br />

extension was Superintendent<br />

Barb Rains’ contract,<br />

which was extended to<br />

June of 2020.<br />

In separate motions, the<br />

board unanimously voted<br />

for an overall 3 percent<br />

increase over current contract<br />

value for all D161<br />

administrators, paraprofessionals<br />

and lunchroom<br />

supervisors.<br />

“Three percent is based<br />

upon what the current<br />

teachers contract calls<br />

for, so that becomes the<br />

standard for the district,”<br />

Board President Rich Marron<br />

said.<br />

A 3.2 percent pay increase<br />

was also passed for<br />

non-certified staff, such as<br />

technical support, secretaries<br />

and clerks in order to<br />

normalize their contracts<br />

to match the industry standard.<br />

Rains also took time<br />

to address ongoing discussions<br />

regarding a delayed<br />

start option for bad<br />

weather days. The superintendents<br />

of the four<br />

feeder school districts<br />

and Lincoln-Way Community<br />

High School District<br />

210 met to discuss<br />

the late start option on<br />

March 11.<br />

“You may remember<br />

because of the complexities<br />

of implementing this<br />

system we have to all be<br />

in,” Rains said. “One of<br />

our local districts cannot<br />

participate in it, which<br />

makes it very difficult<br />

to maneuver for everyone<br />

else. The consensus<br />

at the time was to not<br />

move forward with this<br />

option.”<br />

Rains said that the one<br />

feeder district could not<br />

participate because of the<br />

coupling of routes and timing.<br />

Parents will still have<br />

option to drive students in<br />

or keep them home on inclement<br />

weather days.<br />

“We can pick this up<br />

year-to-year but, for this<br />

next school year, this is<br />

where we are at,” Rains<br />

said. “This goes back<br />

to sometimes not hav-<br />

Please see D161, 9<br />

Round it Up<br />

A brief discussion on other topics discussed at the<br />

D161 March 13 meeting.<br />

• Forecast 5 analytics software was approved,<br />

totaling $7,425 for the last quarter of this school<br />

year.<br />

• The district opened up a request for proposal for<br />

an intercom systems at Arbury Hills and Frankfort<br />

Square Schools.<br />

• The board voted to authorize Superintendent<br />

Barb Rains to begin developing a tentative budget<br />

for the 2019-2020. This process is scheduled to<br />

conclude in September, with the final adoption of<br />

the budget by the school board.<br />

• The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 10<br />

at the Mary Drew Administration Center.


mokenamessenger.com mokena<br />

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8 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger election 2019<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Summit Hill School D161 (5 candidates for 3 four-Year positions)<br />

Name: Stacey<br />

Borgens<br />

Age: 45<br />

Party: Independent<br />

Town of Residence:<br />

Frankfort<br />

Occupation: HR<br />

administrator<br />

Prior elected political experience:<br />

Elected and serving on the<br />

Summit Hill School Board since<br />

2011<br />

Why are you running for the<br />

Summit Hill School District<br />

161 Board of Education?<br />

I am seeking re-election to the<br />

Summit Hill School Board because<br />

I believe in the work that<br />

we have done over the past eight<br />

years, and I am invested in the<br />

work that we have started to set<br />

forth for teachers, students and<br />

our community.<br />

What makes you the best candidate<br />

for this position?<br />

Throughout my time on the<br />

board I have sought to increase<br />

opportunities for students and<br />

teachers to be successful in their<br />

current classrooms and as they<br />

move forward into high school<br />

and beyond. I believe that my<br />

efforts focus on the total child<br />

— not only their educational development,<br />

but their social and<br />

emotional skills as well. I have<br />

worked toward smaller class<br />

sizes, remaining fiscally responsible<br />

and been an advocate for<br />

teachers and staff in the process.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues you<br />

see facing the Summit Hill<br />

School District 161 Board of<br />

Education and what would<br />

you do to solve them?<br />

• Providing students with an<br />

education that prepares them<br />

for High School and beyond<br />

— continuing to work with<br />

administration and staff to increase<br />

rigor in the classrooms,<br />

supporting teachers that find<br />

new ways to reach students<br />

and help them achieve growth<br />

and support better technology<br />

and training for students and<br />

staff. Student success and the<br />

District’s success does not boil<br />

down to how they perform on<br />

standardized testing. Education<br />

is constantly evolving and<br />

we need to stay ahead of the<br />

curve.<br />

• The status of funding our<br />

schools — staying aware of<br />

what happens in Springfield, remaining<br />

fiscally responsible to<br />

the tax payers of District 161,<br />

finding ways to best utilize the<br />

funds and resources that we<br />

have on hand.<br />

• Recognizing that with additional<br />

technology comes<br />

greater responsibility for student<br />

safety — we need to ensure<br />

that the necessary safeguards<br />

are in place to protect<br />

our students from inappropriate<br />

content that is now more<br />

easily accessible than ever,<br />

train our staff to watch for any<br />

warning signs of cyberbullying<br />

and keep an open dialogue<br />

with parents so they are active<br />

participants in this process.<br />

Name: Katie Campbell<br />

Age: 47<br />

Party:<br />

Town of Residence: Tinley<br />

Park<br />

Occupation: Teacher<br />

Prior elected political experience:<br />

None<br />

Why are you running for the Summit<br />

Hill School District 161 Board of Education?<br />

I am running for Summit Hill 161<br />

Board of Education because I have two<br />

young children in the district, and, after<br />

attending numerous Superintendent Parent<br />

Advisory Meetings I became concerned.<br />

I have learned that there is an<br />

enormous lack of depth and accountability<br />

with program implementation and<br />

our students and community are paying<br />

the price. I would like to see a more rigorous<br />

curriculum for all students with<br />

an abundance of support and resources<br />

for our teachers and students. My concern<br />

is not only for my children, but<br />

for all of our children and community<br />

members.<br />

What makes you the best candidate<br />

for this position?<br />

Most importantly, I bring 25 years<br />

dedicated to public education and all<br />

of the practical/real-world experiences<br />

within that time to the board. My professional<br />

career has included 11 years as a<br />

District Department Supervisor, which<br />

involved program implementation, using<br />

data to evaluate said programs, and curriculum<br />

development. My professional<br />

record within the educational setting<br />

is unmatched among any of the other<br />

candidates.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues you see<br />

facing the Summit Hill School<br />

District 161 Board of Education<br />

and what would you do to solve<br />

them?<br />

The top issues facing Summit Hill<br />

School District are: Improved student<br />

achievement especially as it relates<br />

to meeting and exceeding state standards;<br />

Enhanced performance goals<br />

used to evaluate the superintendent to<br />

include a clear direction for improvement<br />

of our district; Fiscal responsibility<br />

that includes wisely managing<br />

funds to provide resources that allow<br />

students and staff to maximize their<br />

talent.<br />

Our district is testing 10-39 percent<br />

below Frankfort 157-C students<br />

on state-wide tests. This leaves Summit<br />

Hill students to enter Lincoln-Way<br />

East significantly behind their peers.<br />

We need a more rigorous curriculum<br />

across all grade levels and all learning<br />

abilities. We have remarkable facilities;<br />

we have talented and distinguished<br />

teachers; we have exceptional<br />

students and parents who are highly<br />

engaged in their child’s education;<br />

and we have a first-class community.<br />

Why have our test scores flat-lined<br />

while our neighboring districts have<br />

soared?<br />

Current and prior performance goals<br />

used to evaluate our superintendent<br />

lack depth and long-term vision. The<br />

Please see campbell, 13<br />

Name:<br />

George<br />

Leonard<br />

Age: 44<br />

Party: N/A<br />

Town of<br />

Residence:<br />

Frankfort<br />

Occupation: Teacher<br />

Prior elected political<br />

experience: I have held<br />

a seat on the D161 board<br />

for the past four years<br />

Why are you running for<br />

the Summit Hill School<br />

District 161 Board of<br />

Education?<br />

To help guide District<br />

161 as it continues on its<br />

path of excellence and<br />

strives to grow to even<br />

higher heights, while maintaining<br />

fiscal responsibility.<br />

Participating in board,<br />

district and community<br />

discussions by adding my<br />

insights as an educator and<br />

community member, but<br />

understanding my role as a<br />

school board member and<br />

allowing the district staff to<br />

preform their duties.<br />

What makes you the<br />

best candidate for this<br />

position?<br />

I have extensive experience<br />

in the field of education.<br />

As a teacher and board<br />

member, I have been dedicated<br />

to finding better ways<br />

to serve the needs of the<br />

students we are entrusted to<br />

educate. I believe that is my<br />

duty to work with fellow<br />

stakeholders, not to find<br />

problems, but to find solutions.<br />

I am proud to serve a<br />

district that has been wonderful<br />

for my children and<br />

continues to be a pillar of<br />

our community.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues<br />

you see facing the<br />

Summit Hill School District<br />

161 Board of Education<br />

and what would<br />

you do to solve them?<br />

1. Declining enrollment<br />

— Because of declining<br />

enrollment we may have<br />

to make some tough choices<br />

in the future. While it is<br />

too early to predict what<br />

this will entail, it is important<br />

that we take all<br />

factors into consideration<br />

as we move towards what<br />

is best for our district and<br />

our community. Some of<br />

these factors include, fiscal<br />

responsibility, community<br />

concerns, economic<br />

impacts, educational benefits<br />

and many more. Too<br />

often, major decisions are<br />

made in our community<br />

without considering the<br />

multitude of factors that<br />

are involved.<br />

2. Negativity — We<br />

have too many people that<br />

complain about problems<br />

and attack new initiatives<br />

in order to further political<br />

agendas or carry out personal<br />

vendettas. It is easy<br />

to point to a problem and<br />

assign blame, but that is<br />

not what our district needs.<br />

We need people that want<br />

to do the hard work necessary<br />

to find solutions and<br />

pathways for improvement.<br />

We need people that<br />

are motivated by a desire<br />

to provide the safest environment,<br />

most fiscally<br />

sound budget and strongest<br />

education possible for<br />

our children. I am proud of<br />

our district and I am excited<br />

to continue to work to<br />

make it even better.<br />

3. The Unknown —<br />

Through my experience<br />

in education, I have<br />

learned that it is almost<br />

impossible to predict the<br />

myriad of changes and issues<br />

that arise with each<br />

new school year. Many<br />

of the changes come from<br />

the state or even the federal<br />

level, and we have no<br />

control over them. Thus, it<br />

is imperative that we have<br />

experienced, solutionfocused<br />

people at every<br />

level of our district. Our<br />

ability to adapt and stay<br />

ahead of the curve is what<br />

will allow us to continue<br />

on our path of excellence.


mokenamessenger.com election 2019<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 9<br />

Summit Hill School D161 (5 for 3 four-Year positions)<br />

Name: Trudy K.<br />

Sturino<br />

Age: 59<br />

Party: Independent<br />

Town of Residence:<br />

Frankfort<br />

Occupation: Information<br />

technology manager<br />

Prior elected political experience:<br />

None<br />

Why are you running for the<br />

Summit Hill School District<br />

161 Board of Education?<br />

I believe that a school district<br />

needs to provide students with a<br />

well-rounded education, building<br />

necessary life skills that will<br />

develop them into successful<br />

young adults and assist them as<br />

they pursue their future academic<br />

and career goals. Additionally,<br />

I believe that a school district<br />

owes constituents a district<br />

that is stable, provides a sense<br />

of community, manages tax dollars<br />

responsibly and maintains<br />

property values. As a parent, I<br />

have demonstrated a willingness<br />

to work with school administrators,<br />

teachers, parents and<br />

community members to build<br />

on D161’s existing success and<br />

continue to drive improvement.<br />

What makes you the best candidate<br />

for this position?<br />

I have been a D161 community<br />

member for 20 years, active in<br />

multiple elections and have four<br />

sons who are all graduates of<br />

Summit Hill D161. Throughout<br />

my children’s education, I have<br />

maintained heavy involvement<br />

in managing my children with<br />

special needs, supported them in<br />

curricular and extra-curricular<br />

activities, and maintained the<br />

best possible educational environment<br />

for them.<br />

I have a strong education in<br />

business management, with an<br />

emphasis on accounting and<br />

information systems. I have<br />

served as an auditor, logistics<br />

manager, project manager, systems<br />

architect and solutions<br />

manager. In my current role<br />

as an IT consultant, I have had<br />

to work with many business<br />

and project teams to achieve<br />

goals to ensure the project’s<br />

success. I believe all of these<br />

create a unique ability to identify<br />

challenges, view the whole<br />

problem, and identify multiple<br />

solutions, which leads to a<br />

foundation for better dynamics<br />

for resolution.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues you<br />

see facing the Summit Hill<br />

School District 161 Board of<br />

Education and what would<br />

you do to solve them?<br />

The first item is aligning our<br />

curriculum to incorporate new<br />

technologies into our curricular<br />

footprint that allow teachers to<br />

enhance and support their curriculum<br />

and assist in students<br />

learning these tools. My recent<br />

LW high school graduates have<br />

had some very limited exposure<br />

to these classroom technologies.<br />

We as a community need<br />

to broaden these tools for the<br />

benefit of all of our educators<br />

and students. Without them, I<br />

believe that our students will not<br />

be properly prepared for the post<br />

high school environments, and<br />

we need to consistently work<br />

to shorten this gap to allow our<br />

students every opportunity to<br />

succeed.<br />

The second item I see is to<br />

continue to move forward and<br />

build on the solid foundation<br />

the current board has successfully<br />

implemented. We have<br />

been able to see the benefits of<br />

fiscally responsible decisions,<br />

stabilized the use of our assets,<br />

invested in the development of<br />

our educators and seen their vision<br />

with the district roadmap.<br />

While challenges will always<br />

exist, we need to continue open<br />

conversations with our tax base,<br />

our entire community and our<br />

educators to ensure we identify<br />

new paths for success to maintain<br />

the current level of excellence<br />

and accountability.<br />

The third item is to provide<br />

additional curricular and extracurricular<br />

opportunities for all<br />

students. We have seen growth<br />

in this area, and using my direct<br />

experience with my own<br />

IEP children in many district<br />

sponsored programs, I hope<br />

to expand the offerings. This<br />

will allow all of our students to<br />

have opportunities for personal<br />

growth, expanded learning, and<br />

leadership opportunities to ensure<br />

they have the best school<br />

experience possible. Learning<br />

does not just happen inside the<br />

classroom, it occurs all areas the<br />

student participates in.<br />

Name: Debbie Staples<br />

Age: 50<br />

Party: My understanding<br />

is that the school<br />

board is not affiliated<br />

with any political party<br />

Town of Residence:<br />

Tinley Park<br />

Occupation: Human Resources / Labor<br />

Relations<br />

Prior elected political experience:<br />

None<br />

Why are you running for the Summit<br />

Hill School District 161 Board of<br />

Education?<br />

I have been a resident of Brookside<br />

Glen for over 20 years and it’s important<br />

to me that we retain and continue<br />

to attract residents to the neighborhood,<br />

and having an excellent school<br />

system is one of the main reasons<br />

people chose to move into a neighborhood.<br />

The residents pay a lot of money<br />

in taxes and if they don’t feel they are<br />

getting a return on their investment,<br />

the attraction to the neighborhood will<br />

decline.<br />

What makes you the best candidate<br />

for this position?<br />

I have approximately 25 years of<br />

experience in the human resources<br />

field including the last nine years in<br />

labor relations. I believe that expertise<br />

makes me a very qualified candidate<br />

for recruiting and developing talent,<br />

developing goals and negotiating.<br />

What are the Top 3 issues you see<br />

facing the Summit Hill School District<br />

161 Board of Education and<br />

what would you do to solve them?<br />

The main issue facing Summit Hill<br />

District 161 are the flatlined test scores<br />

compared to Frankfort 157-C district.<br />

Over the past four years, the PARCC<br />

scores for district 157-C have improved<br />

for both language arts and math<br />

but Summit Hill have flatlined. My<br />

recommendation to improve scores<br />

begins with the board working with<br />

the superintendent to set ambitious,<br />

measurable goals and to evaluate the<br />

progression of the goals regularly. The<br />

superintendent’s performance must be<br />

evaluated based on the progress of the<br />

goals and improvement of scores. We<br />

must have a more rigorous curriculum<br />

with an abundance of support for the<br />

teachers and the students. The program<br />

must be inclusive of everyone<br />

and not only focus on the students in<br />

the accelerated programs.<br />

kirkeeng<br />

From Page 4<br />

state government processes<br />

could create headwinds and<br />

hurdles that the board needs<br />

to be constantly considering<br />

and monitoring.<br />

Ensure the ongoing management<br />

of district’s reputation:<br />

This can be achieved<br />

by enhancing communication,<br />

sharing information<br />

and continuing the dialogue<br />

with the community. We<br />

have been working closely<br />

with the administration to<br />

review and improve the<br />

formal organizational structure,<br />

and augment everyone’s<br />

ability to fulfil on<br />

D161<br />

From Page 6<br />

ing enough busses, drivers<br />

and timing of the<br />

delay.”<br />

Unit district update<br />

Marron said after the<br />

the district’s mission. This<br />

includes the district’s academic<br />

excellence, the success<br />

in the arts and athletics,<br />

the expansion of additional<br />

opportunities, and the overall<br />

improvements pertaining<br />

to the educational process.<br />

We will look to continue<br />

augmenting the educational<br />

process. This will include<br />

offering a variety options for<br />

all students. The development<br />

of the curriculum for<br />

students who are work-force<br />

oriented as well as those<br />

who are college bound after<br />

high school is needed. The<br />

assessing and implementing<br />

the next phase of technology<br />

will provide great assistance<br />

as the district improves its<br />

meeting that there has been<br />

no response to the request<br />

for proposal to help conduct<br />

a feasibility study on<br />

Lincoln-Way North. At the<br />

moment, the Unit District<br />

committee is at a standstill.<br />

“Without responses we<br />

educational experience for<br />

all students.<br />

A focus on the long-term<br />

debt analysis and management:<br />

The long-term debt<br />

incurred by the district when<br />

it was in an expansion phase<br />

needs to be evaluated and<br />

the options fully vetted. This<br />

includes the options and the<br />

alternatives for the capital<br />

assets still held by the district,<br />

including vacant land<br />

and the Lincoln-Way North<br />

building. The timeline for<br />

some of the potential options<br />

to be considered is<br />

approaching. The board has<br />

started its evaluation and we<br />

will look to review all potential<br />

courses as it pertains to<br />

this topic.<br />

don’t have a clear-cut path in<br />

how to move forward,” Marron<br />

said.<br />

For now the committee<br />

will continue to follow up<br />

on, research and weigh the<br />

next steps to take its course<br />

of action.


10 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger school<br />

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I enjoy listening to music,<br />

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really quiet and introverted.<br />

