HS Board

By Jill Friedrichs and Teresa VanOpdorp

Since 1993, Mount Prospect’s Special Events Commission has annually hosted a Shining Star Gala on the first Saturday of February. Developing such an event was the first order of business the Commission was given after its creation by Mayor Skip Farley following a very successful Village of Mount Prospect 75th Anniversary Celebration.
Over the intervening years the event has evolved into a lovely evening celebrating Mount Prospect. The constant over the years has been celebrating individuals and organizations that live or work in Mount Prospect and make our Village a better place.

The 2020 event went on, as usual, on the first Saturday of February. But shortly thereafter, the world changed and all of the other events that the Special Events Commission plans and oversees were cancelled:

• No 4th of July Parade
• No Village Bike Ride
• No Tree Lighing (lighting was done virtually)
• No Christkindlmarket
• No New Year’s Eve Eve celebration for children

We also knew that an in-person celebration of the Shining Star winners in early 2021 wasn’t in the cards, so planning for an alternate celebration began in August of 2020. An official committee for the 2021 Shining Star presentation was formed consisting of Brenda Sawyer, Teresa VanOpdorp, Tarina Wimmer, Christina Greco, Mike Cassady and Jill Friedrichs. They considered: What will be allowed six months later? Will we be able to gather? Will we be allowed to celebrate? How do we recognize those that have made a difference? We were all hoping that 2021 was going to be better.

The group strongly considered gathering in small groups at local restaurants and showing pre-taped videos of the winners receiving their awards at the Pocket Park from Mayor Juracek. But then it happened, total lockdown! Winners had already been chosen so the awards needed to be given out somehow.

In the end, the Commission chose to do a Publishers Clearinghouse-type of event consisting of a parade including the Special Events Commission members, mayor, police and fire, and to give the awards to winners at their doors. Everything would be videotaped and posted on social media. In addition, a sign would be placed at each winner’s house to acknowledge their accomplishment and baskets of specialized gifts would be assembled.

The morning of February 6, 2021 was brutally cold but the hardy Commission members met inside at the Mount Prospect Public Works garage to decorate vehicles. Once the vehicles were decorated and members of the Mount Prospect Police Department, Fire Department and Public Works were at the garage, they began the celebration. The parade was a sight ~ with lights flashing, horns and sirens blaring as we headed south on Busse Road.
At each house everyone got out of their vehicles to help celebrate the winners. Each winner was given a yard sign to acknowledge they were a 2020 Shining Star recipient and the category in which they won. Mayor Juracek was out – front and center – presenting the winners with a crystal award, a beautiful bouquet of Purple Rose flowers and a gift basket that included a bottle of champagne, gift card to a Mount Prospect restaurant and an ornament from the Mount Prospect Historical Society depicting a local landmark.

The event was filmed by a member of the Village Staff to put together a video memory of the event to be run on the local cable channel at a later date. Jill Friedrichs ran a live feed on Facebook to capture the presentations live. With the Village of Mount Prospect YouTube channel, the presentations will be around for eternity. Some family and friends were at houses when the parade showed up to help acknowledge and celebrate the winners. Others came out of their homes as they heard the ruckus coming up the street. The parade lasted several hours into the early afternoon. At our last stop we celebrated a successful alternative to the traditional gala and the end of an era. This was co-chair Teresa VanOpdorp’s final event as a Commission member.

The 2020 award winners were:

• Tom and Nancy Bussan, Best Neighbor Award
• Mount Prospect Junior Women’s Club, Open Arms Award
• Joey Carbone, Home Town Award
• Nick Acerenza, There Ought to Be More Like This Award
• Sam Cannizzaro, Invigorated Youth Award
• Joe Scanlon, Star Spangled Banner Award
• Nicholas & Associates, Inc., Community Partner Award

Once the hurdle of the Shining Star Dinner was past, the Commission moved on to successfully bring back many of the events cancelled the year before including:

• 4th of July Parade
• Village Bike Ride
• Tree Lighting
• Christkindlmarket

But the Shining Star Dinner of 2022 was once again cancelled as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 reared its ugly head. Only time will tell when things will return to normal.

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The Mt. Prospect Park District Covid-19 pandemic story began on a regular business day in March 2020. As the Leadership and management team met for a round table planning discussion for summer 2020, the phones of the gathered staff began to blow up. While on our individual phones, we could hear the family, friends and staff of those seated nearby nervously sharing information that the Governor was preparing to shut down Illinois due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Governor Pritzker was addressing Illinois residents in response to comments from the White House and the decision of the NBA to cancel the remaining basketball season. In a matter of hours, our patrons flooded the mppd website with hundreds of questions regarding program/facility closures, cancellations and shut downs.

