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…]
Feature
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…]
Flossmoor resident will put spotlight on mushrooms at Homewood Farmers’ Market
The COVID quarantine left many people bored and in search of something to do. Some nurtured sourdough starters and baked bread; some taught themselves to knit; others adopted shelter pets; and some tried almost anything to keep busy at home. But Flossmoor resident Nihat Kemal Tasyurek, who finished college in[Read More…]
Homewood celebrates World Migratory Bird Day 2024
On May 11, Homewood celebrated its second annual Migratory Bird Day at the Izaak Walton Preserve. Community members began the day with a bird-spotting tour of the preserve. Of the 24 species of birds spotted, there were the usual suspects, like robins and sparrows, but the birders also saw a[Read More…]
Homewood Disposal supports community, employees
Kyle Yonker has spent most of his life around garbage. As has his father, Tom, and his grandfather, Wendell. They are, after all, the family behind Homewood Disposal. “I grew up here on the back of a garbage truck since I was 16 or 17, sweeping floors,” Kyle said. “There’s[Read More…]
A mother’s promise, a daughter’s legacy
It started with a toothache, but that was just the first punch that cancer threw at Kennedy Parker in 2016. Instead of withdrawing and feeling sorry for herself, the 21-year-old college student fought back. With unwavering support from her mom, Darnesha Evans, her sister Kyah, and dozens of others, Kennedy’s[Read More…]
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