Whom do you look up to<br />

and why?<br />

I look up to Oprah Winfrey.<br />

She’s very openminded,<br />

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what she believes in and is<br />

extremely generous.<br />

What’s your favorite class<br />

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My favorite class is world<br />

history because when I was<br />

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What’s one thing that<br />

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The teachers are really<br />

patient with you if you<br />

don’t understand something<br />

and will walk you<br />

through it, and are overall<br />

very kind toward you.<br />

What extracurricular(s) do<br />

you wish your school had?<br />

I think a self-defense<br />

class would be nice to<br />

have in our school so students<br />

would know how<br />

to defend themselves if<br />

they’re caught in a dangerous<br />

situation.<br />

If you could change one<br />

thing about your school<br />

what would it be?<br />

I would change how<br />

long passing period is so<br />

Photo submitted<br />

kids don’t feel as rushed<br />

and end up forgetting some<br />

materials for their classes.<br />

What’s your favorite thing<br />

to eat in the cafeteria?<br />

I absolutely love the cafeteria’s<br />

nachos. I wish they<br />

served them more often.<br />

What’s your best memory<br />

from school?<br />

In second grade in Ms.<br />

Meehan’s class when we<br />

raised chicks. Everybody<br />

in school came to see<br />

them.<br />

Standout Student is a weekly<br />

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Nominations come<br />

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mokenamessenger.com news<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 11<br />

pipe fitter<br />

From Page 3<br />

them a lot of detailed information,<br />

and that works,<br />

at least they understand it,<br />

but seeing the facility itself,<br />

it’s amazing. They’re<br />

really kind of like, ‘Wow,<br />

I had no idea.’ Talking<br />

about it doesn’t really do it<br />

any justice really.”<br />

This isn’t the only vocational<br />

opportunity Moberg<br />

is trying to show his<br />

students this year, he said.<br />

A few days after the trip<br />

to the Pipefitters Union<br />

Training Center, Moberg<br />

took another group of 14<br />

to Moraine Valley Community<br />

College’s automotive<br />

program, and in the<br />

fall, he took a group to<br />

Universal Technical Institute.<br />

Several of the trips focus<br />

on automotive trades<br />

and build on TPHS’ automotive<br />

program, which<br />

gives the students handson<br />

experience repairing<br />

community members’ cars<br />

free of charge, Moberg<br />

added.<br />

To the students, these<br />

trips offered valuable information<br />

about these potential<br />

career paths as they<br />

prepare to make some important<br />

decisions. Moberg<br />

said that a percentage of<br />

the students who take these<br />

trips end up in the unions<br />

or at the trade schools he<br />

took them to visit.<br />

“This is my 18th year<br />

here, and every year …<br />

I’m sure at least a dozen<br />

kids go into one of the local<br />

automotive programs;<br />

we’ve had a couple of<br />

kids go into the Pipefitters<br />

Union and Operators<br />

Union,” Moberg said.<br />

Hoping to be among<br />

those, Tyler Hall, an<br />

18-year-old senior from<br />

Oak Forest, has actively<br />

begun looking into joining<br />

the Pipefitters Union<br />

when he graduates in a few<br />

months.<br />

“I feel [the trip] was<br />

very beneficial. It’s better<br />

than being in the classroom.<br />

They teach us to<br />

go to college, but college<br />

isn’t for everybody, and<br />

there’s different outlets<br />

where you can make more<br />

money than people who go<br />

to college and have benefits,”<br />

Hall said. “You just<br />

have to go and learn some<br />

certain things. They don’t<br />

teach us these things in the<br />

classroom.”<br />

Hall has attended several<br />

of these trips, which<br />

are helping the teen decide<br />

what his next steps will be,<br />

he said.<br />

“The UTI trip was fun,<br />

but it wasn’t really what I<br />

thought it would be,” Hall<br />

said. “… The Pipefitters,<br />

I’m really thinking about<br />

doing the Pipefitters. I<br />

know people personally<br />

who are pipefitters, and<br />

the lifestyle they live and<br />

what they do on a daily basis,<br />

and I’m looking in to it<br />

as we speak.”<br />

Unlike many of his<br />

peers, Terrence Wrzesinski<br />

has known for many<br />

years that he wants to join<br />

a union after he graduates.<br />

Coming from a union<br />

family, his debate has<br />

only been which union he<br />

should join.<br />

Because of this, visiting<br />

the Pipefitters Union<br />

Training Center with<br />

Moberg was particularly<br />

inspiring to the 17-yearold<br />

from Tinley Park.<br />

Although he’s still undecided<br />

on which union he<br />

will join, Wrzesinkski said<br />

that seeing the Pipefitters<br />

Union’s massive building,<br />

the machinery and meeting<br />

pipefitters first hand<br />

made quite an impression<br />

on him.<br />

“It was a lot better going<br />

there because it was<br />

hands on; [Sutter] showed<br />

us some welds, he let us<br />

hold pipe, we saw a lot of<br />

machines, we went to the<br />

rooms where people were<br />

welding. That was just really<br />

cool to see, and it really<br />

got me thinking,” he<br />

said. “… Our instructor, he<br />

was very good on explaining<br />

what each part and<br />

each machine did.”<br />

These seniors said<br />

they’d encourage their<br />

peers and students entering<br />

their senior year to<br />

take these trips and explore<br />

vocational education<br />

and other opportunities<br />

they can consider for after<br />

graduation.<br />

“I think it was really<br />

inspirational. Even if they<br />

don’t want to be a pipe fitter,<br />

I’d say just going on<br />

the pipefitters trip, or any<br />

type of union trips, it just<br />

gets you in the field, you<br />

get to meet some of the<br />

people that are in the field,<br />

they can tell you the pros<br />

and cons of it, and you<br />

get to see the large scale<br />

of what you’d be doing,”<br />

Wrzesinski said. “Even<br />

if you are undecided between<br />

college and union,<br />

if you’re like 50/50, I feel<br />

like you should at least<br />

give it a shot, just to see<br />

what else is out there, because<br />

it is also just interesting<br />

that people live different<br />

lifestyles.”<br />

Hall added: “I would tell<br />

anybody who’s a junior or<br />

sophomore to definitely be<br />

open and take everything<br />

in, because once school’s<br />

all over with, then you’re<br />

shoved into the real world.<br />

In two months, I’ll be<br />

graduating high school,<br />

and I have to make a lot of<br />

hard decisions. So, I would<br />

just tell them to take in everything<br />

they can get and<br />

use all the tools that they<br />

have.”<br />

To learn more about the<br />

Pipefitters Union Local<br />

597, visit www.pf597.org.<br />

More information about<br />

its training and apprenticeship<br />

programs can be<br />

found at www.pftf597.org.<br />

Applications are accepted<br />

the first Wednesday of every<br />

month from 8 a.m. to<br />

noon at the Mokena training<br />

facility.<br />

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12 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger community<br />

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mokenamessenger.com news<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 13<br />

Police Reports<br />

Felony charge for allegedly fleeing motorist<br />

Nicholas W. Olsen, 28,<br />

of 5828 Kenmore Ave. in<br />

Chicago, was charged Feb.<br />

26 with aggravated fleeing/attempt<br />

to elude peace<br />

officer, DUI-alcohol, reckless<br />

driving, speeding: 26-<br />

34 mph over posted limit,<br />

operating an uninsured<br />

motor vehicle and causing<br />

an accident with property<br />

damage.<br />

According to police<br />

reports, just after 1 a.m.<br />

an officer on patrol travelling<br />

northbound on<br />

Everett Lane observed<br />

Olsen’s vehicle travelling<br />

Village, so it is a great opportunity<br />

for us. I think it’s very important,<br />

and I think it’s very wise of the<br />

board, to extend this out so [Vernon]<br />

can fill the remaining parcels and<br />

make that a long-term win-win for<br />

everybody.”<br />

Police patrols increase<br />

Earlier in the meeting, during Public<br />

Comment, a couple of residents<br />

spoke to the board members about<br />

a recent string of car burglaries that<br />

have occurred in the Village. After<br />

they spoke, Mokena Police Chief<br />

Steven Vaccaro addressed what the<br />

police department is doing in response<br />

to these crimes.<br />

“We have added extra patrols on<br />

our midnight shift … and all of my<br />

at what appeared to be “a<br />

high rate of speed” in the<br />

southbound lane. A check<br />

of the radar reportedly<br />

showed Olsen traveling<br />

at 55 mph in a 25 mph<br />

zone. The officer turned<br />

on the vehicles emergency<br />

lights and attempted to<br />

initiate a traffic stop, but<br />

Olsen did not slow down<br />

and made a right turn<br />

onto westbound Cambridge<br />

Drive. Olsen then<br />

pulled into a townhome<br />

parking area, where he<br />

reportedly struck a light<br />

pole. Olsen attempted to<br />

back up, reportedly striking<br />

the officer’s vehicle<br />

in the process. Olsen then<br />

reportedly made several<br />

more attempts to drive<br />

forward and backward,<br />

but the vehicle was stuck<br />

on a patch of ice.<br />

The officer ordered at<br />

gunpoint Olsen and two<br />

passengers in the backseat<br />

of Olsen’s vehicle to show<br />

their hands, and ordered<br />

Olsen to turn off his vehicle<br />

and hand over the keys.<br />

While speaking with Olsen,<br />

the officer reportedly<br />

smelled a strong odor of<br />

officers right now are dedicated to<br />

residential areas and main streets<br />

looking for anything that is suspicious,<br />

by way of people or vehicles<br />

that are basically touring the area<br />

for no reason,” he said. “We have<br />

sent out a community letter and we<br />

have sent out our ‘Lock It or Lose<br />

It’ brochures, [and] the ‘See It, Report<br />

It’ information that has been on<br />

our website and our Channel 6 cable<br />

scroll.<br />

“The basis of our whole campaign<br />

has been asking our residents to lock<br />

their cars, hide their valuables, take<br />

their garage door openers out of their<br />

vehicles at night, and do that 9 [p.m.]<br />

check at night. Check your front<br />

door. Check your back door. Make<br />

sure your cars are locked, and make<br />

sure your garage door is closed.”<br />

Vaccaro said some suspects have<br />

been identified.<br />

alcohol and could hear Olsen<br />

slurring his words. Olsen<br />

was asked to perform<br />

several field sobriety tests,<br />

all of which he reportedly<br />

failed. Olsen was then<br />

placed under arrest.<br />

While at Mokena Police<br />

Department, Olsen<br />

was charged with a felony<br />

for the aggravated fleeing<br />

and eluding a peace officer<br />

charge. He was then<br />

transported to Will County<br />

Adult Detention Facility.<br />

EDITOR’S NOTE: The<br />

Mokena Messenger’s police<br />

Mokena fire responds to 228 calls in February<br />

Submitted by Mokena Fire<br />

Protection District<br />

The Mokena Fire Protection District<br />

responded to a total of 228 calls<br />

for service during the month of February,<br />

including the following:<br />

village<br />

From Page 6<br />

• Emergency medical services -<br />

113<br />

• Auto accident response - 26<br />

• Request for citizen assist - 26<br />

• Carbon monoxide alarm - 2<br />

• Commercial fire alarm - 19<br />

• Mutual aid response - 13<br />

• Residential fire response - 2<br />

• Structure fire - 1<br />

• Commercial trouble alarm - 26<br />

For more information on the Mokena<br />

Fire Protection District, visit<br />

mokenafire.org.<br />

campbell<br />

From Page 8<br />

board should establish concrete,<br />

SMART performance goals, based<br />

on data, to evaluate the superintendent<br />

and her programs. This lack of<br />

accountability is a direct contributor<br />

to the decline in student test<br />

scores. SMART performance goals<br />

established in conjunction with<br />

the board is critical to the district<br />

catching up with our neighboring<br />

districts.<br />

Highly rated schools translate to<br />

higher home values. It is time to<br />

move our children and our whole<br />

community forward. Providing our<br />

teachers and all of our students<br />

with superior resources and support<br />

is essential in this process.<br />

We need to expect more for our tax<br />

dollars.<br />

reports come from the<br />

Mokena Police Department.<br />

Anyone listed in these reports<br />

is considered to be innocent<br />

of all charges until proven<br />

guilty in a court of law.<br />

Bob Spychalski<br />

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14 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger news<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Hempology CBD educates its customers on products in Homer Glen<br />

Mokena man part<br />

owner in new<br />

business<br />

Thomas Czaja<br />

Contributing Editor<br />

It is still a relatively new<br />

business in the community,<br />

but it is one already seeing<br />

a steady stream of repeat<br />

customers, skeptics turned<br />

believers and an increase<br />

in sales as curiosity and a<br />

search for relief continue<br />

to bring people through the<br />

front door.<br />

Hempology CBD officially<br />

opened in Homer<br />

Glen in January and began<br />

really advertising itself on<br />

social media last month. It<br />

specializes in selling a variety<br />

of products containing<br />

cannabidiol, a naturally<br />

occurring compound<br />

in industrial hemp.<br />

Hemp is part of the cannabis<br />

family of plants,<br />

though different from the<br />

marijuana plant in that it<br />

contains much less tetrahydrocannabinol,<br />

the ingredient<br />

in marijuana that<br />

gives users a “high.”<br />

The Agriculture Improvement<br />

Act of 2018, or<br />

Farm Bill, recently legalized<br />

hemp production in<br />

all 50 states, and Illinois<br />

is currently working on licensing<br />

systems in what is<br />

still considered a new and<br />

growing industry.<br />

Jeff Baffa, of Frankfort,<br />

owned Valhalla Vitamins<br />

in Homer Glen and began<br />

selling CBD products there<br />

last September. Seeing the<br />

fit and potential for them,<br />

he converted the store into<br />

Hempology CBD with<br />

now co-owners Mark Diorio,<br />

of Mokena, and Dan<br />

Kaminski, of Orland Park<br />

and a Tinley Park native.<br />

The trio of owners was<br />

present for the store’s official<br />

ribbon cutting Feb.<br />

27 with Village of Homer<br />

Hempology CBD co-owner Dan Kaminski, of Orland<br />

Park and a Tinley Park native, inspects some of the<br />

products geared toward pets at the Homer Glen store.<br />

Glen and Heritage Corridor<br />

Business Alliance<br />

officials to further explain<br />

what it is exactly they sell.<br />

“We are bringing a new<br />

idea and new product to<br />

your town,” Kaminski told<br />

those in attendance, adding<br />

the THC in the CBD<br />

products has to be less<br />

than .3 percent. “What we<br />

are trying to do is bring<br />

[CBD] to the community<br />

with top manufacturers.<br />

Our manufacturers have<br />

been vetted by us. You can<br />

research all of these manufacturers<br />

online.<br />

“They all are top in the<br />

industry and have thirdparty<br />

lab testing, which<br />

is big for us and the consumer.”<br />

The owners first thoroughly<br />

research the products<br />

they offer, making<br />

sure the aforementioned<br />

third-party lab tests everything<br />

for purity and<br />

potency, covering things<br />

like THC, heavy metals,<br />

pesticides and foreign materials.<br />

Everything in the<br />

store is organically grown<br />

in the United States and is<br />

non-psychoactive, as well<br />

as non-habit-forming.<br />

“There is a big misconception<br />

out there that this<br />

is marijuana and going to<br />

get you stoned,” Diorio<br />

said. “Nobody is getting<br />

stoned off CBD or hemp.<br />

It is a kind of lifestyle you<br />

introduce to your body,<br />

like vitamins. You take<br />

them every day, you’re going<br />

to feel better.”<br />

The products sold can<br />

act as alternative options<br />

to more traditional pharmaceutical<br />

treatments and<br />

can have therapeutic benefits<br />

for arthritis, chronic<br />

pain, inflammation, insomnia,<br />

anxiety, migraines<br />

and much more, according<br />

to the business.<br />

Products sold include<br />

everything from tinctures<br />

to edibles to capsules to<br />

vapes to skincare to infused<br />

drinks to honey to<br />

even items for pets, all<br />

with CBD in them. The<br />

CBD binds to receptors<br />

in the immune system to<br />

positively impact how one<br />

feels, moves and reacts.<br />

“You come to our store,<br />

you know you are getting a<br />

good, safe, clean product,”<br />

Baffa said, again stressing<br />

they only use top brands<br />

that have been third party<br />

tested.<br />

Despite a number of<br />

customers noting improvement<br />

in their ailments after<br />

using the products so far<br />

and returning for more,<br />

according to Kaminski,<br />

he said they never say that<br />

CBD will cure anything.<br />

Rather, that it can help aid<br />

the various conditions.<br />

“We start people out<br />

here small with 5 or 10<br />

Hempology CBD co-owner Jeff Baffa, of Frankfort, examines a product recently at the<br />

Homer Glen business. Photos by Thomas Czaja/22nd Century Media<br />

milligrams,” Kaminski<br />

said. “It is up to the consumer<br />

to regulate their<br />

dosing and make sure they<br />

maintain it. If they do that<br />

and find their sweet spot,<br />

it is pretty successful, usually.”<br />

Still, the owners remind<br />

customers they are not<br />

medical professionals, and<br />

that individuals should always<br />

consult with a doctor<br />

to be safe before using<br />

these or any other supplemental<br />

dietary products.<br />

Products should only be<br />

used as directed on the<br />

label, and hemp should<br />

not be used if someone is<br />

pregnant or nursing.<br />

Hempology CBD in Homer Glen, a business which<br />

recently celebrated its ribbon cutting Feb. 27, offers a<br />

number of product options that contain cannabidiol that<br />

can provide therapeutic benefits for different ailments.<br />

There are educational<br />

booklets for customers to<br />

look up specific ailments<br />

with staff for the latest information<br />

and research on<br />

if hemp would or would<br />

not be a good option.<br />

Seeing firsthand customers<br />

put a CBD cream<br />

on their arthritic hands and<br />

the pain and redness goes<br />

down within 10 minutes<br />

or hours, or hearing that<br />

people are sleeping better,<br />

their shoulder is not hurting<br />

as much or a multitude<br />

of other scenarios makes<br />

it a feel-good business for<br />

the owners, Kaminski said.<br />

Kaminski added that<br />

more research and further<br />

regulations are in store for<br />

the future of the industry<br />

as the call for CBD’s alternative<br />

therapeutic benefits<br />

grows, but he is confident<br />

in its safety now and what<br />

it can do.<br />

“We want to take it one<br />

step at a time and want<br />

to be accepted in Homer<br />

Glen in this community,”<br />

Kaminski said. “We want<br />

people to say they go<br />

to this store because we<br />

know our stuff.”<br />

Hempology CBD is<br />

open from 10 a.m. to 7<br />

p.m. Monday through Friday<br />

and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.<br />

Saturday and Sunday. It is<br />

located at 14831 Founders<br />

Crossing.<br />

For more information<br />

on the business, CBD and<br />

its products, visit www.<br />

hempologycbdstore.com,<br />

call (708) 966-0440 or visit<br />

them on Facebook, Twitter<br />

and Instagram.


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the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 15<br />

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16 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger news<br />

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Mokena Junior High School students prep for a taping of a mock board meeting at<br />

Mokena Village Hall March 13. T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media<br />

Village Hall home to annual<br />

Student Government Day<br />

T.J. Kremer III, Editor<br />

More than 60 students<br />

from four schools participated<br />

in Student Government<br />

Day March 13,<br />

hosted by the Village of<br />

Mokena.<br />

The tradition started<br />

more than 30 years ago<br />

and is used as a way to<br />

give young people handson<br />

experience of what it is,<br />

exactly, that local governments<br />

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included a Q&A session<br />

with Village staff and students.<br />

Later that evening, Mokena<br />

Junior High School<br />

students met at Village<br />

Hall to rehearse and tape a<br />

mock board meeting, with<br />

students playing the roles<br />

of various staff, trustees<br />

and even the mayor.<br />

Samya Walker, an<br />

eighth-grader at MJH,<br />

portrayed the role of development<br />

director. She<br />

said she has an interest in<br />

getting involved in politics<br />

at some point in the<br />

future.<br />

“Yeah, I do, but probably<br />

a higher up role,”<br />

Walker said. “I just picked<br />

any role for now, just to<br />

see how the government<br />

works, in general.”<br />

Fleischer said that the<br />

day was an opportunity<br />

for the children to become<br />

ambassadors for the Village.<br />

“They’re going to go<br />

home after the meeting<br />

[and tell] their parents<br />

what they learned today,”<br />

Fleischer said. “And, if<br />

they learned what happens<br />

in our community<br />

— what our public works<br />

department does, what our<br />

finance department does,<br />

what our police department<br />

does — they understand<br />

a little better what<br />

they’re paying taxes for.<br />

They learned a lot today.”<br />

To view the mock board<br />

meeting, visit mokena.<br />

municipalcms.com/pview.<br />

aspx?id=20855.


mokenamessenger.com news<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 17<br />

MJH student to compete for state GeoBee title<br />

Submitted by Mokena School<br />

District 159<br />

Addison Jensen has been notified<br />

by the National Geographic<br />

Society that she is one of the<br />

semifinalists eligible to compete<br />

in the 2019 National Geographic<br />

GeoBee Illinois State Competition.<br />

The contest is scheduled<br />

to be held at Heartland Community<br />

College in Normal March<br />

29.<br />

This is the second level of the<br />

National Geographic GeoBee<br />

competition, which is now in its<br />

31st year. School GeoBees were<br />

held in schools with fourththrough<br />

eighth-grade students<br />

throughout the state to determine<br />

each school champion.<br />

School champions then took an<br />

online qualifying test, which<br />

they submitted to the National<br />

Geographic Society. The National<br />

Geographic Society has<br />

invited up to 100 of the topscoring<br />

students in each of the<br />

50 states, the District of Columbia,<br />

Department of Defense Dependents<br />

Schools and U.S. territories<br />

to compete in the State<br />

GeoBees.<br />

This year, National Geographic<br />

increased the prize money for<br />

all State GeoBees. State champions<br />

will receive a medal, $1,000<br />

in cash, and other prizes, as well<br />

as a trip to Washington, D.C., to<br />

represent their state in the National<br />

Championship to be held<br />

at National Geographic Society<br />

headquarters, May 19-22. Students<br />

who come in second and<br />

third place will receive cash<br />

awards of $300 and $100, respectively.<br />

Each State Champion will<br />

advance to the National Championship<br />

and compete for cash<br />

awards and college scholarships.<br />

In 2019, the national champion<br />

will receive a $25,000 college<br />

scholarship, $1,000 in cash, a<br />

lifetime membership in the National<br />

Geographic Society, and<br />

an all-expenses-paid Lindblad<br />

expedition to the Galápagos Islands<br />

aboard the National Geographic<br />

Endeavour ll; second<br />

place will receive at $10,000<br />

college scholarship and $1,000<br />

in cash; third place will receive<br />

a $5,000 college scholarship<br />

and $1,000 in cash; and seven<br />

runners-up will receive $1,000<br />

in cash each.<br />

Visit natgeobee.org for more<br />

information on the National<br />

Geographic GeoBee.<br />

Follow the National competition<br />

at National Geographic<br />

Headquarters in Washington,<br />

D.C., May 19-22 at natgeoed.<br />

org/experiences.<br />

Mokena Junior High School seventh-grader is slated to compete<br />

in the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee Illinois State Competition<br />

March 29. 22nd Century Media file photo<br />

Dollars<br />

for dogs<br />

(and cats)<br />

Mokena Womens<br />

Club donates<br />

$1,000 to NAWS<br />

Humane Society<br />

shelter<br />

RIGHT: Members of<br />

Mokena Womens Club,<br />

NAWS animal shelter<br />

and Mokena Chamber of<br />

Commerce pose with a<br />

check for $1,000 donated<br />

to NAWS — much to the<br />

delight of Otis the dog —<br />

by Mokena Womens Club<br />

at Mokena Community<br />

Public Library after<br />

the monthly Mokena<br />

Chamber of Commerce<br />

meeting March 12.<br />

T.J. Kremer III/22nd<br />

Century Media


18 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger news<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

