Of the many local and regional businesses and organizations represented at the Homewood Flossmoor Juneteenth Festival, one common theme stood out. Many were founded, owned or managed by Black women. Below is a brief sampling of these, along with what Juneteenth means to the women and leaders. The Jassac Charitable Foundation,[Read More…]
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Irons Oaks hosts cicada celebration
The Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center roared with excitement on June 9 as it hosted a cicada celebration that drew an enthusiastic crowd. The event was accompanied by a chorus of cicada calls, with a decibel meter recording sounds nearing 100 dBA. To put into words just how loud that[Read More…]
Retirees 2024: Zubak gave a helping hand throughout the day
In 2005, Judy Zubak was an at-home mom with a daughter in kindergarten at Serena Hills School in Chicago Heights. She would go in once a week as a PTO volunteer to help with ice cream treats. Then Principal Lynn Westerlund suggested Zubak fill a part-time position as a paraprofessional[Read More…]
Retirees 2024: Ingrid Vann finishes 29-year career at Serena Hills
After 29 years, teacher Ingrid Vann is leaving Serena Hills School in Chicago Heights for the last time this month. “I have so many friends and teacher colleagues. It will be so bittersweet. That I will miss,” she said. “I’m unsure what life without Serena will look like. My whole[Read More…]
Retirees 2024: District 153 fostered leadership roles for Mary Kay Gardiner
Retiring Churchill School Assistant Principal Mary Kay Gardiner said she was propelled into leadership roles because of the support and encouragement she received in Homewood District 153 the past 31 years. “From day one as a young classroom teacher to now being at the end of my career, there is[Read More…]
Retirees 2024: Nurse coordinator spent 23 years caring for kids
Kathy Knawa wore a nurse’s uniform for 18 years before transitioning into a new specialty area — school nursing. Knawa is retiring after 23 years as coordinator of District 161 nursing services. “I worked with children, and I love education. I love teaching and just being able to teach children[Read More…]
Retirees 2024: Fun, hard work go hand-in-hand for Willow School principal
Melissa Lawson can explain to you how as principal she took on a variety of roles, but she stresses that every action was done for the betterment of the students at Homewood’s Willow School. In June, Lawson’s 35-year career in education will end. She’s retiring as principal of Willow School[Read More…]
Community psychologist sparks important conversations around female leadership
Dr. Dominica McBride is a community psychologist who is sparking a conversation around women of color in leadership spaces in her first book, “Becoming Change Makers: The Exquisite Path to Leadership and Liberation for Women of Color.” She details women’s unique experiences and paths to leadership through four themes: healing,[Read More…]
Art & Garden Street Fair vendor with down syndrome has a message of kindness
Jacob Kiefor, a 26-year-old Saint John, Indiana, man with down syndrome, paints doormats and silk screens t-shirts with his own designs and messages promoting kindness. He’s set to sell his hand-crafted work at Homewood’s Art & Garden Street Fair on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1. With the encouragement of Melanie[Read More…]
Young bug lover happy as cicada Brood XIII emerges
Entomophobia sufferers, have you had enough of the cicada Brood XIII? One Homewood girl is very happy about the sudden abundance of the bugs that emerged the week of May 19 after their long sleep. Budding entomologist Eleanor Dickover offered a poster session on cicadas during the Homewood Science Center’s[Read More…]
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