And so it began.

Fast forward to January 2022 and the world has certainly changed. 2020 impacted our lives and business in hundreds of ways both big and small. In 2020, the District lost over 2 million dollars in revenue. Ultimately, staff’s herculean effort to reprogram “everything” into a new socially distant format succeeded. The Art Studio closed but over $8,000 in DIY art kits were sold and sent home for completion. The popular FPC plant sale was restructured in just three weeks; an online plant catalog was created and patrons placed orders picked by staff and delivered curbside to our customers. Pools were closed in summer 2020 as the data was not complete as to whether water contact was safe. The youth baseball season was worked and reworked and ran successfully with parents socially distanced along the baselines and both coaches and players in masks.

The Mt. Prospect Golf Club had a record breaking year as golf was designated a “safe” activity and did much to recoup what would certainly have been another million dollars in lost revenue.

The staff losses were the worst blow of all; 7 full-time positions eliminated and over 500 part-time staff furloughed. Those who remained worked double and triple duty being sent to any/all facilities that needed assistance on a given day. Rec Managers worked the golf course and marketing and admin watered, counted and priced plants. The park district was operating with an “all hands on deck approach” just to stay open.

Facility staff was very minimal and rolling shutdowns happened throughout the year. Both the Central Community Center and RecPlex were closed on weekends for most of 2020. All full-time staff who could work from home were directed to do so. Most staff headed home in late April/early May and did not return to their offices until late November.

There were moments of great inspiration. After reading a New York Times article on outdoor concerts in New York City where patrons were seated in 10 foot circles spaced 6 feet apart; the Community Relations team created their own version of circle concerts at the Veterans Memorial Bandshell for three concerts in July and August 2020. The concert organization, including the assigning of circles, was very labor intensive but the concerts were sold out in one day and very appreciative audiences enjoyed several nights of music under the stars.

The District focused on the mainstay of parks & recreation; the 21 outdoor parks spread throughout the District. Our social media shared albums of four season OUTDOOR fun and the public responded positively. Riding a bike path or picnicking in the park became an outing of choice. When in doubt, go green. In order to go green, get outdoors!

These worst of times produced several best of times moments. Community Relations received hundreds of emails over the summer of 2020 thanking the District for all they were doing to keep normalcy alive for our residents and particularly our children. A father shared that “if not for baseball going forward, he would never have witnessed his son’s first joyful base hit.” We will all remember the email from a grateful mother of four who reserved a circle for the Dancing Queen concert. She wrote, “I have been to the bandshell dozens of times but I couldn’t hold back the tears on this summer night as I watched my children dance the night away while I worried if the world would ever be the same.”

The District hit their stride in late summer. Social distancing became the norm. Our logo of three touching trees was redesigned with the trees now appropriately socially distanced. Outdoor events such as the annual Fishing Derby, Fitness in the Park, Halloween movie night at the Veterans Memorial Bandshell and a modified October outdoor dance recital were executed with great care and much appreciation from patrons. The Veterans Day Ceremony was produced in a virtual format and shared with thousands of schoolchildren across the county. The December Holiday Open House showcased Santa in a Gingerbread House with a wide plexiglass window where happy children could smile and wave to Santa while passing their wish list through an open mail slot.

The four season program guide moved quickly from a printed and mailed verison to an online offering in summer 2020. The District was committed to offering as much programming as possible but COVID regulations seemed to change daily so the program guide changed as well. The online format was well received by eager residents looking for up-to-date information. In 2021, the District made the decision to keep the program guide online into 2022.

The District website at mppd.org provided the most up-to-date information via the Know Before You Go webpage. Patrons quickly became familiar with checking the website before heading out the door to programs, facilities and events.

Continued Covid protocols, rules, signage, mandates, closures and recovery propelled our team wearily into 2021. We had learned so much and appreciated the vaccine availability and its positive impact on our agency. While 2021 began a return to normal, the damage was great. The District was operating with a skeleton staff and much work to do. There were good days and bad as Covid stayed with us for much of the year and has now followed us into 2022.

At the December 2020 District Manager’s meeting, we went around the room and asked each person present to share their insights of 2020. The meeting lasted over three hours. There was laughter and tears. In the end, the laughter won the day as we realized we are resilient, creative, innovative, financially accountable and responsible to “present and future generations” as stated in the Mt. Prospect Park District mission statement. We had stayed the course and provided a bit of normalcy and a summer of good memories for those we are committed to serve.