FROM THE TINLEY JUNCTION<br />

Tinley Park High School band<br />

director named to Midwest<br />

Music Festival Hall of Fame<br />

Vince Aiello has been the<br />

band director of Tinley Park<br />

High School for more than two<br />

decades. And, for more than two<br />

decades, he has entered the band<br />

in the Midwest Music Festival,<br />

where the ensemble performs<br />

challenging pieces and more often<br />

than not finishes in the contest’s<br />

Top 5.<br />

All of that happened again in<br />

February, but this year’s event<br />

also featured a special touch:<br />

Aiello being named to the longrunning<br />

festival’s prestigious<br />

Hall of Fame.<br />

The recognition — which only<br />

has been extended to a small,<br />

accomplished set of directors<br />

— was due after Aiello’s many<br />

years of consistent excellence,<br />

said Mike Madonia, the festival’s<br />

long-time executive director.<br />

“He wants to get better all the<br />

time,” Madonia said. “He wants<br />

the band to get better all the time.<br />

He cares a lot about those kids.<br />

His groups are simply phenomenal.”<br />

Aiello, 53, was presented with<br />

the honor in front of family,<br />

friends, peers and, of course, his<br />

student-musicians.<br />

“My band kids were really<br />

rowdy, jumping up and down<br />

and cheering for me,” Aiello<br />

said. “That probably meant the<br />

most to me. They’re why I do it.”<br />

Madonia said Aiello’s approach<br />

to music and to teaching<br />

perfectly reflect what he has<br />

tried to accomplish with the festival<br />

over the decades.<br />

“I’m trying to teach them that<br />

nothing worthwhile is easy,”<br />

he said. “It’s going to take hard<br />

work, and if you’re not going to<br />

dedicate yourself to it, it won’t<br />

happen. Performing — and performing<br />

well — is the fun part.<br />

But getting there takes a lot.”<br />

Reporting by Will O’Brien,<br />

Freelance Reporter. For more, visit<br />

TinleyJunction.com.<br />

FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND<br />

LTHS grad excels on ice in first<br />

season at Robert Morris<br />

When Morgan Donchez attended<br />

Lockport Township High<br />

School, she did not flock to a lot<br />

of school social functions.<br />

Donchez, a 2018 LTHS graduate,<br />

would not trade her high<br />

school experience, because she<br />

was busy doing something else:<br />

playing hockey.<br />

She is still playing hockey now<br />

and excelling at it. Donchez just<br />

completed her freshman season<br />

as a starting left winger on the<br />

women’s hockey team at Robert<br />

Morris University in Chicago.<br />

Donchez not played but also<br />

was named the Central Collegiate<br />

Women’s Hockey Association’s<br />

Third Star for January.<br />

That is because “Doochie” registered<br />

five goals and five assists<br />

in six games during the month.<br />

That is not all she did in her<br />

freshman season on the team.<br />

She led the team, which finished<br />

10-19, with an average of 0.64<br />

goals per game.<br />

“I was the second leading<br />

scorer as a freshman in the CC-<br />

WHA,” Donchez said.<br />

When she was in grade school<br />

at Taft School in Lockport, she<br />

also played basketball, but there<br />

is nothing like hockey for her.<br />

“It’s just the feeling of purpose<br />

when you step out on the ice,”<br />

Donchez said of why she loves<br />

hockey. “Just that close-knit<br />

feeling with people who have<br />

the same goal as you and want to<br />

have that success with you.<br />

“I’ll just try to do better each<br />

year, on and off the ice. I’ll try to<br />

be the best one out there.”<br />

Reporting by Randy Whalen,<br />

Freelance Reporter. For more, visit<br />

LockportLegend.com.<br />

FROM THE FRANKFORT STATION<br />

St. Baldrick’s event continues<br />

tradition that started with Hope<br />

There were cheers, tears and<br />

a lack of hair March 10 at the<br />

sixth St. Baldrick’s head-shaving<br />

event held at Frankfort Black<br />

Belt Academy.<br />

Frankfort residents showed<br />

up at the academy to have their<br />

heads shaved, purchase baked<br />

goods and buy raffle tickets.<br />

The annual event benefits the St.<br />

Baldrick’s Foundation — a notfor-profit<br />

organization that funds<br />

childhood cancer research —<br />

and the families of area children<br />

and teens with cancer.<br />

Vicki Truesdale, of Frankfort,<br />

has organized the event for the<br />

past six years. She is a student<br />

and instructor at Frankfort Black<br />

Belt Academy, which donates<br />

its space every year to host the<br />

event.<br />

“Seven years ago, a sibling<br />

of a student at the academy was<br />

diagnosed with cancer and was<br />

going through treatment,” Truesdale<br />

said. “Her name is Hope. A<br />

couple of kids from the academy<br />

did an event getting their head<br />

shaved, so we decided to host an<br />

event here. St. Baldrick’s helps<br />

to raise funds for research and<br />

treatments, which is underfunded.<br />

We also have raffles and bake<br />

sales, which help the families<br />

going through treatment right<br />

now.”<br />

Reporting by Mary Compton,<br />

Freelance Reporter. For more, visit<br />

FrankfortStation.com.<br />

FROM THE HOMER HORIZON<br />

LTHS boys water polo looks<br />

to make its mark after last<br />

season’s success<br />

Coming off one of — if not<br />

the best — seasons in its history,<br />

the Lockport Township boys water<br />

polo team knows it will be<br />

hard to have that level of success<br />

again this season.<br />

But the Porters are OK with<br />

that, as this year’s group will<br />

look to make its own mark and<br />

improve as the season progresses.<br />

“I’m really excited,” Lockport<br />

coach Joe Lewandowski said.<br />

“This [first week] offers just a<br />

glimpse of what we have. We<br />

graduated seven seniors from<br />

last season’s team, and [in the<br />

opener], we were excited to just<br />

get back in the water.”<br />

Lockport opened the season<br />

March 11 at home. The game<br />

was close into the third quarter,<br />

but in the end Metea Valley<br />

pulled away for an 11-7 victory.<br />

Four seniors with experience<br />

return for Lockport. They are<br />

Michael Bates, Simon Harmata,<br />

Caleb Speechley and Tyler<br />

Thompson.<br />

Last year, Lockport lost 13-4<br />

to Naperville Central in the title<br />

match of the Metea Valley Sectional.<br />

It was the first sectional<br />

final in five years for the Porters,<br />

who won their only sectional title<br />

and placed fourth in the state<br />

in 2012. The team still finished<br />

with a record of 27-5.<br />

Reporting by Randy Whalen,<br />

Freelance Reporter. For more, visit<br />

HomerHorizon.com.<br />

FROM THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE<br />

TY Spa employee allegedly<br />

propositioned undercover cop<br />

A 53-year-old massage therapist<br />

was arrested after she allegedly<br />

propositioned an undercover<br />

police officer March 7 at TY<br />

Spa, 11225 159th St.<br />

Jihua Dun, of 2030 S. State<br />

St. in Chicago, was charged<br />

with one count of prostitution,<br />

a Class A misdemeanor, according<br />

to a press release issued<br />

March 12 by the Orland Park<br />

Police Department. The business<br />

itself was issued “several”<br />

local ordinance violations, according<br />

to police.<br />

Police said they received complaints<br />

that employees at the<br />

business were unlawfully touching<br />

and propositioning male<br />

customers. Detectives began<br />

an investigation, and on March<br />

7 an undercover police officer<br />

was getting a massage at TY<br />

Spa when the masseuse offered<br />

to perform a sex act in exchange<br />

for money, according to the press<br />

release.<br />

The business was subsequently<br />

inspected and shut down<br />

pending a business license hearing<br />

with the Village of Orland<br />

Park, police said.<br />

Dun reportedly posted the required<br />

bond and was released<br />

pending a court appearance<br />

scheduled for April 12 at the<br />

Cook County Courthouse for the<br />

Fifth Municipal District in Bridgeview.<br />

Reporting by Bill Jones, Editor. For<br />

more, visit OPPrairie.com.<br />

FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT<br />

NL Chamber showcases<br />

community offerings at annual<br />

expo<br />

The Lincoln-Way area is home<br />

to small businesses, family restaurants,<br />

national chains, nonprofits,<br />

civic groups and everything<br />

in between.<br />

More than 80 representatives<br />

from area establishments came<br />

together at Lincoln-Way Central<br />

for the New Lenox Chamber of<br />

Commerce’s annual Community<br />

Expo and Home Show, held<br />

in the fieldhouse on March 9.<br />

Whether new to the area or simply<br />

looking for something new,<br />

attendees were able to peruse the<br />

diverse offerings of the village at<br />

this one-stop event.<br />

New Lenox Chamber of<br />

Commerce CEO Emily Johnson<br />

explained that the expo was<br />

bigger and better than ever in<br />

2019.<br />

“We have so many businesses<br />

that come back year after year,<br />

and each year we see a ton more<br />

businesses join us in this event,”<br />

Johnson said. “They want to get<br />

their name out there. It’s really<br />

exciting to see how the expo is<br />

developing. It’s such a fun way<br />

to engage and connect with the<br />

community. My goal that I set<br />

for myself is to bring business<br />

and community together, and<br />

this is the perfect event to actually<br />

do that.”<br />

New Lenox resident Jackie<br />

Potocki, co-owner of Ranch<br />

Frostie, was excited to participate<br />

in the expo for the first time<br />

this year. Cedar Way Veterinary<br />

Clinic, Lincoln-Way Community<br />

High School District 210<br />

Foundation, Cooper’s Hawk<br />

Winery & Restaurant, Home<br />

Helpers, Kiddie.<br />

Reporting by Laurie Fanelli,<br />

Freelance Reporter. For more, visit<br />

NewLenoxPatriot.com.


mokenamessenger.com sound off<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 19<br />

Social snapshot<br />

Top Web Stories<br />

From MokenaMessenger.com as of Monday,<br />

March 18<br />

1. Home of the Week: 20958 Tall Grass<br />

Drive, in Mokena<br />

2. Lincoln-Way dedicates arts center to<br />

longtime director<br />

3. Dancing dad takes final bow after 21<br />

years<br />

4. Village of Mokena Board of Trustees:<br />

Economic incentive agreement gets<br />

extension<br />

5. Election 2019: Mokena Community<br />

Park District Board of Commissioners<br />

(5 for 4 Four-Year Terms)<br />

Become a member: mokenamessenger.com/plus<br />

“Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Mokena.”<br />

Mary Schmidt posted this to her Facebook<br />

page Sunday, March 17.<br />

Like The Mokena Messenger: facebook.com/<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

“I’m thrilled to join a great team at<br />

@22ndCM as the first sports editor for the<br />

@FrankfrtStation @MokenaMessenger<br />

and @TheNLPatriot. I will do my absolute<br />

best to provide these communities with the<br />

sports coverage they deserve. Excited to<br />

get going this week!”<br />

@Millar_S posted this to his Twitter account<br />

Sunday, March 17.<br />

Follow The Mokena Messenger: @mokenamessenger<br />

From the Assistant Editor<br />

Trading headline puns for Hawaiian sun<br />

Megan Schuller<br />

m.schuller@22ndcm.com<br />

Goodbyes are painful.<br />

Writing this<br />

farewell editorial<br />

is no different.<br />

I have been writing for<br />

The Mokena Messenger<br />

since April of last year. Mokena<br />

has become my own<br />

home away from home as<br />

I covered countless stories<br />

across the village.<br />

From Board of Education<br />

meetings to hard-hitting<br />

breaking news, such<br />

as Metra’s gate malfunction.<br />

I was there at the<br />

center of the action.<br />

Sometimes, I would<br />

be in the front row of a<br />

meeting typing vigorously<br />

on my laptop, and other<br />

times I was camouflaged<br />

in the foreground. My face<br />

was usually hidden by the<br />

camera held up to my right<br />

eye, but my presence was<br />

given away by the press<br />

pass that swung around<br />

my neck. For every great<br />

moment of nearly the past<br />

year, I was there.<br />

I covered stories such<br />

as: the Lincoln-Way<br />

madrigals decision being<br />

reversed; the village’s<br />

first and now annual pride<br />

event; the meetings where<br />

Summit Hill School District<br />

161 moved forward<br />

to pursue the feasibility<br />

of acquiring Lincoln-Way<br />

North; the successful<br />

season of the Lincoln-<br />

Way Marching Band; and<br />

many others. All of these<br />

moments fill my heart<br />

with pride because I am<br />

honored to have been a<br />

part of this community<br />

for these moments in the<br />

village’s history.<br />

Mokena is in a prosperous<br />

time of refinement<br />

and growth, but at the<br />

core of that is a solid<br />

foundation of a sense of<br />

community. The nature of<br />

growth comes with growing<br />

pains, but I have seen<br />

the strength in what the<br />

community can do when<br />

it rallies together, when it<br />

gets involved with local<br />

government and school<br />

boards, and when it makes<br />

its voices heard.<br />

I was in charge of<br />

several beats during the<br />

time I worked for The<br />

Messenger, transportation<br />

and education being my<br />

most regular and closely<br />

followed ones. I have<br />

watched a lot happen in<br />

my time here. Similar to<br />

the way you watch a child<br />

grow up, I’ve watched the<br />

school districts undergo a<br />

lot of transformation.<br />

I wish I could be here<br />

to watch my beats and<br />

the Village of Mokena<br />

continue to grow, but it is<br />

time for my own growth<br />

to happen, as well.<br />

To the residents I have<br />

met through each story<br />

and to the readers that<br />

have reached out to me<br />

regarding my work, I say,<br />

“Thank you.” I thank you<br />

for giving this humble<br />

reporter, who grew up<br />

in Plainfield and Joliet,<br />

a place to call home in<br />

Mokena.<br />

I have thoroughly<br />

enjoyed every opportunity<br />

I’ve been given over this<br />

past year at The Messenger.<br />

But, like all good<br />

things, it had to come<br />

to an end. My fiancee,<br />

Justin, is now back from<br />

his deployment, and I<br />

secured a job at the Pacific<br />

Business News in Honolulu,<br />

Hawaii, to advance<br />

my career and be closer<br />

to him. Bigger and better<br />

things are before me at<br />

this pivotal moment in my<br />

life. Though I am excited<br />

for my new adventure, I<br />

am cognizant that I leave<br />

behind my family, friends,<br />

co-workers and, of course,<br />

my loyal readers.<br />

I have learned a lot of<br />

valuable lessons from<br />

each community I wrote<br />

for. From Mokena, I<br />

gained a sense of community<br />

that is fostered<br />

between organizations,<br />

local government, school<br />

boards and the residents<br />

whom each entity serves.<br />

From following the<br />

proposed Mokena D159<br />

referendum to the financial<br />

challenges of Lincoln-<br />

Way D210 and the unit<br />

district committee formed<br />

by Summit Hill D161,<br />

I was there to break the<br />

news objectively and accurately.<br />

Journalism challenges<br />

me to always ask and ask<br />

again, to look from every<br />

angle in an unbiased manner,<br />

and to listen to understand<br />

— not to respond.<br />

The stories that were<br />

published in The Messenger<br />

appear as words<br />

bound by ink to paper. But<br />

what I see are pieces of a<br />

multi-dimensional puzzle<br />

composed of perspectives,<br />

information and captured<br />

moments that fit together<br />

piece by piece, word by<br />

word.<br />

Yes, journalism continually<br />

challenges me, but<br />

I also write to challenge<br />

journalism as I move forward<br />

with my career.<br />

Every word I write in a<br />

story takes on a life of its<br />

own in your hands after<br />

they leave my fingertips.<br />

The words I have written<br />

for you will long outlive<br />

me once my physical<br />

presence here in Mokena<br />

is gone. I will not forget<br />

those who made me feel<br />

the presence and impact<br />

I made here through my<br />

words.<br />

In Hawaii the phrase<br />

“aloha” is often referred<br />

to as a cultural way of life,<br />

but it is also spoken as a<br />

greeting for “hello” and<br />

“goodbye.” For me this is<br />

a somber goodbye, but it is<br />

also a welcoming hello to<br />

the many new experiences<br />

that await me in Hawaii.<br />

So I think it’s only fitting<br />

my last words to my readers<br />

be: Aloha, Mokena.<br />

Sound Off Policy<br />

Editorials and columns are the<br />

opinions of the author. Pieces<br />

from 22nd Century Media are<br />

the thoughts of the company as<br />

a whole. The Mokena Messenger<br />

encourages readers to write<br />

letters to Sound Off. All letters<br />

must be signed, and names and<br />

hometowns will be published.<br />

We also ask that writers include<br />

their address and phone number<br />

for verification, not publication.<br />

Letters should be limited to 400<br />

words. The Mokena Messenger<br />

reserves the right to edit letters.<br />

Letters become property of The<br />

Mokena Messenger. Letters that<br />

are published do not reflect<br />

the thoughts and views of The<br />

Mokena Messenger. Letters<br />

can be mailed to: The Mokena<br />

Messenger, 11516 West 183rd<br />

Street, Unit SW Office Condo<br />

#3, Orland Park, Illinois, 60467.<br />

Fax letters to (708) 326-9179 or<br />

e-mail to tj@mok<br />

namessenger.com.<br />

www.mokenamessenger.com.


20 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger mokena<br />

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Contact the Sales Center for details at 708.479.5111<br />

and visit online any time at www.cranahomes.com<br />

Decorated Models are Open Mon-Thu 10am-4pm Sat/Sun Noon-4pm<br />

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OPPORTUNITY


the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | mokenamessenger.com<br />

A spoonful of<br />

sugar All About Music preps<br />

for ‘Mary Poppins,’ Page 26<br />

Back for another cup<br />

Frankfort’s Kup A Joe Cafe always adapting with the<br />

times for a continually fresh experience, Page 27<br />

Mokena park<br />

district lets girls<br />

be princesses for<br />

a day, Page 26<br />

Brian Jamrok and 3 year-old Cora dance<br />

the night away at Mokena Community<br />

Park District’s Daddy Daughter Ball<br />

Saturday, March 16. Rochelle McAuliffe/22nd<br />

Century Media


22 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger faith<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Faith Briefs<br />

