Gym teacher Marci Breed can still get down on the floor and do push-ups and other exercises with her students at James Hart School. Despite her agility, she’s retiring after 35 years as a PE teacher, 31 of those at Hart. “I’ve been teaching phys ed and I practice what[Read More…]
Author: Marilyn Thomas
Retirement: Carla Evans will remember the kids and their books
As Carla Evans prepares for her retirement from Flossmoor Hills School, she feels like her 25 years there have gone by in a blink of an eye. Evans, who lives in the Flossmoor Hills neighborhood, said she took the job because it would allow her to have free time with[Read More…]
Retirement: Christine Engels closes the book on a 37-year career
Christine Engels is what one could call a fixture. She’s been at Homewood’s Churchill School for 37 years working under seven principals. Engels will walk out of Churchill for the last time in July when she retires from District 153. “I thought I’d go into optometry, but then you just[Read More…]
Retirement: Nilles brought changes to Willow School’s library
Margaret Nilles’ job was reading stories for and introducing books to the children at Homewood’s Willow School. She was happy to find the latest Jory John book for the youngest readers in pre-kindergarten or the chapter books about sports, dinosaurs and adventure characters for the second graders. Classes would come[Read More…]
Retirement: Counselor Karen Olson assisted hundreds of students
When a change in family dynamics led Karen Olson to retire from her writer/editor job at the Chicago Tribune after 22 years, she pivoted to school counseling. In July she retires after 19 years on the Homewood-Flossmoor High School counseling staff. Before that, she was a school counselor at Marian[Read More…]
Retirement: H-F is last stop in a 35-year career for Scott Wakeley
In the scheme of things, outgoing District 233 Superintendent Scott Wakeley wishes he’d been at Homewood-Flossmoor High School 10 years ago. “I wish I was here longer,” Wakeley, 57, said. He retires June 30. “I wish I was here when I was 47 to move some of the things forward[Read More…]
Q&A with new H-F Superintendent Jennifer Norrell
The Chronicle sat down with incoming District 233 Superintendent Jennifer Norrell to learn a few insights into her world. Some of the responses have been edited for length. Where were you raised? I was raised in Hazel Crest since second grade. I’m a Hillcrest (High) Hawk. Do you have a[Read More…]
Jennifer Norrell, H-F’s next superintendent, says she is ready for the role
Her official start date is July 1, but District 233’s next superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Norrell, has taken the time to get to know the people of Homewood-Flossmoor High School and the H-F community. She got her first official piece of H-F swag at a boys volleyball game in April, billed[Read More…]
Parker students win trip to NYC to attend ‘Hamilton’ production
Three Parker Junior High students won a trip to New York City to be part of a special Broadway presentation of the musical “Hamilton” as part of the national Hamilton Education Program. A poem about Alexander Hamilton’s son Philip won the trip for Minah Bobb, Tabitha Waita and Isabella Aventano,[Read More…]
H-F teachers stress to every student the importance of reading
Note: This story is the third part of a three-part series. Sylvia knew her goal was to graduate Homewood-Flossmoor High School and become a cosmetologist. Her below average reading scores got her into the specialized reading program, but Sylvia didn’t care. What did it matter, she argued, I’m going to[Read More…]
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