We continue to adapt as Covid surges once again. But, the Mt. Prospect Park District is ready to face the challenges with a focus on teamwork and solution-minded planning.

Written and submitted by:
Ruth Yueill
Director of Community Relations & Marketing
ryueill@mppd.org

The Garden Club of Mount Prospect is solely sustained by its member volunteers, who remain committed to the club mission:
“… to encourage interest in gardening and horticulture, artistic use of plant materials, civic beauty and conservation of natural resources.”

Who would have thought that our lives could change so drastically in just one short month?
The Garden Club of Mount Prospect met in person on March 11, 2020. Then due to the lockdown for COVID-19, plans for the rest of Spring 2020 were canceled, including the May fundraiser and June road trip. The community plant sale morphed into a front porch plant sale for members.

The advantage of being gardeners did not escape us – we could be outdoors while doing our favorite activity – gardening. So projects across the village continued throughout the summer, including the Green Thumb program where the club recognizes outstanding gardens throughout town. Among the awarding winning front yards in 2020 was this home at 112 S. Owen St.

By Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez
Rector
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine

The Archdiocese of Chicago canceled all in-person liturgies, including the celebrations of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which has thousands of pilgrims coming to celebrate it, and all Christmas festivities and activities. In short, over 270,000 congregants were unable to celebrate 2020 celebrations due to the COVID pandemic.

Fortunately, The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe had been livestreaming Sunday services for years. We had recently upgraded our systems and built a new Chapel dedicated to St. Joseph that seats 1200 parishioners. The chapel was completed and consecrated by Cardinal Blase Cupich in 2019.

When the pandemic hit, the Shrine was ready to move all services and programs online, including religious education instruction as well as Sunday and holiday Masses. Since capacity was also deemed limited at funerals, weddings, and baptisms, we were also able to offer to the community livestreamed services that greatly supported families in helping them feel united whether they were here locally or in their home country.

Incidentally, the number of funerals greatly increased during COVID. I would say that the number of funerals celebrated at the Shrine has grown by over 50% over the past year.

We have not had immunization clinics come to the Shrine, but I have publicly encouraged people to get immunized and assuaged any concerns they may have about the immunizations available from a Catholic point of view.

However, Hispanic Catholics tend to be highly suspicious of government mandates when it comes to their heath. They also have a significant moral objection to the vaccines created by aborted fetal material. Lastly, they are unsure of the long-term side effects of these drugs on their health. The fact that there are too many narratives both for and against getting immunized has only added to the confusion and insecurity.

The greatest impact of the Pandemic on the Hispanic community has been the issue of mental health. Immigrants, especially undocumented ones, suffer from not being able to visit or bury their loved ones back in their home country. This is a major emotional trauma.

Also, the education of their children has been seriously hampered. Online classes have been a major challenge to the community since both parents often don’t speak English or have a lower educational acumen than their children. Students feel lost and alone in this process of education.

By Ben Finfer
District Communications Specialist

As with districts all over the country, the COVID-19 pandemic affected River Trails School District 26 in every way imaginable.

In March 2020, the seriousness of COVID-19 began to set in, which led to a quick change to online learning. This was difficult because it required our students and teachers to learn new technology and processes that had never been utilized before. A lot of collaboration went into planning this phase of the pandemic which would ultimately set the stage for how the District would handle a new learning environment over the next 18+ months.

We began preparing about two weeks prior to the governor’s “stay at home” order. Our instructional coaches developed lessons for what we thought would only be a few weeks at home. Not only were these lessons shared around our District, but many other districts in the area used and modified our work. Our goals were to do the best we could for our students in less-than-ideal circumstances and that meant sharing the workload.

The district already had one-to-one Chromebooks for students. However, in grades PK-3 they were kept in the classroom. In addition, we had students without Internet access at home. We were fortunate to partner with Maine Township School District 207 which provided us with additional hot spots that we distributed to these families.

The pandemic wasn’t just complex for logistical reasons. It also had an emotional impact on everyone. Students were expected to continue learning in isolation and without the typical experiences that all children deserve. Sports and other after-school activities were cancelled or moved to digital formats. Daily interactions with friends, schoolmates and teachers were limited or eliminated altogether.

Teachers had to learn a whole new way to teach. Somehow, they had to hold the attention of their students and be a source of comfort while managing their own families and mental well-being. It was an overwhelming experience and did not allow for the typical support that a teacher might otherwise have.