St. Mary’s Catholic Church (19515<br />

115th Ave., Mokena)<br />

Parish Mission<br />

7 p.m. March 18-20<br />

Father Paul De Soza, MC<br />

will present at Saint Mary<br />

Mokena’s three-day parish<br />

mission in the main<br />

church. Topics will include<br />

how to live one’s Catholic<br />

faith daily and how to recognize<br />

God’s presence in<br />

everyday life. Confessions<br />

will be offered on Monday,<br />

March 18, and Mass will<br />

be celebrated on Wednesday,<br />

March 20.<br />

Church Service<br />

5 p.m. Saturdays; 8 a.m,<br />

9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6:<br />

p.m. Sundays<br />

Adoration<br />

Wednesdays following<br />

8:00 a.m. Mass in the Chapel<br />

until 6:45 p.m.<br />

Young at Heart Senior Club<br />

1 p.m. the first and third<br />

Wednesday of the month.<br />

Join the senior club for activities<br />

and outings Sept.-<br />

June. For more information,<br />

call (708) 699-5018.<br />

Holy Rosary<br />

7:30 a.m. daily; 7 p.m.<br />

Tuesday evenings.<br />

St. John’s United Church of Christ<br />

In Memoriam<br />

Marion G. Hutson<br />

Marion G. (Leonhardt)<br />

Hutson, 96, of Mokena,<br />

died March 7.<br />

She was the beloved<br />

wife of 69 years to the late<br />

Manning J. Hutson; cherished<br />

mother of Gregory<br />

A. (Cindy) Hutson of<br />

Joliet, Douglas S. (Terri)<br />

Hutson of Mokena, Geoffrey<br />

L. (Karen) Hutson of<br />

Richton Park, Rob L. (Janet)<br />

Hutson of Peotone,<br />

and Deborah M. (John)<br />

Trumpus of Mokena; loving<br />

grandmother of 14;<br />

(11100 Second St., Mokena)<br />

Traditional Service<br />

8 a.m. traditional service,<br />

9:45 a.m. contemporary<br />

& traditional music in<br />

a service of praise and reverence.<br />

Supervised childcare<br />

available. For more<br />

information, call (708)<br />

479-5123.<br />

Cards for a Cause<br />

7 p.m. the second Monday<br />

of each month. Bring<br />

your tape, scissors and colored<br />

pencils — if you have<br />

them — and plan for a creative<br />

evening with lots of<br />

fun.<br />

Bundles of Love<br />

7 p.m. the second and<br />

fourth Tuesday of each<br />

month. Enjoy fun and fellowship<br />

while making<br />

baby quilts for infants baptized<br />

at St. John’s and lap<br />

quilts for shut-ins.<br />

Mokena United Methodist Church<br />

(10901 LaPorte Road, Mokena)<br />

Service and Sunday School<br />

10:15 a.m. Sundays.<br />

Church service and children’s<br />

Sunday School will<br />

be held. For more information,<br />

call (708) 479-1110.<br />

great-grandmother of 19;<br />

devoted daughter of the<br />

late Henry and Mary Leonhardt;<br />

and fond sister<br />

of the late Harold Leonhardt.<br />

In lieu of flowers, contributions<br />

to the Joliet Area<br />

Hospice — 250 Water<br />

Stone Circle, Joliet, 60431<br />

— would be appreciated.<br />

Bible Study<br />

7 p.m. Tuesdays at the<br />

church. For more information,<br />

call (708) 479-1110.<br />

Community Prayer<br />

Gathering<br />

2:30 p.m. every 4th Sunday.<br />

Breakfast<br />

9 a.m. every third Saturday<br />

of the month.<br />

Choir Practice<br />

7:30 p.m. Wednesdays.<br />

Newcomers welcome.<br />

Weight Watchers<br />

Wednesday<br />

Weigh-ins take place at<br />

6:30 p.m., while the meeting<br />

is at 7 p.m.<br />

Marley Community Church (12625 W.<br />

187th St., Mokena)<br />

Church Service<br />

10 a.m. Sundays. Childcare<br />

is provided.<br />

Sunday School<br />

9-10 a.m. Sundays.<br />

Senior High Youth Group<br />

7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays.<br />

For more information,<br />

email marleycommu<br />

nitychurch@gmail.com.<br />

Junior High Youth Group<br />

6-7:30 p.m. Fridays.<br />

For more information,<br />

email marleycommunity<br />

church@gmail.com.<br />

Edward Prange, Jr.<br />

Edward Prange, Jr., 73,<br />

of Mokena, died March<br />

13.<br />

He was the beloved husband<br />

for 51 years to Karen<br />

(Maier); loving father of<br />

Laurie (Tom) Webster and<br />

Jeffrey (Audra) Prange;<br />

adored grandfather of<br />

Tristan, Grant and Adia;<br />

devoted son of the late<br />

Edward and Helen “Lynn”<br />

Prange; dear brother of<br />

Joyce (Bob) Quinn and<br />

Richard (Rosemary)<br />

Prange; and dearest uncle<br />

of many nieces and nephews.<br />

He was retired from<br />

Ford Motor Company<br />

with 42 years of service.<br />

Men’s Group<br />

6 p.m. Sunday nights in<br />

the church basement. All<br />

men are welcome.<br />

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church<br />

(10731 W. La Porte Road, Mokena)<br />

Worship<br />

5 p.m. Saturdays, 9 a.m.<br />

Sundays.<br />

God’s Kids Club<br />

10:15 a.m. Sundays in<br />

Sept.-May.<br />

Adult Bible Study<br />

10:15 a.m. Sundays in<br />

Sept.-May.<br />

Mokena Baptist Church (9960 W. 187th<br />

St., Mokena)<br />

Sunday Services<br />

11 a.m. and 5 p.m. For<br />

more information, call<br />

(312) 350-2279.<br />

Sunday School<br />

10:15 a.m. Sundays.<br />

Mokena Baptist offers<br />

Sunday School classes<br />

for all ages. For more information,<br />

call (312) 350-<br />

2279.<br />

Parker Road Bible Church (18512<br />

Parker Road, Mokena)<br />

Worship Service<br />

10:30 a.m. Sundays. Be<br />

sure to arrive early for our<br />

Sunday Worship Service to<br />

Please see faith, 23<br />

He was an avid Chicago<br />

Blackhawks and White<br />

Sox fan and was passionate<br />

about cars and music.<br />

In lieu of flowers, memorials<br />

in Ed’s name to the<br />

charity that means most to<br />

you are appreciated.<br />

Do you have someone’s life<br />

you’d like to honor? Email<br />

Editor T.J. Kremer III at tj@<br />

mokenamessenger.com with<br />

information about a loved<br />

one who was a part of the<br />

Mokena community.<br />

Robin’s Nest<br />

Lent: New life and a fresh start<br />

Robin Melvin<br />

Contributing Columnist<br />

I<br />

enjoy watching life<br />

return to my backyard.<br />

Trees budding, birds<br />

singing and fat squirrels<br />

with their tails twitching.<br />

They seem as excited as I<br />

am to get out and breathe<br />

fresh air.<br />

In this Lenten season, we<br />

focus on the greatest symbol<br />

of new life: the cross.<br />

What seemed to end in<br />

death, didn’t. What seemed<br />

to be a loss, wasn’t. In fact,<br />

the cross is where we find<br />

our Provision, our Promise<br />

and our Power. It is salvation,<br />

life, and victory.<br />

Let’s start with salvation.<br />

The dictionary says<br />

it’s “deliverance, rescue,<br />

recovery, or escape.” If<br />

we need to escape or be<br />

rescued from something,<br />

that something must be<br />

pretty awful. And, yes, it<br />

is. That something is sin.<br />

It’s our common human<br />

experience.<br />

I remember trying to<br />

find my salvation by following<br />

rules. Rules are<br />

good. They show us right<br />

and wrong and help us set<br />

healthy boundaries. But,<br />

rules alone can’t change<br />

our hearts. Without heart<br />

change, we go right back<br />

to what we know is wrong.<br />

Whether it’s a wrong attitude<br />

or wrong behavior,<br />

it’s a vicious, self-defeating<br />

cycle. Life in our power, on<br />

our terms. Which sounds<br />

like freedom but we’re<br />

human. So, it becomes<br />

bondage. Sin is sneaky like<br />

that.<br />

New life starts when we<br />

believe there’s a freer way<br />

to live. We stop trying to<br />

beat sin on our own. We<br />

decide we want an all-in<br />

relationship with Jesus.<br />

It’s that profound, yet this<br />

simple:<br />

“If you openly declare<br />

that Jesus is Lord and<br />

believe in your heart that<br />

God raised him from the<br />

dead, you will be saved<br />

[rescued, delivered.] For<br />

it is by believing in your<br />

heart that you are made<br />

right with God, and it is by<br />

openly declaring your faith<br />

that you are saved. Anyone<br />

who believes in him will<br />

never be put to shame.”<br />

Romans 10:9-11<br />

These aren’t magic<br />

words. This wholehearted<br />

decision rescues us. Boom.<br />

Just like that. By faith<br />

alone, we trade death for<br />

life. We invite Jesus in to<br />

set things right between<br />

us and God and we stand<br />

before the Father as if we’d<br />

never sinned. Now that’s<br />

freedom. Sin is no longer<br />

the boss of us. Jesus is.<br />

Salvation is just the<br />

beginning, my friend. As<br />

we move forward, free<br />

from sin’s control, we find<br />

our divine design. That is<br />

our promise. But, we’ll talk<br />

about that next time.<br />

Let’s prepare our hearts<br />

for Easter. The cross, Jesus’<br />

darkest hour, invites us into<br />

our brightest days. To new<br />

life and a fresh beginning.<br />

For more with Robin,<br />

visit robinmelvin.com/con<br />

tact or on Facebook, Robin<br />

Melvin, Author.<br />

The thoughts and opinions<br />

expressed in this column are<br />

those of the author. They do<br />

not necessarily represent the<br />

thoughts of 22nd Century<br />

Media or its staff.


mokenamessenger.com life & arts<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 23<br />

Daddy Daughter Ball makes every girl a princess for a night<br />

Rochelle McAuliffe<br />

Freelance Reporter<br />

For every dad, their little<br />

girl is a princess. And,<br />

thanks to the Mokena<br />

Community Park District,<br />

there’s a special night each<br />

year for dads to treat her<br />

like one.<br />

On Saturday, March 16,<br />

fathers and their daughters<br />

were invited to an evening<br />

of fun and dancing for the<br />

13th annual Daddy Daughter<br />

Ball, hosted by the<br />

MCPD. Previously known<br />

as the “Cinderella Ball,”<br />

the annual event was bigger<br />

and better than before.<br />

While space had been<br />

limited in years past, the<br />

new gymnasium made<br />

a perfect venue for this<br />

year’s ball. Serving 140<br />

people this year as compared<br />

to 60 in the past,<br />

there were even more dads<br />

that took the opportunity<br />

to make their princess’<br />

dreams come true.<br />

With dancing, games,<br />

desserts and drinks, the<br />

princesses were treated<br />

to a magical evening with<br />

their dads, and even got<br />

their own crown.<br />

“This is probably my<br />

favorite event of the entire<br />

year. It’s absolutely<br />

adorable,” said Rebecca<br />

Phetteplace, recreation supervisor<br />

of special events.<br />

“It’s a night that dads get<br />

one-on-one time with their<br />

daughters. If they have<br />

other kids around, this is a<br />

Steve Jacobson and his 4 year-old daughter, Brooke,<br />

pose in front of the enchanted storybook.<br />

unique experience for just<br />

the two of them.”<br />

With two other children<br />

in addition to his 4-yearold<br />

daughter, Reese, Jason<br />

Erickson was thrilled to<br />

spend a quality evening<br />

with his daughter. When<br />

asked about their favorite<br />

part of the evening, the dad<br />

and daughter both said,<br />

“being together.”<br />

“I love spending time<br />

just the two of us. It gives<br />

me a great feeling to be<br />

with her,” Erickson said.<br />

For Dave Szutenbach,<br />

the highlight of his evening<br />

was seeing his daughter<br />

Abigail, 6, with the<br />

Ball’s special guest, Princess<br />

Belle.<br />

“It was really special<br />

seeing her with Belle. It’s<br />

just been a great night<br />

with her,” Szutenbach<br />

said.<br />

Fred Brown and Olivia,<br />

4, were already looking<br />

forward to the special evening<br />

together after hearing<br />

about the event. When they<br />

learned that Princess Belle<br />

would be in attendance,<br />

Olivia’s excitement grew<br />

even more, as “Beauty and<br />

the Beast” is her favorite<br />

movie.<br />

Between the dancing<br />

and delicious dessert, the<br />

duo had a blast with each<br />

other.<br />

“It’s been a lot of fun.<br />

There’s not usually a lot of<br />

The princesses in attendance at Mokena Community Park District’s Daddy Daughter<br />

Ball Saturday, March 16, had a chance to dance with Princess Belle of Beauty and the<br />

Beast. Photos by Rochelle McAuliffe/22nd Century Media<br />

stuff for just her and I to do<br />

together, so it’s really nice<br />

to be able to do things like<br />

this,” Brown said. “She’s<br />

my princess, and I love<br />

treating her like one.”<br />

That feeling was contagious.<br />

“To see all these dads<br />

dancing and playing<br />

games and having tons of<br />

fun doing something they<br />

wouldn’t necessarily get<br />

to do all the time with their<br />

daughters, it’s a really cool<br />

thing to see,” Phetteplace<br />

said.<br />

RIGHT: Brad Grzebielucha<br />

grabs snacks with<br />

daughter Francesca, 4.<br />

faith<br />

From Page 22<br />

enjoy a hot, complimentary<br />

cup of coffee every week at<br />

the church. Following the<br />

Christian Education Hour<br />

(9:15-10:15 a.m.), all beverages<br />

can be found just<br />

outside the sanctuary.<br />

Grace Fellowship Church (11049<br />

LaPorte Road, Mokena)<br />

Narcotics Anonymous<br />

7-9 p.m. Mondays.<br />

All those struggling<br />

or who have struggled<br />

with a narcotics addiction<br />

are welcome. All<br />

meetings are confidential.<br />

For more information,<br />

call (708) 479-<br />

0300.<br />

Spanish Church<br />

12:30 p.m. Sundays.<br />

Worship Service<br />

10 a.m. Sundays. All are<br />

welcome.<br />

Women’s Bible Study<br />

8:45-9:45 a.m. Sundays<br />

and 2-3 p.m. Tuesdays.<br />

Victory Baptist Church (13550 US Route<br />

6, Mokena)<br />

Sunday School<br />

9:30 a.m. Sundays.<br />

Morning Worship<br />

10:45 a.m. Sundays.<br />

Evening Worship<br />

6 p.m. Sundays.<br />

Weekday Worship<br />

7 p.m. Wednesdays.<br />

Have something for Faith<br />

Briefs? Contact Editor T.J.<br />

Kremer III at tj@mokenamessenger.com<br />

or call (708)<br />

326-9170 ext. 29. Deadline<br />

is noon Thursday one week<br />

prior to publication.


24 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger life & arts<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Ogre the top: Noonan to put on ‘Shrek the Musical Jr.’<br />

Megan Schuller<br />

Assistant Editor<br />

Not every story is a<br />

fairy tale. This is exactly<br />

the case in the “Shrek the<br />

Musical Jr.,” which Noonan<br />

Academy students are<br />

scheduled to put on March<br />

29-31.<br />

The play is an adoption<br />

of the movie ”Shrek” released<br />

in 2001, and “Shrek<br />

the Musical,” which later<br />

followed the success of the<br />

movie.<br />

Every year for the past<br />

14 years, Noonan Academy<br />

has carried on the tradition<br />

of choosing different<br />

plays to put on for the<br />

community and Noonan<br />

families.<br />

According to the Noonan<br />

Drama Club Director<br />

Marta Koonce, this is the<br />

first year that the drama<br />

club is utilizing understudies<br />

instead of double casting<br />

roles.<br />

“It is a good way for the<br />

actor to learn and grow,”<br />

Koonce said. “It reinforces<br />

everyone’s role by learning<br />

and watching each<br />

other.”<br />

Sixth grader Matthew<br />

Egan, of Tinley Park, was<br />

cast for several roles, including<br />

a woodland creature,<br />

knight and Shrek understudy.<br />

“It’s cool to learn both<br />

parts as an understudy<br />

because there is someone<br />

else to go to for help,”<br />

Egan said.<br />

Koonce said that<br />

“Shrek the Musical Jr.”<br />

was chosen for many<br />

reasons, one of them being<br />

that there was a lot<br />

of good lead roles in the<br />

performance.<br />

“It’s a fun show for the<br />

kids to put on, and it’s one<br />

of my favorites,” Koonce<br />

said. “It has a good message<br />

of embracing who<br />

you are without judging<br />

by appearance. When you<br />

do things together, you are<br />

stronger.”<br />

During weekly rehearsals<br />

after school, Koonce<br />

assisted seventh-grader<br />

Nico Valenctini, of Mokena,<br />

with his intricate costume<br />

by fastening a cape<br />

and fake set of legs to his<br />

Lord Farquaad costume.<br />

“My favorite part of the<br />

play is honestly the costumes,”<br />

Valenctini said,<br />

kneeling so it appeared his<br />

fake legs made him stand<br />

waist-high in height.<br />

Sixth-grader Gavin<br />

Kenny, of Frankfort, plays<br />

Shrek’s loyal sidekick,<br />

Donkey.<br />

“I like my character because<br />

I get to use funny<br />

voices, which I love to<br />

do,” Kenny said.<br />

Other students, such as<br />

eighth-grader Mary Huguelet,<br />

of Tinley Park, said<br />

that the play is an enjoyable<br />

challenge.<br />

“They push us to our<br />

limit, making sure we are<br />

doing our best,” Huguelet,<br />

who plays Princess Fiona,<br />

said.<br />

The thing that makes<br />

Noonan’s program different<br />

is that there is no<br />

traditional stage space for<br />

the students to rehearse<br />

on. Years ago a shallow<br />

built-out stage was created<br />

for the gymnasium, but it<br />

does not get rolled out until<br />

closer to show day.<br />

“Since the kids have<br />

not been able to work on<br />

the stage, we place cones<br />

on the floor so they can<br />

learn the spacing for each<br />

scene.”<br />

Eighth-grader Ethan<br />

Villasenor, of Mokena,<br />

was cast as the lead role<br />

of Shrek, the sarcastic and<br />

swamp-dwelling ogre.<br />

“I enjoy...working with<br />

loving friends and the<br />

Noonan family,” Villasenor<br />

said. “It makes you a<br />

If You’re Going...<br />

What:<br />

“Shrek the Musical Jr.”<br />

When:<br />

7 p.m. March 29<br />

2 p.m. and 7 p.m.<br />

March 30<br />

2 p.m. March 31<br />

Where:<br />

Noonan Academy,<br />

19131 Henry Drive, in<br />

Mokena.<br />

For Tickets:<br />

Contact Diane Simon<br />

at (773) 519-0612.<br />

Tickets are $10 per<br />

adult and $8 per child.<br />

small piece of a bigger picture,<br />

which is cool.”<br />

The performers said<br />

during their rehearsal that<br />

they all look forward to the<br />

upcoming shows.<br />

“I can’t wait to perform<br />

in front of my family and<br />

friends,” Kenny said.<br />

Koonce said that she<br />

hopes both the audience<br />

and students are able to<br />

learn valuable lessons<br />

from the production.<br />

“I hope the number one<br />

thing the kids take away<br />

from this show is the joy<br />

of putting on a show with<br />

friends and the joy that<br />

brings to others,” Koonce<br />

said. “This is always a big<br />

family affair at Noonan.<br />

The program benefits<br />

the students by instilling a<br />

sense of character and confidence<br />

in the performers,<br />

according to Koonce.<br />

“What I enjoy most is<br />

seeing the confidence develop<br />

in them,” she said. “I<br />

watch them go from being<br />

shy on day one to becoming<br />

a performer by the end<br />

of the show... they grow as<br />

performers but also as human<br />

beings.”<br />

Shrek, played by eighth-grader Ethan Villasenor (right), of Mokena, rehearses March<br />

11 with castmates: sixth-grader Matthew Egan (back), of Tinley Park; eighth-grader<br />

Mary Huguelet (left), of Tinley Park; and seventh-grader Nico Valenctini (front), of<br />

Mokena. Photos by Megan Schuller/22nd Century Media<br />

Characters Shrek and Fiona — played by Ethan Villasenor (middle), of Mokena, and<br />

Mary Huguelet (left), of Tinley Park, respectively — embrace each other during a<br />

scene while Donkey, played by Gavin Kenny, of Frankfort, rejoices during a rehearsal<br />

of Noonan Academy’s performance of “Shrek the Musical Jr.”


mokenamessenger.com life & arts<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 25<br />

Area artists get spotlight at ArtWorks 2019<br />

Laurie Fanelli, Freelance Reporter<br />

Art was in the air, on the<br />

walls and across the campus of<br />

Lincoln-Way East during the<br />

district’s annual ArtWorks event<br />

Friday, March 15.<br />

The celebration of creativity<br />

featured more than 900 works of<br />

art from kindergartners through<br />

seniors in high school who attend<br />

over 30 area schools. Attendees<br />

were encouraged to get<br />

in on the fun by participating in<br />

a variety of art demos, and local<br />

student ensembles provided the<br />

perfect soundtrack for a day of<br />

culture and imagination.<br />

Lincoln-Way Community<br />

High School District 210 art<br />

department chair, Phil Labriola,<br />

enjoyed seeing the evolution of<br />

talent on display from all of the<br />

art exhibition age groups.<br />

“It’s really cool to see the different<br />

levels, where student’s artwork<br />

starts out and how it keeps<br />

growing from grade to grade,”<br />

Labriola said. “Some students<br />

have been here multiple years<br />

in a row, and they’ve had stuff<br />

in the show each year and keep<br />

working as they get older. It’s<br />

nice to see and it’s nice to hear<br />

that people are making ArtWorks<br />

a tradition to attend every year,<br />

and that it’s something that actually<br />

means something to them.”<br />

New Lenox residents the<br />

Mack family – mom Tanya, dad<br />

Russell, and daughters Jennavieve<br />

and Gwendolyn – always<br />

enjoy stopping by Artworks, but<br />

2019 was extra-special because<br />

Gwendolyn had a colorful robot<br />

painting showcased alongside<br />

the works of her Spencer Pointe<br />

classmates.<br />

“ArtWorks is great because<br />

they have all these activities we<br />

can do,” Tanya said. “It’s free,<br />

it’s a day out and the kids love<br />

art.”<br />

Jennavieve – who had her own<br />

art featured in 2017 – added, “I<br />

like art and doodling, so I like<br />

coming to this every year.”<br />

For many families, the art<br />

demonstrations are an annual<br />

ArtWorks highlight. In 2019,<br />

Mokena resident Libby Roberts gets her face painted at ArtWorks 2019 at Lincoln-Way East Friday,<br />

March 15. Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media<br />

Mokena resident and professional pastel painter Ted Fuka creates a new work of art onsite at ArtWorks<br />

2019.<br />

participants were able to join<br />

hands-on sessions for string art<br />

paintings, origami, pinch pots in<br />

clay, jewelry making and much<br />

more.<br />

Hilda Walker teacher Joanna<br />

Olszta led an oil pastel and graffiti<br />

art demonstration that taught<br />

participants about color coordination,<br />

shading and blending<br />

techniques.<br />

“We are doing a graffiti class<br />

so students are going to learn<br />

how to make block letters and<br />

then alter them to make them a<br />

little more funky, a little more<br />

jazzy,” said Olszta who has been<br />

involved with ArtWorks for the<br />

past 11 years. “Then we’re going<br />

to learn how to blend oil pastels<br />

and shade with them.<br />

“I like seeing all the kids excited<br />

about art. They don’t get<br />

enough art in school nowadays so<br />

it’s nice to be able to offer something<br />

outside of that so kids can<br />

create. Unfortunately, they’re on<br />

their tablets and technology so<br />

much that they are at risk of losing<br />

this part of themselves: the<br />

creative nature that we all have.”<br />

Attendees also enjoyed watching<br />

professional artist demos<br />

featuring oil painter John Tylk,<br />

of Frankfort, and pastel painter<br />

Ted Fuka, of Mokena. Facepainting<br />

and concessions added<br />

to the ArtWorks fun, as well,<br />

and everyone was invited to stop<br />

by the Field House to visit the<br />

Frankfort Community Showcase,<br />

which was being held in<br />

conjunction with the event.<br />

Lincoln-Way East Orchestra<br />

Director Michelle Freeland<br />

was on-hand leading a pair of<br />

groups from the Lincoln-Way<br />

Youth Strings – comprised of<br />

second- through seventh-graders<br />

– in a performance in the auditorium<br />

and the Lincoln-Way String<br />

Chamber Ensemble for a set in<br />

the cafeteria where the Art Exhibition<br />

was being held.<br />

Freeland encourages young<br />

musicians to consider strings not<br />

only for a creative outlet, but also<br />

to develop critical thinking skills.<br />

“It creates a self-discipline and<br />

the right-brain, left-brain interaction,”<br />

she said. “Studies show<br />

that it helps them in all areas of<br />

their life.”<br />

Labriola also cited the many<br />

benefits art students enjoy in a<br />

wide variety of school subjects,<br />

and said he hopes that ArtWorks<br />

has a small part in encouraging<br />

budding artists to continue in<br />

their crafts for years to come.<br />

“I think art teaches excellent<br />

problem solving skills, and research<br />

shows that students [who]<br />

are involved with art do better<br />

in other courses, as well, and<br />

they do better on testing,” he<br />

said. “It’s a really great way to<br />

foster that creativity and thinking<br />

skills. If they are passionate<br />

about art, and they enjoy it, they<br />

should continue to do it. Hopefully<br />

ArtWorks helps keep that<br />

going.”


