SW_EG_ZC_120519

14 | December 5, 2019 | 22nd century media education guide
22ndCenturyMedia.com
Noonan Academy charging into 25 years of excellence
Noonan Elementary
Academy is a private, independent
school with a
classical, Catholic curriculum
for those with
children in PreK (3 years
old) through eighth grade.
Faith formation was the
inspiration for, and continues
to be, the purpose
of the school. Founded
in 1995 by Roberta and
Joseph Noonan, the academy
has grown from a few
dozen families to 250 students
enrolled in preschool
through eighth grade.
Dr. Roberta “Bobbie”
Noonan said, “As the
founder of Noonan Academy,
I found it my vocation
to help guide children
spiritually and provide
the best educational experience.
It is here, in this
school, where students
will develop a foundation
needed to lead a successful
and fulfilling life. It is a
privilege to open the minds
and hearts of children to
the love of Christ. And I
am proud to say Noonan
Academy offers students
both a superior education
and the support of a warm
Catholic community.”
The academy, located
in Mokena, recognizes
that each child is unique.
The school is committed
to providing each student
with an individualized plan
for educational success
and the structure for development
of the complete
person — mind, body, and
spirit. Noonan Academy
maintains an environment
that is a catalyst to learning.
It has a teacher-tostudent
ration and various
resources that allow the
gifted, average and at-risk
students to maximize their
potential. Noonan distinguishes
itself by providing
the most classroom
time, smaller class sizes,
the broadest curriculum,
extensive extracurricular
activities, and a culture
that fosters strong character
formation and spiritual
growth.
Students at Noonan
Academy, on average, attend
school 185 full days
per year. This, combined
with an extended school
day, translates into as
much a 30 more days per
year or 20 percent more
classroom time than that of
other local schools. By the
time students’ graduate,
they will have benefited
from nearly two additional
years of instruction. Also,
Noonan offers before-andafter-school
daycare.
Noonan Academy’s dedication
to the overall wellbeing
of children is evident
in its rigorous health and
safety programs, which
include reverse osmosis
water system, HEPA filters
in the furnaces, high-shock
absorption flooring in the
gymnasium, and a very
detailed nutrition policy
that encourages healthy
choices by disallowing
foods containing excessive
sugar, artificial sweeteners,
colors and flavoring,
or any other chemical additives.
Noonan Academy will
be hosting an open house
from noon-2 p.m. on Jan.
26. All potential and interested
families are encouraged
to visit. Noonan
Elementary Academy is
located at 19131 Henry
Drive in Mokena. To
schedule a visit, please call
(708) 479-8988. You can
also learn more at noon
anacademy.org.
Submitted by Noonan Elementary
Academy, 19131
Henry Drive in Mokena. For
more information, call (708)
479-8988, or visit noon
anacademy.org.
Homer Glen center helps with spine care needs
The holidays can be
a time of heavy lifting,
whether moving boxes of
decorations or rearranging
furniture to accommodate
guests. That means many
will be at risk of sustaining
back and neck injuries.
“The easiest way to
cause an injury is not
keeping the core muscles
in shape,” said Dr. Kris
Siemionow, chief of spine
surgery and assistant professor
of orthopedics and
neurosurgery at the University
of Illinois in Chicago.
“The most common
cause for a spinal injury is
overuse. Often, when you
overexert yourself, your
muscles fatigue, which,
left unrested, can lead to
worse injuries such as
strains, pinched nerves or
even breaks.”
One common ailment
is a disk herniation.
This painful condition is
caused by problems with
the rubbery disks between
the individual vertebrae of
the spine.
“A herniated disk is
extremely common,”
said Dr. Anthony Rinella,
founder of the Illinois
Spine & Scoliosis Center.
“It’s often caused by
repetitive motions that
involve looking up. Disk
herniations in the neck
are a common cause of
pain radiating toward the
shoulder and down the
arm.”
Fortunately, there are
treatment options available.
Patients are often
successfully treated with
conservative management
options, such as pain
medication, therapy and
injections. But a small
percentage of people with
this condition will eventually
need surgery. Traditionally,
this procedure
involved taking out the
problematic disk and fusing
the remaining disks
together with metal hardware.
While this fusion process
provides spinal stability,
it can also limit the
patient’s range of motion.
A newer procedure, called
cervical disk replacement,
has solved this problem.
Like the standard cervical
fusion, this surgery
involves removing the
disk to relieve pressure
on the nerves. But instead
of a metal plate, surgeons
insert a flexible piece of
plastic.
“The biggest benefit is
that this maintains motion
of the neck in that area
where normally a fusion
procedure would weld
the two bones together,”
Siemionow said. “The
cervical disk replacement
basically functions similar
to a joint replacement that
maintains motion.”
While the procedure
has been around for some
time, it is relatively new
in the United States.
“It took time for there
to be adequate research
and for insurance companies
to support the new
technology,” Rinella said.
“Current studies suggest
this is a major step forward
for cervical spine
surgery, perhaps the biggest
step in the past 30
years.”
Along with preserving
range of motion, there
are other benefits to the
procedure. Cervical disk
replacements typically
have a shorter recovery
time than a fusion procedure.
Patients often go
home the same day and
are completely healed in
four to six weeks. There
are also fewer follow-up
appointments needed.
This recovery time is
also more comfortable for
the patients, because no
immobilization devices,
such as neck collars, are
required. Compared to
metal, the plastic device
used in cervical disk replacement
puts less pressure
on the disks above
and below it, which helps
prevent arthritis or degeneration.
Perhaps most importantly,
the procedure
quickly improves the patient’s
quality of life by
reducing their symptoms.
“Patients usually see
immediate improvement
in their radiating pain
symptoms. There’s a very
high rate of success compared
to other surgeries,”
Rinella said. “In patients
that do need surgery, we
find that this new technology
is very promising.
And we are one of the few
spine surgeons using this
advanced technology.”
Submitted by the Illinois
Spine & Scoliosis Center,
12701 W. 143rd St., No. 200,
in Homer Glen. For more
information on cervical disk
replacements and spine care
needs, contact the center
at (877) 694-7722 or visit
myissc.com.