Online learning was certainly much more of a challenge at the beginning when the processes and hardware had to be sorted out. There was very little time for preparation. There were some additional challenges for our youngest learners. Imagine 20 kindergarteners all trying to talk to you at once! And they think you have been able to hear them. We also met a lot of family members and pets as they joined in on screen. Eventually everyone was much more comfortable with the setup, even if there was always a level of difficulty to it.

There was also an effect on the rest of the District staff. The maintenance department had to prepare buildings for the eventual return of students; administrators had to make completely new calendars and plans for the school year; and others had to figure out how to complete their daily tasks at home without the resources offered in an office environment.

The 2020 school year ended while on lockdown and an 8th grade car parade was our “promotion” ceremony.
The district began the 2020-2021 school year with remote learning. In October 2020, we moved to a hybrid model with some students attending in person for half the day, while others remained in a remote environment. However, after some students and staff tested positive the district quickly pivoted to remote learning again.

This remained in effect until the district returned to hybrid in-person learning in January 2021 and full-time in-person learning in April 2021. However, students were still able to remain in a remote learning environment, if they chose to do so. About 75% of the student population returned to the buildings, in addition to much of the staff. And teachers took advantage of outdoor learning opportunities, whenever possible.

Everyone handled the situation differently, though no one had an easy time of it. Some students were better suited for e-learning than others.
The same applies to teachers. However, it is fair to say that it was an overwhelming experience for most, if not all, of them. It was not the job they had signed up for and things were changing on a week-to-week basis. But the teachers were committed to making it work because they understood the importance of being a stable force in their students’ lives. The fact that the District was able to endure, and even thrive, was because of the teachers’ dedication to their students.

Morning meetings became an essential component for all of our students and staff. It was a way to check in and make sure everyone was okay. It also became a way to let each individual child know they are important and to see if some needed additional interventions.

By the fall of 2021, returning with masks and social distancing did not seem so strange. We had figured out how to provide students with high quality learning and fun in a safe environment.

Most teachers were afraid until they walked into school and saw their students. They followed the health protocols and helped improve our systems in order to stay safe. That being said, there are still fears, especially for those that live with others who are immunocompromised.

It was also incredibly difficult to set up classrooms for the needed space between children. Our district had to use every bit of space for classrooms prior to the pandemic and having to maintain proper social distancing made it much more of a challenge. Prairie Trails School, a renovated early learning center, was already under construction as the result of overcrowding at our elementary schools. It is a credit to Dan Whisler, the district’s director of buildings and grounds, along with his team, that we were able to get the classrooms set up for safe learning.

It also forced us to get creative with how we used various spaces. Cafeterias and libraries were turned into classrooms, gyms became cafeterias, and even hallways were used as learning spaces from time to time.
There was also more consideration and upgrades to the ventilation system and other measures that were taken to ensure safe classrooms.

One of the silver linings of the pandemic is a better understanding of how to utilize online learning. We, of course, prefer to be in an in-person classroom setting and feel that best suits our students and teachers. However, it is nice to have online learning as an option when there are closures. Everyone is much more comfortable with it now than they were in February 2020.

In some areas students did lose ground. This was mostly in math and reading. There was also the lost social interaction, which could have had an impact.

However, in other areas these students learned more than any other group of students has before. They learned about using technology, personal responsibility and how to adjust on a moment’s notice. They learned compassion and empathy. They were forced to pay more attention to the news, both locally and around the world. In many ways, these children grew up even faster than children usually do.

There were a few children who did not log on to school regularly and we partnered with parents to find ways to encourage participation. In addition, we found that some of our older students did not want to have their cameras on. Sometimes this was due to them learning ‘right out of bed’ in the morning and not looking their best and others did not want their fellow students to see their homes.

When we look back on this time, I think we will think of the pandemic as an incredibly challenging and demanding period. It took a physical and emotional toll on everyone and tested people in countless ways. It was unfair.
At the same time, it brought out the best in many people. It forced teachers and students to learn new skills. It brought the community closer together because that was the only way to best serve the children while keeping people healthy and safe.

It brought out creativity and compassion. We had amazing online talent shows, art exhibits and even celebrated spirit days online. We learned that you can see a smile — even with a mask on. We learned educators matter even more than we realized and that we are all truly better when we work collaboratively.

Our District served hundreds of thousands of meals during this time, feeding our families and bringing much needed resources to share with our community. We partnered with charitable organizations and made sure that our families were fed, clothed and had places to live. We are indebted to every one of these organizations for keeping our community safe.

We will characterize this time as an unimaginable burden and somehow impossible to believe it happened, even though we all experienced it. But in many ways, it was the proudest moment for our school district.