26 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger life & arts<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Mokena production of ‘Mary Poppins Jr.’ a spoonful of sugar<br />

Rochelle McAuliffe<br />

Freelance Reporter<br />

There’s a show that’s<br />

“practically perfect in every<br />

way.”<br />

All About Music Children’s<br />

Theater’s is preparing<br />

for its “supercallifragilisticexpialidocious”<br />

presentation of “Mary<br />

Poppins Jr.,” hitting the<br />

stage March 29-31 at the<br />

Lincoln-Way Central Fine<br />

Arts Center, located at<br />

1801 Lincoln Highway in<br />

New Lenox.<br />

The “junior” in the title<br />

of the production indicates<br />

that the score is vocally<br />

friendly for younger voices;<br />

however, the show still<br />

features all the characters<br />

from the original version,<br />

just with some different<br />

twists and turns.<br />

Connie Johnson-Beebe<br />

has served as creative<br />

director at AAMCT for<br />

more than 20 years, and<br />

has directed more than 100<br />

shows with the company.<br />

Throughout her years with<br />

the company, she said that<br />

one of her favorite things<br />

to witness with every production<br />

is the growth within<br />

each child throughout<br />

the production.<br />

“It’s amazing to watch<br />

the kids develop through<br />

the process,” Johnson-<br />

Beebe said. “They come in<br />

timid to the first rehearsal<br />

because they don’t really<br />

know their characters, but<br />

then we see them learn<br />

their role and who they<br />

should be onstage. It’s<br />

great to see how far they<br />

come beginning to end.<br />

They transform as actors.”<br />

Playing Robertson<br />

Ay, Ginny Frank of New<br />

Lenox is one of the many<br />

actors within the company<br />

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who embraces the transformation<br />

into her role.<br />

At just 11 years old, Mary<br />

Poppins Jr. will be Frank’s<br />

18th production within the<br />

company.<br />

“Ever since I was really<br />

little, I’ve really been<br />

into looking into another<br />

person’s world, and I’ve<br />

always really liked being<br />

onstage and singing,”<br />

Frank said.<br />

As an actor with a funny<br />

bone, Frank is naturally<br />

drawn to more comedic<br />

roles, and enjoys her character<br />

in Mary Poppins<br />

because “they’re really<br />

funny.”<br />

While past productions<br />

at AAMCT have featured<br />

large, choreographed<br />

dance numbers, this will<br />

be the first production incorporating<br />

tap dancing.<br />

For Jill Rechter, the choreographer<br />

at AAMCT since<br />

Elizabeth DeYoung (left), 14, of New Lenox, and Caroline Howey (right), 10, of<br />

Mokena, lead the other chimneysweeps in a dance number during a rehearsal for All<br />

About Music’s production of “Mary Poppins Jr.” Photos by Rochelle McAuliffe/22nd<br />

Century Media<br />

2004, the addition of tap<br />

dancing was “an undertaking,<br />

but it’s turning out<br />

awesome.”<br />

“A lot of these kids<br />

aren’t dancers, so seeing<br />

them be able to learn all<br />

the steps and process it and<br />

putting it all together as a<br />

final product, it’s great,”<br />

Rechter said. “I can’t wait<br />

to see the looks on the<br />

kids’ faces at the end of the<br />

first show when they hear<br />

the applause.”<br />

“Many kids haven’t had<br />

dance experience, let alone<br />

tap, and it’s incredible to<br />

see them coming together<br />

and conquering this together,”<br />

Johnson-Beebe<br />

explained.<br />

Jillian Rice, an 18-yearold<br />

from Mokena, is a familiar<br />

face on the AAMCT<br />

stage. For the past 10<br />

years, she’s been apart<br />

of numerous productions<br />

within the company, as<br />

well as at Chicago Christian<br />

High School, the<br />

Beverly Arts Center in<br />

Chicago and Curtain Call<br />

Theater in Mokena. After<br />

Stephanie White (center), 17, of Mokena, plays Burt<br />

alongside Edie Balester (right), 14, of New Lenox, who<br />

plays Mary Poppins.<br />

a long career with the children’s<br />

company, “Mary<br />

Poppins Jr.” marks her last<br />

show with AAMCT.<br />

“This is where it all<br />

started for me. It seems<br />

like I’ve been here for a<br />

million years,” said Rice.<br />

“It’s definitely sad, but I’m<br />

excited for what comes<br />

next, and I wouldn’t be<br />

where I am without All<br />

About Music.”<br />

Showtimes are 7:30<br />

p.m. on March 29; 2 p.m.<br />

and 7:30 p.m. March 30;<br />

and 1 p.m. March 31. Advanced<br />

tickets are available<br />

at All About Music,<br />

located at 19108 Wolf<br />

Road in Mokena, for $14,<br />

or $15 at the door. For<br />

more information, call<br />

(708) 479-0440 or visit al<br />

laboutmusicmokena.com/<br />

mary-poppins.


mokenamessenger.com dining out<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 27<br />

The Dish<br />

Kup A Joe Cafe prides itself on variety of breakfast, lunch selections<br />

Business puts its<br />

current emphasis<br />

on having healthy<br />

options<br />

Thomas Czaja<br />

Contributing Editor<br />

On most days, Jim Garofalo<br />

can be found sitting<br />

inside his business mingling<br />

with customers.<br />

The owner of Kup A Joe<br />

Cafe in Frankfort has been<br />

in the restaurant industry<br />

for more than 40 years,<br />

and since opening in 2012<br />

the eatery has been his<br />

home away from home, as<br />

he continues to tweak the<br />

menu and give customers<br />

what they want.<br />

“I enjoy the people,”<br />

Garofalo said of his customers<br />

on a recent morning<br />

while sitting in a<br />

booth at Kup a Joe. “I’m<br />

always out here sitting<br />

with somebody, talking<br />

with somebody. You get<br />

to know the families, the<br />

kids, and get a lot of regulars.”<br />

To keep the existing patron<br />

base happy, as well as<br />

appeal to current trends,<br />

Garofalo will occasionally<br />

tweak the menu, as<br />

well as having an evolving<br />

menu of specials separate<br />

from the main one. To<br />

find new dishes, he will go<br />

online and do research.<br />

“We’ve put a lot more<br />

healthy items on the menu<br />

right now, which are really<br />

popular,” he said. “A<br />

lot of keto items — keto<br />

pancakes, keto ranchero<br />

Benedict, keto scramblers.<br />

We do a lot of gluten-free<br />

items, healthy-type breakfast<br />

items.”<br />

The aforementioned<br />

keto pancakes ($10.79) are<br />

made with gluten-free almond<br />

flour, fat-free cream<br />

cheese and eggs that are<br />

topped with one’s choice<br />

of fresh fruit, with options<br />

of either strawberries,<br />

blueberries or raspberries.<br />

“I think we have more<br />

variety of different food<br />

items than most breakfast<br />

places that just give breakfast<br />

and eggs,” Garofalo<br />

said.<br />

Another breakfast dish<br />

that Garofalo said is “super<br />

popular” is the bacon<br />

avocado scramble<br />

($10.19), which is eggs<br />

scrambled with crisp bacon.<br />

It also includes fresh<br />

spinach, grilled onion, tomato,<br />

avocado and pepper<br />

Jack cheese.<br />

At Kup A Joe, whether<br />

talking about the egg specialities,<br />

omelettes, skillets,<br />

waffles, crepes or any<br />

of the lunch offerings, the<br />

owner said everything is<br />

prepped for that day, that<br />

they use fresh produce and<br />

that items are mostly all<br />

organic, including all salads.<br />

By May 1, the business<br />

is to unveil its summer<br />

salads. And, before long,<br />

the outdoor patio, a wellliked<br />

spot for customers,<br />

will reopen for the warmer<br />

months.<br />

“We just try to stay<br />

ahead of the times, look at<br />

what’s popular, and keep<br />

with the generation of people<br />

coming up and eating,<br />

just because it’s changing<br />

so much,” Garofalo said.<br />

“We just have to change<br />

the menu and follow that,<br />

as far as I’m concerned.”<br />

The business also used<br />

to do dinner but stopped<br />

several years ago, returning<br />

its focus to its and Garofalo’s<br />

roots of breakfast<br />

and lunch. Despite the<br />

change, a meatloaf dinner<br />

Kup A Joe Cafe<br />

41 Old Frankfort Way<br />

in Frankfort<br />

Hours<br />

7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily<br />

For more information<br />

Web: www.<br />

kupajoecafe.com<br />

Phone: (815) 464-<br />

0909<br />

($10.99), which comes<br />

with sliced meatloaf with<br />

mashed potatoes and<br />

grilled vegetables, can still<br />

be had for lunchtime.<br />

Other signs of updates<br />

can be seen through Kup A<br />

Joe’s fare being available<br />

for purchase on DoorDash<br />

and Grubhub, as well as<br />

a special on Wednesdays<br />

with which anyone who<br />

comes in and spends $15<br />

or more on their bill can<br />

take home a box of powdered<br />

sugar or glazed cinnamon<br />

sugar doughnut<br />

holes.<br />

While Kup A Joe is<br />

a dining spot first, both<br />

mimosas and Bloody<br />

Mary’s (each $6) are also<br />

big sellers, especially on<br />

the weekends. Given its<br />

namesake, coffee also is a<br />

beverage staple there, with<br />

Garofalo working with a<br />

company called Royal Cup<br />

Coffee to use one of their<br />

high-end blends, he said.<br />

“It’s good some good<br />

body to it; it’s not just watery,”<br />

he said of the java he<br />

sells. “Everyone compliments<br />

me on the coffee,<br />

so I guess it’s the right<br />

blend.”<br />

Though still some time<br />

away yet for 2019, a big<br />

event at Kup A Joe is the<br />

annual free turkey dinner<br />

held the week before<br />

Thanksgiving. Three onehour<br />

time slots are created<br />

The pearl sugar raspberry mini waffles ($10.99) at Kup A Joe Cafe in Frankfort are<br />

pearl sugar-infused waffles drizzled with sweet cream cheese, topped with fresh<br />

raspberries. Photos by Megan Schuller/22nd Century Media<br />

The chicken pot pie ($10.99) is full of chunks of chicken, in addition to peas, carrots<br />

and celery.<br />

for it, and reservations<br />

are taken. Diners eat for<br />

no charge and are simply<br />

asked to bring a donation<br />

for the local Frankfort<br />

Township Food Pantry.<br />

“[Guests] fill up the [donation]<br />

truck, come in eat<br />

for free and everybody is<br />

happy,” the owner said.<br />

Garofalo plans to continue<br />

to engage the community<br />

and stick with<br />

certain traditions while adjusting<br />

the regular and specials<br />

menus along the way.<br />

“I’ll be changing the<br />

menu as time goes on, using<br />

some different items,<br />

coming up with different<br />

ideas,” he said.


28 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger puzzles<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

crosstown CROSSWORD & Sudoku The crosstowns: Frankfort, Homer Glen, Lockport, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Tinley Park<br />

Crossword by Myles Mellor and Cindy LaFleur<br />

Across<br />

1. P, to the Greeks<br />

4. ‘’Batman Forever’’<br />

actor Kilmer<br />

7. Tinley Park’s<br />

Irish sister city<br />

13. Dueler with<br />

Hamilton<br />

15. U.N. arm<br />

16. Guarantee<br />

17. Prefix with logical<br />

18. “My ___” by<br />

Usher<br />

19. Hollow<br />

20. Beat to the tape<br />

22. Discounter’s<br />

word<br />

23. Inedible mushroom<br />

26. Most wise<br />

29. Rococo<br />

32. Blood-typing<br />

system<br />

33. Renege<br />

36. Milit. rank<br />

38. Where Seoul is<br />

40. Energy measurement<br />

41. Spanish “Sir”<br />

42. Token<br />

43. It makes good<br />

scents<br />

45. Rumpus<br />

46. Lease granter<br />

48. Stirred up<br />

50. Tinley Park<br />

Amphitheatre, goes<br />

with 57 across<br />

53. Amateur<br />

55. “Hollywood<br />

songbook” writer,<br />

Hanns<br />

57. See 50 across<br />

59. “Love Story”,<br />

first name: ___ Mcgraw<br />

60. Police dept. alerts<br />

63. Penitent one<br />

64. Minister, abbr.<br />

65. EPA concern<br />

66. Manufacturers<br />

67. Compass point<br />

68. Minded the baby<br />

Down<br />

1. Baseball score<br />

2. Govt. housing org.<br />

3. “Creme Sandwich”<br />

cookie<br />

4. Pulsating effect, in<br />

music<br />

5. Orally<br />

6. Some diving birds<br />

7. Apple offering<br />

8. Toyota model<br />

9. English Poet, Richard<br />

___<br />

10. San ___ Obispo,<br />

Calif.<br />

11. Fall times: Abbr.<br />

12. Questioning word<br />

14. Itinerary<br />

21. 1900 Puccini<br />

premiere<br />

24. Strong<br />

25. Table scrap<br />

26. Big Apple retailer<br />

27. Intensely excited<br />

28. Valley<br />

30. Of musical sound<br />

31. Wear away<br />

34. Joplin’s nickname<br />

35. Monster in<br />

Tolkein stories<br />

37. Motivate<br />

39. Contain a sacred<br />

thing<br />

41. Pigeon preceder<br />

43. Costa del ___<br />

44. Like waves on a<br />

shoreline<br />

47. Oklahoma athlete<br />

49. Many thoughts<br />

51. The wonder ___<br />

88’ TV series<br />

52. Cunning ways<br />

53. “Toodle-oo”<br />

54. Avoided serious<br />

injury<br />

56. Tach readings<br />

57. Video maker, for<br />

short<br />

58. Hosp. areas<br />

61. Snake pet<br />

62. Military rank,<br />

abbr.<br />

MOKENA<br />

The Alley Grill and Tap<br />

House<br />

(18700 S. Old LaGrange<br />

Road, Mokena; (708)<br />

478-3610)<br />

■9 ■ p.m. Tuesdays:<br />

Karaoke<br />

Fox’s Restaurant and Pub<br />

(11247 W. 187th St.,<br />

Mokena; (708) 478-<br />

8888)<br />

■6 ■ p.m. Thursdays,<br />

Fridays and Saturdays:<br />

Performance by Jerry<br />

Eadie<br />

NEW LENOX<br />

Little Joe’s Restaurant<br />

(1300 N. Cedar Road,<br />

New Lenox; (815) 463-<br />

1099)<br />

■5-8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays:<br />

Piano Styles by Joe<br />

HOMER GLEN<br />

Front Row<br />

(14903 S. Bell Road,<br />

Homer Glen; (708) 645-<br />

7000)<br />

■7 ■ p.m. Wednesdays:<br />

Trivia<br />

FRANKFORT<br />

Pete Mitchell’s Bar & Grill<br />

(21000 Frankfort<br />

Square Road, Frankfort;<br />

(815) 464-8100)<br />

■6-8 ■ p.m. Wednesdays:<br />

Free N’ Fun Bar Game.<br />

Free to play.<br />

LOCKPORT<br />

Port Noir<br />

(900 S. State St., Lockport;<br />

(815) 834-9463)<br />

■4-7 ■ p.m. Monday-<br />

Friday: Happy Hour<br />

Strike N Spare II<br />

(811 Northern Drive,<br />

Lockport; (708) 301-<br />

1477)<br />

■9:30 ■ p.m.-12:30 a.m.<br />

Mondays: Quartermania<br />

ORLAND PARK<br />

Traverso’s Restaurant<br />

(15601 S. Harlem Ave.,<br />

Orland Park; (708) 532-<br />

2220)<br />

■8 ■ p.m. Wednesdays<br />

and Saturdays: Karaoke<br />

To place an event in The<br />

Scene, email a.ivanisevic@<br />

22ndcenturymedia.com.<br />

answers<br />

How to play Sudoku<br />

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that<br />

has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of<br />

3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column<br />

and box must contain each of the numbers<br />

1 to 9.<br />

LEVEL: Medium<br />

Crossword by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan


mokenamessenger.com Mokena<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 29<br />

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30 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger local living<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Outstanding new home values in Peotone can be yours At Westgate Manor<br />

Distinctive Home Builders is building new homes from the low $200s<br />

When it comes to a preferred location,<br />

Peotone is a steadily growing<br />

suburb with a strong infrastructure<br />

and an irresistible small-town charm<br />

with a bright future—which is why Distinctive<br />

Home Builders chose the Will<br />

County village for its newest community<br />

of 38 single-family homes: Westgate<br />

Manor.<br />

“Peotone is a family-friendly village<br />

just south of Chicago and is one<br />

of the best kept secrets among new<br />

home seekers,” said Bryan Nooner,<br />

President of Distinctive Home Builders.<br />

“We expect to attract home shoppers<br />

from northwest Indiana and the<br />

south suburban Chicago marketplace.<br />

We will likely also see buyers from the<br />

Kankakee area because the Peotone<br />

school district is so desirable.”<br />

Several factors attracted Distinctive<br />

Home Builders to this hometown atmosphere<br />

community, not the least of<br />

which was its convenient location between<br />

Interstate 57 and Illinois Route<br />

50 and easy access to I-80. Commuters<br />

will enjoy several nearby train stations<br />

and a mere 35-minute drive to<br />

Chicago.<br />

“It’s a vibrant, growing community<br />

<br />

centers in the west and southwest suburbs<br />

with impressive commercial and<br />

industrial growth that has followed the<br />

residential boom here,” said Nooner.<br />

<br />

combined with lower construction<br />

costs add up to savings when compared<br />

to a similarly-equipped home in<br />

the area,” added Nooner.<br />

Westgate Manor brick and frame<br />

<br />

The Fahan II, a split level 3-4BR luxury townhome at Brookside Meadows.<br />

2-Story Great Room Prairie Model<br />

three to four bedrooms, two to threeand-<br />

a-half baths, full basement,<br />

formal dining room, vaulted, tray or<br />

<br />

kitchen with custom maple cabinets,<br />

family room or great room, and concrete<br />

driveways. Depending on the<br />

home selected, other standard amenities<br />

can include a living room, den,<br />

dinette, a tray or vaulted ceiling in<br />

the master bedroom, and dual-zoned<br />

heating and air conditioning.<br />

<br />

wide variety of styles and selections—<br />

<br />

designs—each available in three to<br />

<br />

Manor, including two-story and ranch<br />

homes. Square footages span 1,600 to<br />

2,500 for ranches and 1,800 to 3,000<br />

for two-story homes.<br />

“Most home shoppers feel there<br />

<br />

you need and what you want in a new<br />

home. With our new premium inclu-<br />

cantly<br />

by including additional features<br />

that our buyers told us were most important<br />

to them,” said Nooner, who<br />

added that “now is the best time to buy,<br />

because you can still take advantage of<br />

preconstruction prices that range from<br />

the low $200s which makes this a ter-<br />

<br />

Other premium standard features<br />

included at Westgate Manor are brick<br />

<br />

basements in most models, ceramic<br />

<br />

baths and foyer; and custom maple<br />

cabinets. Distinctive kitchen cabinets<br />

<br />

ers<br />

with dove tail joints, which is very<br />

rare in the marketplace.<br />

“When you build a new home with<br />

Distinctive, you truly are receiving a<br />

hand crafted home with custom made<br />

cabinets no matter what the price<br />

range,” noted Nooner. This year, Distinctive<br />

Home Builders is celebrating<br />

30 years building thousands of homes<br />

throughout the Will and south Cook<br />

county areas.<br />

Distinctive Home Builders, an in-<br />

<br />

<br />

with a “Zero Punch list” closing policy.<br />

Prior to closing, each home undergoes<br />

an industry leading 100-point checklist<br />

to insure the home measures up to<br />

our high quality standards.<br />

Aspen III Exterior<br />

Customers stay connected to the<br />

progress of their home from start to<br />

struction<br />

portal. “Our customers simply<br />

download our Distinctive HomeBuilders<br />

app and they are in touch with their<br />

new home 24/7 from anywhere in the<br />

world. The app allows our customers<br />

to see the progress of their home and<br />

access their documents at any time,”<br />

Nooner explained. “Our customers really<br />

appreciate the integration of social<br />

media sites directly in our app allowing<br />

them to easily share photos and updates<br />

of their new home with family and<br />

friends,” he concluded.<br />

As a semi-custom builder, Distinctive<br />

Home Builders can modify any of<br />

its standard designs to cater to a customer’s<br />

tastes, which means that moving<br />

walls, adding extra windows or even<br />

extending the garage are all possible.<br />

Nooner added that “All our homes<br />

<br />

built to the new National Energy Code<br />

guidelines. Every home we build has<br />

upgraded wall and ceiling insulation<br />

<br />

<br />

customers take possession of their new<br />

home, we perform a blower door test to<br />

insure that each home passes a set of<br />

very stringent guidelines which insures<br />

that our homes are tight and energy ef-<br />

<br />

means lower gas and electric bills for our<br />

customers each month.”<br />

Peotone was established in 1856 and<br />

<br />

downtown area complete with diners,<br />

pizza parlors, cafes and pubs. In season<br />

there is a Farmer’s Market in front<br />

of the American Legion. Also the community<br />

has a popular Fall Fest in front<br />

of the famous Peotone Windmill; once<br />

<br />

the map in the late 1800s. A Christmas<br />

in the Village Festival is another annual<br />

community event that concludes with a<br />

Lighted Parade at night. Peotone now<br />

has an estimated population of just over<br />

4,000. Metra rail service is nearby providing<br />

commuters easy access to downtown<br />

Chicago.<br />

Westgate Manor is conveniently located<br />

within walking distance of the<br />

esteemed Peotone High School. The<br />

<br />

and Information Center is located in<br />

Manhattan three miles south of Laraway<br />

Rd. on Rt. 52. at 16233 Pinto Lane,<br />

Manhattan, IL, 60422. Hours are daily<br />

from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed<br />

Wednesday and Thursday and they are<br />

always available by appointment.<br />

-<br />

<br />

times and lot availability are subject to<br />

change without notice. Please contact<br />

a Distinctive representative for current<br />

pricing and complete details. For more<br />

<br />

homebuilders.com.


mokenamessenger.com real estate<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 31<br />

The Mokena Messenger’s<br />

Sponsored content<br />

of the<br />

WEEK<br />

Be Prepared to fall in love with this fantastic home located in the quiet suburb of<br />

Mokena that’s located just 35 miles from Chicago. Tucked nicely into a wonderful<br />

neighborhood but close to everything and just minutes from interstate access and<br />

tons of shopping and restaurants. So much has been done that makes this home<br />

move-in ready and value driven for anyone on a budget.<br />

Traditional, tri-level located in the heart of Mokena in Tomahawk Trails.<br />

Address: 11052 Kimberly Trail, Mokena, IL 60448<br />

Feb. 25<br />

• 2100 Tall Grass<br />

Drive, Mokena, 60448<br />

- Larita Luckey Trustee<br />

to Timothy W. Damrow,<br />

Michelle K. Panek,<br />

$480,000<br />

Feb. 26<br />

• 19539 116th Ave.<br />

D, Mokena, 60448-<br />

1850 - Elaine M. Elliott<br />

to Jonathan B. Valente,<br />

$120,000<br />

• 19626 Beechnut<br />

Drive, Mokena, 60448-<br />

9333 - Patricia L.<br />

Roderick to Donna<br />

Schauer, $149,000<br />

• 9743 Cambridge<br />

Circle, Mokena, 60448-<br />

7724 - Chicago Title<br />

Land Trust Co Tr to Eyad<br />

I. Al Hjouj, Zeena S.<br />

Hasan, $195,000<br />

Feb. 27<br />

• 18898 S. Vanderbilt<br />

Drive, Mokena, 60448-<br />

8882 - Michael A.<br />

Gregory to Aiste<br />

Rakstyte, $192,000<br />

• 19913 Amberly Court,<br />

Mokena, 60448-1675<br />

- Lynette M. Delatte to<br />

Tu Cam Thi Dzu Castillo,<br />

David Castillo Jr.,<br />

$535,000<br />

The Going Rate is provided<br />

by Record Information<br />

Services, Inc. For more<br />

information, visit www.<br />

public-record.com or call<br />

(630) 557-1000<br />

Amenities: Outside you’ll pull up and see the neat as a pin home where no<br />

expense was spared. More than 1,200-square-feet of new concrete was poured<br />

for the driveway, front walk and back patio in 2015. A new architectural roof was<br />

put on after a full tear off of previous one in 2016. Windows are newer and in<br />

great shape, as well. Inside, this threebedroom,<br />

two-bath tri-level is host to an<br />

updated kitchen with quartz counters in<br />

2018, as well as new carpet, updated<br />

baths and ceiling fans in the last few<br />

years. Out back is a large concrete<br />

patio perfect for cookouts. No backyard<br />

neighbors.<br />

Asking Price: $260,000<br />

Listing Agent: Colleen<br />

and Michael McLaughlin,<br />

The McLaughlin Team,<br />

(708) 606-2881,<br />

realtorcolleen4u@<br />

yahoo.com, www.<br />

chicagolandhomes4u.com<br />

Listing Brokerage:<br />

Coldwell Banker<br />

Residential Brokerage<br />

To list a home as Home of the Week, contact t.weber@22ndcenturymedia.com.


32 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger classifieds<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

1003 Help Wanted<br />

MARKETING ASSOCIATE<br />

Aero Rubber Company, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of<br />

industrial rubber products including industrial rubber bands<br />

and custom rubber parts and we’re looking to enhance<br />

our marketing department. We’re searching for a creative,<br />

deadline-oriented marketing associate.<br />

You must be a self-starter who is ready for a challenge. You will<br />

apply your passion for marketing to assist with content<br />

development, target marketing, email automation,<br />

new business development, and customer loyalty programs.<br />

You will have the opportunity to:<br />

- Develop and curate content for blogs, social media,<br />

and publications<br />

- Create emails to support marketing automation<br />

- Maintain, monitor, and improve lead scoring<br />

- Conduct market research and develop action plans<br />

- Be a driving force behind new coporate partnerships through<br />

outbound calling, lead nurturing, and collaborating with<br />

our sales force<br />

- Plan and support tradeshows<br />

Qualifications<br />

Degree in marketing or a related field<br />

Proficient in Microsoft Office and Adobe Suite<br />

Familiarity with marketing automation<br />

Ability to meet deadlines<br />

Results orientated<br />

(An Added Plus):<br />

Graphic design prowess<br />

Previous writing experience<br />

Knowledge of SEO best practices & WordPress<br />

An understanding of Google Ads & Analytics<br />

Benefits<br />

Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K<br />

To Apply: Send cover letter and resume to:<br />

kmoore@aerorubber.com<br />

Warehouse Help Wanted<br />

Looking for full-time Warehouse Help.<br />

Must be 21 years old and have a valid Drivers License with a<br />

good driving record. Forklift experience a plus.<br />

Warehouse duties will include; Lifting, Measuring & Cutting of:<br />

Carpet, Padding, Sheet Vinyl & Cartons of product.<br />

Loading & unloading of delivery trucks & Installer Vans.<br />

Scheduling daily installations via computer.<br />

Making deliveries to Binder and Customer’s Homes.<br />

Taking Inventory. Other duries involve maintenance around the<br />

Building, inside and outside.<br />

Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mon. thru Fri.,<br />

Sat. 7:30 to Noon every other week.<br />

Call (708) 364-6100 for appointment,<br />

ask for Mike Potempa or Paul Wisnoski<br />

1003 Help Wanted<br />

1009 Financial<br />

Carpet Interiors Carpet One<br />

50 Orland Square Drive Orland Park, IL 60462<br />

(708) 364-6100 1061 Autos Wanted<br />

Part-time Telephone Work<br />

calling from home for<br />

AMVETS. Ideal for<br />

homemakers and retirees.<br />

Must be reliable and have<br />

morning &evening hours<br />

available for calling.<br />

If interested,<br />

Call 708 429 6477<br />

M-F, 10am - 1pm Only!<br />

Help<br />

Wanted<br />

Custodians<br />

Full-Time & Substitute<br />

Positions Available<br />

Kirby School District 140 -<br />

Tinley Park, IL<br />

Shift: 3:00pm-11:30pm<br />

$10.60/hour<br />

Apply online:<br />

ksd140.org/employment<br />

SALES ASSISTANT<br />

NEEDED<br />

Due to our rapid growth and<br />

expansion, Tinley Park<br />

Industrial Manufacturing Sales<br />

office seeks detail-oriented<br />

Sales Assistant for full-time<br />

position. A Sales Assistant at<br />

ARC does both sale’s<br />

administrative and customer<br />

service functions. This is a<br />

very diversified position in our<br />

FAST-PACED office. The<br />

ideal candidate must be<br />

HIGHLY MOTIVATED and<br />

needs to possess strong<br />

organizational &<br />

communication skills.<br />

Excellent computer literacy<br />

needed, including MS Word &<br />

Excel. Industrial customer<br />

service experience a plus.<br />

Repeat customer & supplier<br />

contact. No telemarketing or<br />

cold calling required.<br />

Competitive salary & benefit<br />

pkg incl. 401K.<br />

Send letter & resume to:<br />

cstratton@aerorubber.com<br />

P/T Associate for Travel<br />

Agency in Orland Park.<br />

Exp. and open<br />

availability required.<br />

Approx. 16-24 hrs/weekly.<br />

Send resume to:<br />

travel@goodbuytravel.com<br />

Lawn Care Service<br />

Looking for responsible,<br />

motivated with driver’s<br />

license. Pay based on exp.<br />

708.226.9322<br />

The Lucky HotDog<br />

Now Hiring Cooks<br />

Call 708-263-0130<br />

Apply Now!<br />

Landscaping & Lawn<br />

Maintenance Personnel<br />

Experience needed<br />

(708) 687-8091<br />

Outside Work:<br />

Lawn Fertilizing & Core<br />

Aeration: Year-round &<br />

Seasonal Employment<br />

Potential for paid winters off.<br />

Benefits incl. health, dental,<br />

IRA. Good driving rec a must.<br />

Time and a half over 40 hrs.<br />

$15/hr starting pay.<br />

Apply in-person 7am - 5pm<br />

Lawn-Tech, Ltd.<br />

7320 Duvan Dr<br />

Tinley Park, IL<br />

708-532-7411<br />

Hiring Desk Clerk<br />

(must be flexible w/ shifts)<br />

& Housekeeping<br />

(Morning) Needed at<br />

Super 8 Motel<br />

Apply within:<br />

9485 W. 191st St, Mokena<br />

No Phone Calls<br />

Hiring Part-Time CDL<br />

Delivery Driver,<br />

Greenhouse Assistant and<br />

Seasonal Laborers.<br />

Send resume to:<br />

gardencenter@jimmelka.com<br />

Melka Landscaping in<br />

Mokena, IL<br />

F/T Experienced Glazier<br />

Non-Union Shop<br />

Apply Within<br />

9324 Golfstream Road 1W<br />

Frankfort, IL<br />

(815) 469-7485<br />

Need Laundry Attendant<br />

Do laundry, cleaning,<br />

& help customers<br />

Call Ray at 708.203.3734<br />

Experienced Painter needed<br />

Please call Don at<br />

Don’s Restoration Painting<br />

708-220-1022<br />

DRIVE CAR BUYERS<br />

TO YOUR DOOR WITH<br />

A CLASSIFIED AUTO AD<br />

CALL US TODAY at 708.326.9170<br />

CLASSIFIEDS<br />

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive<br />

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise<br />

Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179<br />

Charge It | DEADLINE - Friday at 3pm<br />

1019 Business<br />

Opportunities<br />

20 Week Program to grow<br />

existing start up company in<br />

distribution industry. Person<br />

will be rquired to work and<br />

learn every aspect of the<br />

business. Must be self-motivated<br />

& able to lift 70 lbs,<br />

operate delivery truck & be<br />

willing to sell. After<br />

completion of program, there<br />

will be evaluation for<br />

advancement and sone form of<br />

ownership. Serious inquiries<br />

only. 708-945-9150<br />

LOCKPORT<br />

HUGE ESTATE SALE<br />

Estate up for sale from<br />

1957 to present.<br />

Many collections such as Crystal,<br />

Books, Disney, Milk Glass,<br />

Figurines, Dolls, 45s and 78s.<br />

Vintage toys, furniture,<br />

appliances, tools.<br />

Holiday Decor for every season!!<br />

Hosted at St John’s Church Hall<br />

312 E. 11th Street, Lockport<br />

Friday, March 22 8 - 4pm<br />

Saturday, March 23 9 - 3pm<br />

1057 Estate Sale<br />

Automotive<br />

$52 4 lines/<br />

7 papers<br />

Real Estate<br />

$50 7 7 papers<br />

lines/<br />

Help Wanted<br />

$13 4 lines/<br />

per line 7 papers<br />

Merchandise<br />

$30 7 4 papers<br />

lines/<br />

1023 Caregiver<br />

Caregiver Services<br />

Provided by<br />

Margaret’s Agency Inc.<br />

State Licensed & Bonded<br />

since 1998. Providing quality<br />

care for elderly.<br />

Live-in/ Come & go.<br />

708.403.8707<br />

Heaven Sent Caregivers<br />

Professional caregiving<br />

service. 24 hr or hourly<br />

services; shower or bath<br />

visits. Licensed & bonded.<br />

Try the best! 708.638.0641<br />

Garage<br />

Sale<br />

Advertise your<br />

RENTAL<br />

PROPERTY<br />

in the newspaper<br />

people turn to first<br />

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170<br />

www.22ndcenturymedia.com<br />

Automotive<br />

WANTED!<br />

WE NEED CARS, TRUCKS & VANS<br />

Running Or Not from Old to New!<br />

Top Dollar Paid - Free Pick-Up<br />

Locally Located<br />

(708)205-8241


mokenamessenger.com classifieds<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 33<br />

CLASSIFIEDS<br />

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive<br />

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise<br />

Sell It 708.326.9170<br />

Fax It 708.326.9179<br />

Charge It<br />

DEADLINE -<br />

Friday at 3pm<br />

Automotive<br />

$52<br />

4 lines/<br />

7 papers<br />

Help Wanted<br />

per line $13<br />

4 lines/<br />

7 papers<br />

Real Estate<br />

$50<br />

7 lines/<br />

7 papers<br />

Merchandise<br />

$30<br />

4 lines/<br />

7 papers<br />

LOCAL<br />

REALTOR<br />

DIRECTORY<br />

READYTO SELL YOUR<br />

REAL ESTATE?<br />

CALL<br />

Mike McCatty<br />

& ASSOCIATES<br />

mccattyrealestate.com<br />

708-945-2121<br />

Illinois Indiana Florida<br />

ONE BILLION IN LOCALLY<br />

CLOSED SALES SINCE 1999<br />

CENTURY 21 AFFILIATED<br />

Kim Wirtz<br />

realtor <br />

kim@kimwirtz.com<br />

kimwirtz.com<br />

708.516.3050<br />

Rates As<br />

Low As3 %<br />

Advertise<br />

your<br />

RENTAL<br />

PROPERTY<br />

in the<br />

newspaper<br />

people turn<br />

to first<br />

Contact Classified Department<br />

to Advertise in this Directory<br />

Chicagoland’s #1 Century 21 Agent<br />

(708)<br />

326.9170<br />

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170<br />

www.22ndcenturymedia.com


34 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger classifieds<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

1074 Auto for Sale<br />

2004 Asphalt Paving/Seal Coating<br />

2025 Concrete Work<br />

1998 Chevy Silverado<br />

White, clean interior, needs<br />

an engine. $1000 OBO<br />

312.656.3724<br />

Rental<br />

DRIVE CAR BUYERS<br />

TO YOUR DOOR WITH<br />

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CALL US TODAY at 708.326.9170<br />

1225 Apartments for Rent<br />

Oak Forest Terrace<br />

15815 Terrace, Oak Forest<br />

2006 Basement Waterproofing<br />

Spacious 1 & 2 Bdrms.<br />

Serene setting & Beautiful<br />

Grounds. Tennis, Pool,<br />

Walking Trails. Near metra.<br />

708-687-1818<br />

oakterrapts@att.net<br />

For Rent<br />

1BR home in New Lenox.<br />

Very nice for asingle/quiet<br />

person, all utilities included;<br />

gas, electric, cable & internet.<br />

No Pets, credit check required.<br />

$1,250/month.<br />

708-205-6918<br />

2011 Brick/Chimney Experts<br />

1327 Warehouse Property for Rent<br />

Frankfort<br />

Warehouse/office space.<br />

Could be used for toy storage,<br />

shared unit. Call for<br />

apt. 219-613-1800<br />

DRIVE CAR BUYERS<br />

TO YOUR DOOR WITH<br />

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Business Directory<br />

2017 Cleaning Services<br />

2003 Appliance Repair<br />

QUALITY<br />

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REPAIR, Inc.<br />

• Air Conditioning • Furnaces<br />

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Garbage Disposals<br />

Washers&Dryers<br />

Family Owned &Operatedsince 1986<br />

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All work GUARANTEED<br />

BEST price in town!<br />

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Place a garage sale ad & reach<br />

over 96,000 homes across<br />

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FOR $42 YOU’LL GET<br />

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Buy<br />

It!<br />

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It!<br />

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in the<br />

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<br />

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2032 Decking<br />

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708 479 9035


mokenamessenger.com classifieds<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 35<br />

2060 Drywall<br />

2070 Electrical<br />

2120 Handyman<br />

2132 Home Improvement<br />

Drywall<br />

*Hanging *Taping<br />

*New Homes<br />

*Additions<br />

*Remodeling<br />

Call Greg At:<br />

(815)485-3782<br />

Drywall Taping<br />

& Repair<br />

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Call Ed<br />

815-710-0350<br />

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Exterior Painting Wall Paper Removal Professional Work At Competitive Prices<br />

CALL MIKE AT 708-790-3416<br />

Advertise your<br />

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in the<br />

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708.326.9170


36 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger classifieds<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

2132 Home Improvement<br />

2140 Landscaping<br />

CLASSIFIEDS<br />

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive<br />

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise<br />

Automotive<br />

$52 4 lines/<br />

7 papers<br />

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$13 4 lines/<br />

per line 7 papers<br />

Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179<br />

Charge It | DEADLINE - Friday at 3pm<br />

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$50 7 7 papers<br />

lines/<br />

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$30 7 4 papers<br />

lines/<br />

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Place a garage sale ad & reach<br />

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people turn to first<br />

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www.22ndcenturymedia.com


mokenamessenger.com classifieds<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 37<br />

2150 Paint & Decorating<br />

2170 Plumbing 2200 Roofing<br />

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in the<br />

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Want to<br />

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in the<br />

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for a FREE<br />

Sample Ad<br />

and Quote!


38 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger classifieds<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

2200 Roofing 2200 Roofing<br />

CLASSIFIEDS<br />

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive<br />

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise<br />

Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179<br />

Charge It | DEADLINE - Friday at 3pm<br />

Automotive<br />

$52 4 lines/<br />

7 papers<br />

Real Estate<br />

$50 7 7 papers<br />

lines/<br />

Help Wanted<br />

$13 4 lines/<br />

per line 7 papers<br />

Merchandise<br />

$30 7 4 papers<br />

lines/<br />

2220 Siding<br />

2255 Tree Service<br />

2294 Window<br />

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call and get $40.00 off<br />

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2489 Merchandise<br />

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mokenamessenger.com classifieds<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 39<br />

2702 Public<br />

Notices<br />

2900 Merchandise<br />

Under $100<br />

2900 Merchandise<br />

Under $100<br />

FREE FREE FREE<br />

Certificate No. 32726 was filed in<br />

the office of the County Clerk of<br />

Will County on February 28, 2019<br />

wherein the business firm of Precision<br />

Home Improvements located<br />

at 10505 English Bay, Mokena, IL<br />

60448 was registered; that the true<br />

or real name of the person owning<br />

the business, with their respective<br />

post office address is as follows:<br />

Jake Peters<br />

10505 English Bay<br />

Mokena, IL 60448<br />

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have<br />

hereunto set my hand and Official<br />

Seal at my office in Joliet; Illinois,<br />

this 28th day of February, 2019<br />

Lauren Staley Ferry<br />

Will County Clerk<br />

2900 Merchandise<br />

Under $100<br />

(2) Chrome swivel bartsools,<br />

black vinyl seat and backrest<br />

$40/pair. Heavy-duty metal<br />

worktable w/ belly drawer,<br />

wood laminate top measures,<br />

36” by 62” FREE.<br />

708.301.0249<br />

1pink 20” Schwinn girls Stardust<br />

bike $20 or best offer.<br />

1 green 20” Upland girls Dragonfly<br />

bike $20 or best offer.<br />

708.301.1213<br />

2 wing chairs, rose colored<br />

$100 OBO. 708.785.0987<br />

4antique dining room chairs<br />

$100. 815.485.6008<br />

4kitchen island stools, excellent<br />

condition. Will send pics<br />

$75. 708.715.0887<br />

5 pc. entertainment center,<br />

solid oak, smoked glass doors,<br />

fully lighted, lots ofstorage for<br />

CDs and tapes, etc. Excellent<br />

condition $90.<br />

70 packages of tiny beads for<br />

jewelery crafting $20. Vintage<br />

16 pc. set Golden Shell luncheon<br />

dishes Anchor Hocking,<br />

new in box $20. 708.301.0519<br />

Aprilaire Space-Gard air purifier<br />

plus new 4” air filter $75.<br />

815.469.6554<br />

Car care kit $15. Auto solar<br />

pan $12. RC Airplane set<br />

fighter kit $30. Metal folding<br />

chairs $6. Oscilloscope $37.<br />

708.737.9739<br />

Car roof bag, 15cu. ft., water<br />

proof, complete kit. US made.<br />

Storage bag for it $90 OBO.<br />

708.301.0729<br />

Crystal punch bowl set $20.<br />

Spider-Man poster on vinyl<br />

50” x 96” $20. New brass<br />

Schlage door and deadbolt $30.<br />

708.341.2904<br />

For Sale: Men’s Foot Joy golf<br />

shoes, size 13, still in box $25.<br />

Women’s Top Flight golf<br />

shoes, size 10, still in box $25.<br />

815.806.9094<br />

For Sale: Spring-Easter ceramic<br />

village includes 17<br />

houses plus 30 figures and accessories.<br />

Like new $100 for<br />

set. 815.806.9094<br />

Girls 21” Schwinn bike w/<br />

hand brakes, like brand new<br />

$30. Barbie dolls in box<br />

$10-$15. Disney radio/alarm<br />

clock $10. 630.390.9071<br />

Golf balls (pre-driven): Bag of<br />

100 Callaways $25. Bag of 100<br />

Titleists $25. Bag of 100 Nikes<br />

$25. Bag of 100 Topflites $20.<br />

Call Tom 708.597.2972<br />

Graco crib/Toddler bed. Dark<br />

brown, used once $75. Sealy<br />

crib mattress $35. Will separate<br />

if needed. Washer, good<br />

condition $50 OBO.<br />

708.262.7002 or 779.279.2260<br />

Kermit the Frog 1983<br />

push-button phone. Good condition<br />

$40. Plastic car ramps,<br />

used once $30. 815.201.1540<br />

New deluxe 5 pc. barbecue tool<br />

set, stainless steel w/ solid oak<br />

wood handles $45. Antique<br />

vintage GENEVA ILL #8<br />

black flat cast iron, nice condition<br />

$20. 708.466.9907<br />

New dog trolley 50’ pulley and<br />

cable $25. New ceiling fan<br />

$65. Metal frame basket planters<br />

$10. 708.224.8003<br />

New KingCraft 1/2” 24 volt<br />

hammer drill charger,<br />

2batteries $60. Push back recliner<br />

$40. 708.448.9597 -<br />

Ask for Lou<br />

New white 5 foot solid surface<br />

vanity top w/4inch on center<br />

sink that can be trimmed tofit<br />

smaller vanity $65.<br />

815.592.9474<br />

Oakley sunglasses for young<br />

me. Flack style, white frame<br />

w/ grey lenses $100.<br />

708.606.6398<br />

Pro-Form 485E eliptical exercise<br />

machine. Good condition<br />

$40. 708.995.7223<br />

Rocking chair $55. Hand knitted<br />

sweaters, size M/L, warm!<br />

$30. Mechanics uniforms, size<br />

M/L $15. 708.224.8003<br />

Rolling sewing machine tote.<br />

Everything Mary brand, cheetah<br />

print. New $35.<br />

815.838.9432<br />

T.V. 22” LG brand $39.<br />

815.922.3690<br />

Vintage APMuffler Minutemen<br />

Clock Sign 30 Minute<br />

Install by Burnwood Products<br />

$75. 5Hess, 2ERTL trucks<br />

$25. 815.838.7898<br />

Young adult fancy tail guppies<br />

$1 each. Live stem plans $1<br />

per stem, $2per bunch. From<br />

clean show tank. Call<br />

708.738.5038<br />

New white 5 foot solid surface<br />

vanity top w/4inch on center<br />

sink that can be trimmed to fit<br />

smaller vanity $65.<br />

815.592.9474<br />

Oak bi-fold doors, great condition.<br />

Hardware and tracks included,<br />

various sizes $50 per<br />

set. Steve 815.735.5063<br />

Pickup truck cap for 8 foot<br />

bed, brown fiberglass, slider<br />

cab window, garage kept $75.<br />

708.267.4611<br />

Pillsbury Doughboy porcelain<br />

collection from Danbury mint -<br />

Baked to Perfection, clock, and<br />

Recipe Time. All 3for $100.<br />

815.464.6176<br />

Quaker Oats ceramic cookie<br />

jar. Looks like regular round<br />

container, only bigger. 9.75”<br />

high, 5.5” diameter. Like new -<br />

only used asadecoration $25.<br />

815.462.4942<br />

Rocking chair $55. Hand knitted<br />

sweaters, size M/L, warm!<br />

$30. Mechanics uniforms, size<br />

M/L $15. 708.224.8003<br />

Rolling sewing machine tote.<br />

Everything Mary brand, cheetah<br />

print. New $35.<br />

815.838.9432<br />

Spiral book binding equipment:<br />

2 boxes plastic combs,<br />

comb spreading machine, falcom<br />

measuring device. All<br />

$75. Call Fran 708.614.8541<br />

Tiffany hanging lamp $50.<br />

708.479.4250<br />

Two beautiful swivel accent<br />

chairs, blush color. Excellent<br />

condition $95 for both.<br />

708.301.0249 - leave message<br />

Vintage Heileman’s special export<br />

beer tavern bar lighted<br />

sign w/ ship $50. Vintage Old<br />

Style lighted sign $40.<br />

708.873.1245<br />

Xmas tree 7’ pre-lit w/ three<br />

choices of lighting and storage<br />

bag w/ wheels, used twice $50.<br />

708.403.2473<br />

Calling all<br />

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CLASSIFIED MERCHANDISE ADS!!!<br />

In this tough economy, we'll give you a free<br />

merchandise ad totaling $100 or less.<br />

· Write your FREE ad in 30 words or less.<br />

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· Same ad may not be submitted more than 3 times.<br />

· The total selling price of your ad must not exceed $100.<br />

· Ads will be published on a space available basis.<br />

· Free Ads are Not Guaranteed to Run!<br />

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Orland Park, IL 60467<br />

FAX: 708.326.9179<br />

Circle One:


40 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger sports<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Athlete of the Week<br />

10 Questions<br />

with Maddie Clark<br />

Maddie Clark is a senior<br />

on the Lincoln-Way Central<br />

girls water polo team<br />

How’d you get started<br />

in water polo?<br />

I used to swim for the<br />

Gators [in seventh grade]<br />

at Lincoln-Way Central<br />

and I saw them putting up<br />

the display case for when<br />

Lincoln-Way Central went<br />

to state for the first time<br />

and placed second. And<br />

my grandma wanted me<br />

to play because she saw<br />

all the girls in the display<br />

case and thought that’d be<br />

a good way to start out.<br />

What’s your favorite<br />

memory of playing the<br />

sport?<br />

My sophomore year<br />

when both the Lincoln-<br />

Way East team and Lincoln-Way<br />

Central team<br />

merged because I got to<br />

meet so many new players<br />

and people. And, also that<br />

year, we got to go to state.<br />

If you could switch<br />

places with any living<br />

person, then who<br />

would it be and why?<br />

[Five-time Olympic<br />

gold medalist] Missy<br />

Franklin because I wish I<br />

was fast at swimming like<br />

her.<br />

What’s the hardest<br />

part about playing<br />

water polo?<br />

Commitment<br />

because<br />

you have to be willing to<br />

put in the effort in getting<br />

up in the morning to go to<br />

practice and also staying<br />

after school and going to<br />

all of the games.<br />

What are you<br />

currently binge<br />

watching?<br />

“Parks and Recreation”<br />

on Netflix. It’s good. It’s<br />

really good.<br />

Do you prefer to play<br />

offense or defense?<br />

I definitely like playing<br />

defense more. I consider<br />

myself a more defensive<br />

player than an offensive<br />

player, and I feel a lot<br />

more happy when I take<br />

the ball from someone else<br />

than when the ball is taken<br />

away from me.<br />

22nd century media file photo<br />

If you could have<br />

dinner with anyone<br />

living or dead, then<br />

who would it be and<br />

why?<br />

Freddie Mercury because<br />

I think he is a really<br />

cool singer, and I loved<br />

watching the new movie<br />

for Queen. I always listened<br />

to Queen growing<br />

up.<br />

What would be the<br />

first thing you’d buy if<br />

you won the lottery?<br />

A new car. A Ford Explorer.<br />

White.<br />

Do you have any<br />

superstitions or rituals<br />

before a match?<br />

Not really, but we always<br />

do a team cheer before<br />

a game. We usually do<br />

the fight song and then we<br />

break out.<br />

What advice do you<br />

have for younger<br />

players?<br />

Take advantage of every<br />

opportunity you get<br />

because the only way you<br />

can get better is to push<br />

yourself.<br />

Interview conducted by T.J.<br />

Kremer III, Editor<br />

BUY IT!<br />

SELL IT!<br />

FIND IT!<br />

- IN THE -<br />

CLASSIFIEDS<br />

708.326.9170


mokenamessenger.com sports<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 41<br />

Hockey<br />

Celtics’ surge falls short against defending state champions<br />

Brittany Kapa<br />

Freelance Reporter<br />

It took just seven seconds<br />

for Providence<br />

Catholic High School to<br />

turn the momentum of<br />

the AHAI state semifinal<br />

game in its favor, but<br />

Loyola Academy Gold<br />

proved why they’re the defending<br />

state champions.<br />

The Ramblers and Celtics<br />

battled it out March 11,<br />

at the Edge Ice Arena in<br />

Bensenville, for a chance<br />

to play on the state stage<br />

at the United Center on<br />

March 22. Despite Providence<br />

evening the playing<br />

field early in the second<br />

period, it was Loyola<br />

who regained control and<br />

closed out the semifinal<br />

match 4-2, securing another<br />

trip to state.<br />

The win gives Loyola<br />

Gold a 10-day break before<br />

battling it out against<br />

rival New Trier Green for<br />

the state title.<br />

Celtics’ sophomore Joe<br />

McConnell, of Mokena,<br />

was disappointed with<br />

the outcome, but his confidence<br />

in his teammate<br />

never wavered during the<br />

game.<br />

“Throughout the whole<br />

game I thought we were<br />

going to win, even when<br />

we came out during that<br />

third period when we were<br />

down two goals,” he said.<br />

The sentiment was different<br />

for Loyola.<br />

“We told the guys before<br />

playoff time that it’s a process,”<br />

said Loyola Gold<br />

head coach Donald Lavarre.<br />

“Whether you continue<br />

to advance, you’re<br />

always in the moment.<br />

We will cherish the moment<br />

right now, together,<br />

and tomorrow’s a new day.<br />

We’re still alive. We get<br />

to enjoy going to practice,<br />

team stretches or whatever<br />

team functions we have.”<br />

The journey to defending<br />

their state title started<br />

with two quick goals in<br />

the first period to give the<br />

Ramblers a 2-0 advantage<br />

going into the second.<br />

Loyola forward Andrew<br />

Buck broke through first,<br />

with Cole Corrigan and<br />

Christian Dunne picking<br />

up the assists. Matthew<br />

Schauwecker, assisted by<br />

Jacob Gonzalez, made it<br />

2-0 roughly two minutes<br />

later, and Loyola Gold<br />

held that lead through the<br />

first.<br />

The Celtics came out<br />

with fire to start the second<br />

period, and after switching<br />

up their lines quickly<br />

evened the score.<br />

“With playing a more<br />

veteran team, with older<br />

kids, we knew we couldn’t<br />

afford to make any mistakes,”<br />

Providence coach<br />

Nick Iaciancio said. “We<br />

made a couple in the first<br />

period that led to those<br />

goals, but we came back<br />

from that, and I’m proud<br />

of that effort.”<br />

Colin Reis broke<br />

through first under two<br />

minutes into the second<br />

period.<br />

Just seven seconds later,<br />

Peyton Botich’s shot dribbled<br />

past Loyola’s goaltender<br />

Matthew Choate,<br />

and tied the game with 15<br />

minutes, 18 seconds left in<br />

the period.<br />

“We changed things up,<br />

we decided we were going<br />

to pressure them, so we<br />

got a couple of quick ones<br />

off of that,” Iaciancio said.<br />

“We got into some penalty<br />

trouble after that, and I<br />

think that took some of our<br />

momentum away.”<br />

It wasn’t Loyola’s best<br />

hockey in the first minute<br />

and a half of the second,<br />

Providence’s Marc Johnston (in green) gets aggressive behind the net against<br />

Loyola’s Hayden Beck March 11 during the AHAI state semifinal match between the<br />

two teams in Bensenville. Photos by Brittany Kapa/22nd Century Media<br />

Loyola’s Eamon O’Brien (left) and Providence’s Graham Garrett try to edge each<br />

other out for puck possession along the boards.<br />

and Lavarre knew that.<br />

“We fell asleep there for<br />

a minute and a half, it happens,”<br />

Lavarre said. “It’s<br />

unfortunate, but you didn’t<br />

really hear me say much.<br />

It’s about how you adapt<br />

to a little adversity, and<br />

our backs were against the<br />

wall there for a minute and<br />

a half, two minutes.”<br />

Loyola stayed calm<br />

under pressure, but the<br />

scored stayed even until<br />

the last two minutes of the<br />

period when Aidan Finegan’s<br />

rebound popped<br />

out in Cooper Prawdzik’s<br />

wheelhouse. Prawdzik<br />

took just a second to line<br />

up on a wide-open stickside<br />

net, and took the lead<br />

back for the Ramblers.<br />

Penalty trouble hurt a<br />

young Providence team at<br />

the start of the third, and<br />

a veteran Loyola squad<br />

didn’t waste time turning<br />

that into their advantage.<br />

Gonzalez, assisted by<br />

Finegan, scored the insurance<br />

goal early in the third<br />

period.<br />

“I think 20 seniors going<br />

into the third period<br />

knew that their season was<br />

on the line,” Lavarre said<br />

about his team’s aggressive<br />

third-period play.<br />

Providence, with 13<br />

rookies on the team this<br />

season, two freshmen<br />

among them, played their<br />

best hockey in the last two<br />

weeks of the season.<br />

“It was going to be a<br />

year where it took some<br />

time to mature. Luckily,<br />

we matured the last two<br />

weeks of the season,” Iaciancio<br />

said.<br />

While some sophomores<br />

might be intimidated going<br />

up against the defending<br />

state champions, McConnell<br />

knew his best course<br />

of action was to stay calm<br />

and play his game. He recorded<br />

nine blocked shots<br />

during the effort.<br />

“I played my game exactly<br />

how I played every<br />

other game,” he said. “I<br />

wasn’t scared. I just came<br />

out and played. I knew we<br />

could beat them. We just<br />

came up short.”<br />

With so many players returning<br />

next season, Iaciancio<br />

has high hopes for what<br />

next season will bring.<br />

“I just told the returning<br />

players that we’re going<br />

to expect a lot out of them<br />

now, they showed that they<br />

can do what we asked for<br />

and going forward that’s<br />

going to be their expectation,”<br />

he said.


Farrakhan is optimistic about<br />

his upcoming outdoor season.<br />

“Execution is the name of<br />

the game at the end of the day,”<br />

he said. “I’m getting there, and<br />

it’s only a matter of time until I<br />

spread my wings.”<br />

East’s Tyler Marchert (47-4.5)<br />

was the runner-up in the shot put<br />

while, Micah Cox (13-2) and<br />

Julian Bendy (12-25) finished<br />

second and third, respectively, in<br />

the pole vault.<br />

The Griffins’ Damone Hall<br />

took third in the 200 meters<br />

(24.52).<br />

Lockport senior Joe Edwards<br />

had the benefit of being teammates<br />

with three-time state<br />

champion shot put star John<br />

Meyer, who’s now at Michigan<br />

after graduating last year.<br />

“I learned a lot from him,<br />

watching his spins and technique,”<br />

Edwards said. “I still<br />

talk to him to this day, talk about<br />

technique and things.”<br />

Edwards is putting the lessons<br />

to good use. After a slow start at<br />

the conference meet, Edwards<br />

produced a throw of 47-feet<br />

11.5-inches to win the shot put<br />

title by 7 inches.<br />

“I was a little shaky at first, but<br />

I built my confidence and did my<br />

best at the end,” Edwards said. “I<br />

made a few adjustments and got<br />

a good throw in there.”<br />

Lockport coach Tom Razo<br />

was proud to see Edwards push<br />

through.<br />

“It’s good for Joe,” Razo said.<br />

“He threw well last week and<br />

then he wasn’t doing so well today,<br />

but he picked up the pieces<br />

and did what he had to do to win.<br />

He fought through the adversity<br />

and did well.”<br />

Lockport’s Ross Cronholm<br />

(4:35.01) finished third with a<br />

personal record in the 1,600,<br />

with teammate Donovan Paske<br />

(4:36.77) taking fourth.<br />

The Porters’ Ray Holland<br />

(8.68) and Aaron Kiela (8.83)<br />

were third and fourth, respec-<br />

42 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger sports<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Boys Track and Field<br />

Knights claim 6th place at SWSC Indoor Championships<br />

LW East gets top spot,<br />

West finishes 10th<br />

Steve Millar, Sports Editor<br />

Brett Gardner is two-for-two<br />

at conference meets this school<br />

year, and the Lincoln-Way East<br />

junior made it look easy on Friday,<br />

March 15.<br />

Gardner ran away with the<br />

3,200-meter title at the South-<br />

West Suburban Indoor Championships,<br />

posting a personalrecord<br />

time of 9 minutes, 21.09<br />

seconds to finish more than 24<br />

seconds ahead of runner-up Tyler<br />

Cushing of Bolingbrook.<br />

Gardner, who also won the<br />

Southwest Suburban Blue cross<br />

country title in the fall, pulled<br />

away from the field over the last<br />

lap.<br />

“For being indoors and not the<br />

best track to run on, I thought<br />

I ran well,” Gardner said. “I<br />

thought I had another gear that I<br />

could get to at any time. I started<br />

settling in, realized I had to go,<br />

and when I did it felt good.”<br />

Gardner’s victory helped the<br />

Griffins win the team title with<br />

65 points, edging Andrew (63)<br />

and Thornridge (61).<br />

Lockport (51) and Sandburg<br />

(45) rounded out the top five,<br />

with Lincoln-Way Central (42)<br />

finishing sixth.<br />

Lincoln-Way West (16.5) was<br />

10th.<br />

“It feels great to be a conference<br />

champion,” Gardner said.<br />

“A lot of us having good days<br />

here will help propel us into the<br />

outdoor season.”<br />

Gardner expects to be at his<br />

best when things move outside.<br />

“If you’re running times under<br />

9:30 on a track like this inside,<br />

you’re doing something right,”<br />

he said. “This gives me a lot of<br />

confidence.<br />

“I’ve gotten in really good<br />

shape, grinding out my workouts,<br />

doing all the little things<br />

and I feel like it’s really paying<br />

off. When we get on some bigger<br />

Lincoln-Way Central’s Jared Kreis is congratulated after winning the 1,600 meters at the SouthWest<br />

Suburban Indoor Championships on Friday, March 15. Steve Millar/22nd Century Media<br />

tracks and get outdoors, it should<br />

be really fun.”<br />

Lincoln-Way Central junior<br />

Jared Kreis was unsure how he’d<br />

run in the 1,600 as he came in to<br />

the meet feeling far less than 100<br />

percent.<br />

Kreis missed the Batavia Invite<br />

on March 8 with the flu,<br />

which also hampered his preparation<br />

for the conference meet.<br />

“My training week was kind<br />

of compromised so I didn’t really<br />

know what to expect in the<br />

race, but I thought it turned out<br />

pretty well,” Kreis said.<br />

Indeed, it did. Kreis (4:25.46)<br />

built a big early lead and cruised<br />

to the win over teammate Andrew<br />

Englert (4:32.4).<br />

“If I can get a win when I’ve<br />

been sick, I’m happy with that,”<br />

Kreis said. “It wasn’t a [personal<br />

record], but you can’t always<br />

go out there and [a personal record].”<br />

Kreis executed his strategy by<br />

establishing a quick pace from<br />

the start.<br />

“I knew from the gun that<br />

there were going to be some<br />

good competitors and my goal<br />

was to take the lead early and see<br />

what I could do,” he said. “After<br />

a while, I realized I was out there<br />

by myself, so I just had to keep<br />

pushing it and it ended up working<br />

out pretty good for me.”<br />

Central senior Jacob Erickson<br />

won his first indoor conference<br />

title in pole vault after taking the<br />

outdoor crown last spring.<br />

Erickson’s vault of 13-feet<br />

8-inches was 6 inches better than<br />

the rest of the field.<br />

“I’ve had a really strong indoor<br />

season and it’ll give me a<br />

lot of confidence going into the<br />

outdoor season,” he said. “I feel<br />

like my offseason work helped a<br />

lot. I did a lot of sprints, a lot of<br />

working on my legs, and I feel<br />

like that made a huge difference.<br />

Once I started doing that, the<br />

heights just started coming”<br />

Erickson said he plans to push<br />

himself higher in the outdoor<br />

season.<br />

“I feel like I’ve got a lot more<br />

in me,” he said. “I know what I<br />

need to work on, and if I can fix<br />

a couple things, I’ll go up.<br />

“I want to keep my run the<br />

same and just work on being big<br />

and blowing through sticks, being<br />

comfortable moving up to<br />

heights that are uncomfortable to<br />

me now.”<br />

The Knights’ 4x800 relay<br />

team of Kreis, Jackson Burriss,<br />

Erik Johnson and Jonah Haskins<br />

finished second in 8:42.31, just<br />

under 14 seconds behind Sandburg.<br />

Central’s Adam Kedzior (12-<br />

2) was fourth in the pole vault.<br />

Lincoln-Way West’s WaQuan<br />

Brown (7.39) was third in the<br />

60, while the Warriors’ Jonathan<br />

Stiglic, Jack Quinn, Jack Auchstetter<br />

and Nolan Krol (8:49.04)<br />

took third in the 4x800.<br />

Griffins senior Fard Farrakhan<br />

went 45-feet 1-inch to win the<br />

triple jump.<br />

“Of course, I’m shooting to go<br />

longer and I know I can do better,<br />

but I gave it all I had,” Farrakhan<br />

said. “I’m looking forward<br />

to getting some practice time in<br />

and getting ready for outdoors,<br />

because that’s when it really<br />

matters.”<br />

Please see boys track, 43


mokenamessenger.com sports<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 43<br />

This Week In...<br />

Lincoln-Way Co-op<br />

Athletics<br />

Boys Lacrosse<br />

■March ■ 27 - hosts Stagg/<br />

Sandburg co-op, 7:30 p.m.<br />

Girls Lacrosse<br />

■March ■ 23 - at Marian<br />

Catholic, 10:30 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - at Lockport,<br />

6 p.m.<br />

Knights Varsity<br />

Athletics<br />

Boys Water Polo<br />

■March ■ 26 - hosts Lincoln-<br />

Way West, 10 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - hosts Lincoln-<br />

Way East, 10 a.m.<br />

Girls Water Polo<br />

■March ■ 23 - at Lyons<br />

Township Invite, 9 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 26 - at Lincoln-Way<br />

West, 5 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - at Lincoln-Way<br />

East, 9 a.m.<br />

Boys Track and Field<br />

■March ■ 23 - at Illinois Prep<br />

Top Times meet, TBA<br />

Girls Track and Field<br />

■March ■ 23 - at Illinois Prep<br />

Top Times meet, TBA<br />

Boys Volleyball<br />

■March ■ 22 - at Marist<br />

Invite, 5 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 23 - at Marist<br />

Invite, 9 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 26 - hosts T.F.<br />

North, 5:30 p.m.<br />

Girls Soccer<br />

■March ■ 21 - hosts Marist,<br />

6:15 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 23 - at Windy City<br />

Classic, TBA<br />

■March ■ 25 - hosts<br />

Shepard, 6:15 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - hosts Tinley<br />

Park, 11:45 a.m.<br />

Baseball<br />

■March ■ 22 - at Hinsdale<br />

South, 4:30 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 26 - hosts St.<br />

Laurence, 4:30 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - hosts<br />

Naperville Central, 1 p.m.<br />

Softball<br />

■March ■ 25 - hosts<br />

Sandburg, 4:30 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - at Lockport,<br />

4:30 p.m.<br />

Badminton<br />

■March ■ 23 - hosts LWC,<br />

H-F, Lemont, 8 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 26 - at Sandburg,<br />

8 a.m.<br />

Boys Tennis<br />

■March ■ 25 - at Oak Forest,<br />

10 a.m.<br />

Griffins Varsity<br />

Athletics<br />

Baseball<br />

■March ■ 22 - at Washington,<br />

Playing the Turf Jamboree,<br />

6:15 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 23 - at Glenbard<br />

North, Playing the Turf<br />

Jamboree, 9 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 25 - at Thornridge,<br />

4:30 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - hosts Lincoln-<br />

Way West, 11 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 28 - at Thornton,<br />

4:30 p.m.<br />

Softball<br />

■March ■ 22 - at Minooka,<br />

4:30 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 25 - at Thornton,<br />

4:30 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - hosts Andrew,<br />

11 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 28 - hosts Normal<br />

Community, 11 a.m.<br />

Boys Water Polo<br />

■March ■ 26 - at Sandburg,<br />

9 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - at Lincoln-Way<br />

Central, 5 p.m.<br />

Girls Water Polo<br />

■March ■ 21 - at Riverside-<br />

Brookfield, 5 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 26 - hosts<br />

Sandburg, 9 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 27 - hosts Lincoln-<br />

Way Central, 9 a.m.<br />

Girls Soccer<br />

■March ■ 24 - at Windy City<br />

Classic, TBA<br />

■March ■ 26 - at Stagg, 10<br />

a.m.<br />

Badminton<br />

■March ■ 21 - hosts Lincoln-<br />

Way West, 4:30 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 23 - at Lincoln-Way<br />

Central Knight Quad, 8 a.m.<br />

■March ■ 28 - at Bradley-<br />

Bourbonnais, 10 a.m.<br />

Boys Tennis<br />

■March ■ 28 - hosts Joliet<br />

Catholic Academy, 4:30<br />

p.m.<br />

Boys volleyball<br />

■March ■ 21 - at Glenbard<br />

West, 6 p.m.<br />

■March ■ 28 - at Wheaton<br />

Warrenville South Tiger<br />

Classic, 5 p.m.<br />

Girls Track and Field<br />

FLYING HIGH<br />

Griffins soar to SWSC indoor title with 114 points<br />

Lincoln-Way East’s Janae Sanders leaps a hurdle in the 60-meter hurdles during<br />

the SouthWest Suburban Indoor Championships on Saturday, March 16. Sanders<br />

finished eighth. Photos by Mark Korosa/22nd Century Media<br />

boys track<br />

From Page 42<br />

tively, in the 60-meter<br />

hurdles.<br />

“Ross put up a solid<br />

time and Ray had a really<br />

solid race,” Razo said. “It<br />

was good to see.<br />

Colin Stapleton, Michael<br />

Barber, Alexander<br />

Kistinger and Josh Scholl<br />

(8:49.34) took fourth for<br />

the Porters in the 4x800,<br />

while Stapleton, Barber,<br />

Brendan Diamond and<br />

Devan Callahan (3:44.54)<br />

were fourth in the 4x400.<br />

Razo said he mixed up<br />

his lineup to test his team.<br />

“We didn’t run everybody<br />

in their main events,<br />

and guys still put up good<br />

times,” Razo said. “It’s<br />

good to develop the kids<br />

for the long run, they can’t<br />

be running the same events<br />

over and over. It teaches<br />

them to push themselves<br />

and be uncomfortable in<br />

different situations.”<br />

Razo is looking for the<br />

Porters to make big strides<br />

in the outdoor season.<br />

“This is a springboard<br />

into outdoors,” he said.<br />

“It’s a long season. Hopefully<br />

we can keep building,<br />

get some more speed<br />

and be ready to take the<br />

next step.”<br />

The Griffins’ Jenna Couwenhoven (left) and Ashley Mills finished third and second,<br />

respectively, in the 1,600 meters.


44 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger mokena<br />

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mokenamessenger.com sports<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 45<br />

allegreti<br />

From Page 47<br />

talented football player.”<br />

Allegretti said Kreutz helped switch up<br />

his stance and his stagger.<br />

“But [also] just little things — how detailed<br />

he was with his hand placements<br />

and stuff like that,” Allegretti said. “The<br />

small, fine details of the game are what<br />

keep you in it or get you out of it.”<br />

Then, it was onto the East-West Shrine<br />

Game in Florida. Allegretti said the game<br />

week was hectic but fun. It started with a<br />

visit to the Shriner’s Hospital in Florida,<br />

and then continued with a week of practices<br />

before the game, which Allegretti<br />

said were almost as important as the actual<br />

game because of all the scouts and<br />

coaches there. Allegretti viewed it as a<br />

job interview, creating a resume for later<br />

this year when he tries to make a team out<br />

of camp.<br />

Next, Allegretti participated in a Pro<br />

Day at Illinois on March 11. A total of 29<br />

teams were there scouting Allegretti and<br />

some of his draft-eligible teammates.<br />

Allegretti measured in at 6-foot 4-inches<br />

and 310 pounds. He said he felt he ran<br />

well in the agility drills and the 40-yard<br />

dash. But the biggest part of the day was<br />

the offensive line drills. He worked out of<br />

a left-handed guard stance, a right-handed<br />

guard stance and at center.<br />

“I got to showcase a lot of my abilities,”<br />

he said.<br />

Then, after that, he broke down film<br />

with scouts and talked about protection<br />

schemes.<br />

Overall, he said he thinks that his opportunities<br />

will come from his versatility.<br />

That said, he thinks his best spot is at<br />

center.<br />

“That’s where I can move the best<br />

and excel, but a majority of teams might<br />

want me because I can play right and left<br />

[guard] or center,” he said.<br />

Nick Allegretti (left) takes a photo with<br />

former Bears center Olin Kreutz.<br />

Photo submitted<br />

‘The steal of the draft’<br />

Heading into the April draft, Allegretti<br />

is on some mock draft boards as a lateround<br />

pick. Drafted or not, if he makes a<br />

team, he’d be the first Frankfort Falcons<br />

football player to make the NFL.<br />

Zvonar thinks whoever gets Allegretti<br />

will be getting “the steal of the draft.”<br />

“You’re going to get an extremely highcharacter<br />

young man [who] is going to be<br />

an excellent football player [who] has the<br />

ability to play in the league for a decade,”<br />

Zvonar said. “You’re going to get a lot<br />

more than a football player. You’re going<br />

to get a tremendous human being and citizen,<br />

who is going to represent your organization<br />

well. He’s going to be an asset to<br />

that team.”<br />

Byrd also thinks the team that gets Allegretti<br />

will be getting someone special.<br />

“He’s going to maximize the things he<br />

has control over,” Byrd said of Allegretti.<br />

“I’m a big effort and attitude guy — that’s<br />

my mantra as a coach. That’s been Nicky<br />

Allegretti since Day 1 of high school to<br />

his last day at U of I. It didn’t matter if<br />

we were struggling as a team or if he was<br />

struggling in a match personally, he was<br />

going to give everything he had every<br />

single round. That’s what they are going<br />

to get out of him.”<br />

Carl Allegretti, Nick’s father, said his<br />

family has taken everything in stride during<br />

Nick’s road to the NFL.<br />

“I never really thought long-term,” Carl<br />

said. “What did I worry about when he<br />

was playing with the Falcons? Being able<br />

to make the team at Lincoln-Way East.<br />

It’s not easy to make that team. We’re a<br />

humble family, and I just wanted him to<br />

have the chance to play for Coach Zvonar.<br />

“Then, after that, it was doing the best<br />

you could on the mat, on the field and<br />

academically [to] get to the University<br />

of Illinois. What did I want him to do at<br />

Illinois? I wanted him to earn a starting<br />

spot and he ended up starting 36 straight<br />

games and playing in 48 straight games<br />

and being All Big 10.”<br />

Now, whether his son is drafted or<br />

signed as a free agent, Carl said he is going<br />

to be a proud father.<br />

For his own part, Allegretti isn’t sure if<br />

he will be drafted or not. But regardless, it<br />

all ends the same for him.<br />

“When you get to camp, you’ve got to<br />

make the team,” he said.<br />

So, what does he think a team will be<br />

getting if they take a chance on him?<br />

“Every day, you can expect me to be on<br />

the practice field — banged up or not,”<br />

Allegretti said. “I think teams will get a<br />

great deal out of me, and I plan on playing<br />

in the NFL for a long time.”<br />

LINCOLN-WAY SWIM ASSOCIATION<br />

GATORS<br />

TRYOUTS<br />

APRIL 1 st & APRIL 3 rd<br />

Ages 5-8 • 6pm<br />

Ages 9 and Over • 7pm<br />

at Lincoln-Way Central<br />

High School<br />

2019 WINTER<br />

GOLD CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS<br />

www.lwsagators.org<br />

Email LWSA Board president Michelle Moline<br />

at president@lwsagators.org to sign up!


46 | March 21, 2019 | the mokena messenger sports<br />

mokenamessenger.com<br />

Pitching platoon pulls off win for Griffins<br />

RANDY WHALEN<br />

Freelance Reporter<br />

If you’re going to start<br />

what could be a special<br />

season, then you want to<br />

do it as early as possible.<br />

The Lincoln-Way East<br />

baseball team, which returns<br />

13 players from last<br />

season’s successful squad,<br />

did just that and got off to<br />

a hot start last week.<br />

According to Illinois<br />

High School Association<br />

rules, the earliest day a<br />

baseball game could be<br />

scheduled this season was<br />

March 11. Well, that day<br />

East played a baseball<br />

game.<br />

The Griffins (2-0<br />

through March 13) had<br />

another one two days later.<br />

That was a little more local<br />

and had good field<br />

conditions as they toppled<br />

Wilmington 5-2 in a nonconference<br />

matchup on<br />

March 13 at Route 66 Stadium<br />

in Joliet. The field<br />

there was converted to turf<br />

this year. That paid dividends<br />

as a steady rain earlier<br />

in the day didn’t rain<br />

out the game, which got<br />

off to a late 6:27 p.m. first<br />

pitch.<br />

“I like to play as early as<br />

possible,” East coach Eric<br />

Brauer said. “I like to see<br />

what we have in a game<br />

situation. You can only<br />

practice so much inside<br />

and do the same things in<br />

a fieldhouse.”<br />

The game itself resembled<br />

an early season one<br />

as the two teams combined<br />

for seven errors while each<br />

having six hits. But, despite<br />

making four errors,<br />

East took advantage of its<br />

opportunities to pull out<br />

the win.<br />

East used four pitchers,<br />

who allowed no earned<br />

runs, and each one of them<br />

had at least one strikeout.<br />

Sophomore Landen<br />

Looper went the first two<br />

innings and allowed no<br />

hits with three strikeouts<br />

and two walks. The rest of<br />

the Griffin pitchers all allowed<br />

two hits and had a<br />

strikeout with no walks.<br />

They were junior Mike<br />

Szczasny (2 2/3 IP), senior<br />

Matt Clark (2/3 IP) and senior<br />

Ethan Lambrigger (1<br />

2/3 IP). They were helped<br />

by inning-ending double<br />

plays to end both the sixth<br />

and seventh innings.<br />

“Everyone is on a low<br />

pitch count to start the<br />

season,” Brauer said. “Every<br />

year our expectations<br />

are high. We expect good<br />

things and to do well.<br />

We’ve got some internal<br />

goals that we’ve set. A lot<br />

of guys have their own<br />

goals and are going to look<br />

to be better.”<br />

East’s senior center<br />

fielder Tyler Safarik led off<br />

the bottom of the first with<br />

a triple to center and then<br />

scored on a passed ball. It<br />

became 3-0 in the fourth<br />

when senior second baseman<br />

Matt Watson (1-for-<br />

2, walk) scored on a wild<br />

pitch, and courtesy runner<br />

Jack Bertolani (2 runs)<br />

scored on a passed ball for<br />

a 3-0 lead.<br />

Bertolani scored again<br />

in the fifth on an error to<br />

make it 4-1. Junior designated<br />

hitter Ryan Mc-<br />

Coy added an RBI single<br />

to right in the inning that<br />

scored senior third baseman<br />

Zack Jurgens (1-3,<br />

walk) for a 5-1 lead. Senior<br />

shortstop Ryan Ritter and<br />

senior first baseman Casey<br />

Schlif were both 1-3 with a<br />

walk for the Griffins.<br />

Wilmington (0-1), which<br />

won the Class A state title<br />

Lincoln-Way East’s senior center fielder Tyler Safarik gets a hit and later scores<br />

during the 5-2 win over Wilmington March 13.<br />

Photos by Julie McMann/22nd Century Media<br />

The Griffins’ senior second baseman Matt Watson gets the force out and looks to<br />

turn the double play.<br />

in 2003 and 2005, scored a<br />

run in the fifth on an RBI<br />

single by senior Conner<br />

Dempsey (3-4, double)<br />

and a run in the sixth on<br />

a wild pitch. Ryan Woodall<br />

(2-2) and fellow senior<br />

Eli Byrd (1-2, walk) added<br />

hits for the Wildcats.<br />

Last year the Griffins<br />

went 28-6, establishing a<br />

new school record for most<br />

wins in a season. They also<br />

captured their second regional<br />

championship in the<br />

past three years. They expect<br />

to contend for another<br />

regional title and beyond,<br />

as well as the SouthWest<br />

Suburban Blue championship.<br />

“We’re really excited,”<br />

Watson said. “We know<br />

it’s a long season, but we’ll<br />

make sure we work hard.<br />

We’ve got a lot of returners<br />

and a lot to prove. We<br />

have a chip on our shoulder<br />

from last year and a<br />

bunch of awesome seniors.<br />

“For me, I just want to<br />

be a leader on this team. I<br />

want to make myself better<br />

and everyone around<br />

me better.”<br />

Two days earlier, on<br />

March 11, the Griffins<br />

traveled to Wheaton College<br />

for the season opener<br />

and defeated Hoffman Estates<br />

12-1 in six innings.<br />

Senior lefty Cole Kirschsieper<br />

got the win, junior<br />

right fielder Cael Geijer<br />

had three hits in his varsity<br />

debut and junior designated<br />

hitter Ryan McCoy<br />

(2-for-3) added four RBI<br />

as East had 12 hits.<br />

Hoffman Estates had<br />

only one hit off four Griffin<br />

pitchers. Kirschsieper<br />

(2 IP, 5 strikeouts, one<br />

hit) and junior lefty Sean<br />

McLaughlin (2 2/3 IP, 8<br />

strikeouts, 1 walk) were<br />

the two East pitchers<br />

that went at least two innings.<br />

East scored three<br />

in the first and added four<br />

more runs in the top of the<br />

fourth to take a 9-0 lead.<br />

The Hawks (0-1), who<br />

committed three errors,<br />

scored their run in the bottom<br />

of the fourth.<br />

This week East has<br />

games scheduled for 6:15<br />

p.m. Friday, March 22<br />

against Washington, and at<br />

9 a.m. Saturday, March 23,<br />

they face Glenbard North.


mokenamessenger.com sports<br />

the mokena messenger | March 21, 2019 | 47<br />

fastbreak<br />

Going Places<br />

LW East grad Allegretti hopes for NFL shot<br />

Steve Millar/22nd Century<br />

Media<br />

1st and 3<br />

Griffins, Knights<br />

star at SWSC meet<br />

1. Brett Gardner<br />

(Above)<br />

The Lincoln-Way<br />

East junior won the<br />

3,200 meters at<br />

the SWSC indoor<br />

meet with a time of<br />

9 minutes, 21.09<br />

seconds. It’s his<br />

second conference<br />

title this school year<br />

as he also won one<br />

in cross country.<br />

2. Jared Kreis<br />

The Lincoln-Way<br />

Central junior took<br />

the SWSC indoor<br />

title in the 1,600<br />

meters in dominant<br />

fashion, his time of<br />

4:25.46 besting the<br />

field by nearly seven<br />

seconds.<br />

3. LW East girls<br />

The Griffins rolled<br />

to the SWSC indoor<br />

title with 114 points,<br />

53 more than<br />

runner-up Lockport.<br />

Senior Taylor Wright<br />

won four events: the<br />

60, 200, 400 and<br />

long jump.<br />

Jon DePaolis<br />

Freelance Reporter<br />

From high school to college,<br />

Nick Allegretti has<br />

dominated on the gridiron.<br />

Now, the Lincoln-Way<br />

East graduate hopes to<br />

make it to the top of the<br />

mountain: the National<br />

Football League.<br />

Allegretti, who just<br />

wrapped up his senior<br />

season at the University<br />

of Illinois Urbana-Champaign<br />

in November 2018,<br />

has been keeping busy on<br />

his road to the 2019 NFL<br />

Draft by participating<br />

in the East-West Shrine<br />

Game, taking part in Pro<br />

Days and working on his<br />

offensive line skills with a<br />

six-time Pro-Bowler.<br />

Big (Ten) impact<br />

While his senior season<br />

didn’t end the way he<br />

wanted — the Illini finished<br />

4-8 in 2018 — Allegretti<br />

capped his collegiate<br />

career off with a bevy of<br />

awards and honors. He<br />

was a three-time Academic<br />

All-Big 10 player,<br />

as well as a two-time Big<br />

10 Sportsmanship Award<br />

winner. He also was selected<br />

as a 2018 All Big 10<br />

second-teamer.<br />

But Allegretti also<br />

earned a different type of<br />

recognition the past two<br />

years.<br />

“Getting voted captain<br />

two years in a row and<br />

getting [it] voted by your<br />

teammates — it means a<br />

lot from the coaches, but<br />

when it is by your teammates,<br />

the guys in that<br />

locker room, it means a little<br />

more,” Allegretti said.<br />

Ultimately, while the<br />

team didn’t see a lot of<br />

success during his time<br />

there, Allegretti said he<br />

was happy with the choice<br />

he made to attend the university.<br />

He also saw the<br />

program through a tough<br />

time, as the team went<br />

through three head coaches<br />

in a short period of time.<br />

“But the last three years<br />

have been big building<br />

years,” he said. “Now,<br />

I’m leaving a program<br />

that is much older in the<br />

locker room and [has] an<br />

incredible coaching staff.<br />

The new facilities are just<br />

about up and running.<br />

It’s good to see that when<br />

you’re leaving a program,<br />

things are on the up and<br />

up. I’m excited about that<br />

O-line that has taken some<br />

huge steps over the last<br />

few years.”<br />

Allegretti also was at the<br />

forefront this season, taking<br />

on the role of being a<br />

vocal leader — skills he<br />

developed early in his career<br />

at Lincoln-Way East.<br />

“He was the guy that<br />

held everything together<br />

for us and made sure guys<br />

were working hard and<br />

doing the right things at<br />

school and on the field,”<br />

East coach Rob Zvonar<br />

said. “But he was also the<br />

guy who was also making<br />

sure the guys were making<br />

Former Griffins football player Nick Allegretti prepares<br />

for the 2019 NFL Draft after finishing his college career<br />

at University of Illinois. University of Illinois Athletics<br />

the correct decisions off<br />

the field.”<br />

It was a trait Zvonar saw<br />

Allegretti exhibiting yet<br />

again at Illinois.<br />

‘His work ethic was<br />

exceptional’<br />

Zvonar said he knew<br />

early on that Allegretti<br />

could be a special player.<br />

“He was a big kid, but as<br />

he grew, he became more<br />

and more athletic,” Zvonar<br />

said. “But what really<br />

stuck out first and foremost<br />

was his character and<br />

then his relentless work<br />

ethic. We had our eyes on<br />

him in sixth through eighth<br />

grade. So, when he came<br />

into East, we knew we<br />

wanted to get him ready<br />

for varsity football as soon<br />

as possible.”<br />

Allegretti bypassed<br />

freshman-level football<br />

and started right away<br />

with the sophomore squad<br />

his first year. Then, after<br />

being a standout, he won<br />

the starting varsity center<br />

job over the summer<br />

for his sophomore year in<br />

2011. From there, he became<br />

a two-time All-State<br />

selection his junior and<br />

senior seasons, and he was<br />

the first All-American in<br />

school history.<br />

Allegretti also excelled<br />

off the field. At East,<br />

Zvonar said he and the<br />

other coaches talk about<br />

having “revolving integrity,”<br />

which means not just<br />

being great on the football<br />

field but also in every<br />

phase of the player’s life.<br />

That could mean being a<br />

great student, being a great<br />

family member, or having<br />

that integrity in the community<br />

or in one’s social<br />

life.<br />

“He certainly was as<br />

good of an example of that<br />

as we’ve ever had,” Zvonar<br />

said. “When you’re raising<br />

your own sons, you look<br />

for role models for them.<br />

Although my guys are a<br />

little younger than Nick,<br />

you hope your sons can<br />

grow up to be just a little<br />

bit like Nick Allegretti —<br />

and then they’ll be OK.”<br />

Tyrone Byrd, former<br />

East wrestling coach, also<br />

pointed to Allegretti’s<br />

talent and character at a<br />

young age.<br />

“His work ethic was exceptional,”<br />

Byrd added.<br />

Because of his size,<br />

Allegretti had to wrestle<br />

bigger, older guys when<br />

he was a freshman. Immediately,<br />

Byrd said he<br />

recognized a maturity in<br />

Allegretti and a desire to<br />

try and get better. If there<br />

was something extra that<br />

needed to be done, Byrd<br />

said Allegretti was going<br />

to do it.<br />

Versatility on display<br />

After the Illini’s season<br />

ended, Allegretti got to<br />

work right away preparing<br />

for the draft, including<br />

getting personal coaching<br />

from former Chicago<br />

Bears center Olin Kreutz.<br />

“That was incredible,”<br />

Allegretti said. “To [work<br />

with] a guy who has done<br />

it all — played in a Super<br />

Bowl, been an All-Pro and<br />

Pro-Bowler; he’s the guy I<br />

watched my whole life, a<br />

role model and incredibly<br />

Please see Allegreti, 45<br />

LISTEN UP<br />

“We’ve got a lot of returners and a lot to prove. We have a chip on<br />

our shoulder from last year and a bunch of awesome seniors.<br />

Matt Watson — Lincoln-Way East senior second baseman<br />

Tune In<br />

GIRLS WATER POLO<br />

9 a.m. Wednesday, March 27<br />

• Lincoln-Way East hosts Lincoln-Way Central in a<br />

District 210 showdown.<br />

Index<br />

43- This Week In...<br />

40 - Athlete of the Week<br />

FASTBREAK is compiled by Sports Editor<br />

Steve Millar, s.millar@22ndcm.com.


mokena’s Hometown Newspaper | March 21, 2019<br />

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