Personal Accounts

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.

In pre-pandemic days, the Mount Prospect Interfaith Council gathered once a month (September through May) in person to discuss issues of common interest. But the COVID-19 pandemic made those types of gatherings impossible, at first, and then simply questionable, so the group continued to meet via an online meeting forum for months after most (if not all) participants had received their two inoculations.

In October 2021 representatives of the Mount Prospect Historical Society met with the group to get their perspectives on this overwhelmingly difficult time and how it had affected their congregations and those to whom they ministered.

Historical Society representatives asked a series of questions and sought feedback from the group.

Did you find members of your congregations having crises of faith during the pandemic? If so, how did you handle that?

“Our small church across the street from Randhurst is associated with another congregation in New York so when the pandemic began, we pivoted to Zoom gatherings and were able to worship with the group in New York. So, in one way the world contracted because we were all in our homes, but in another way it expanded since we were able to interact with the group in New York.” – Marguerite O’Connor, Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist congregation

“I was not aware of any crises of faith within my congregation. There were different opinions on masks and shots, though, and I was very happy to see my members respect each other’s opinions even when they didn’t agree.” – Russ Bechtold, Northwest Assembly of God

“St. Raymond’s Catholic Church never truly closed, even though we were not able to gather together for worship. Ministers from St. Raymond’s went out from the church itself to minister to members. For instance, we had very small, 10-person funerals because that was all that was permitted. And I did a lot of funerals. At one point I did 23 interments in a nine-day period of time.” – John Lorbach, deacon, St. Raymond Catholic Church

“Switching to Zoom helped membership grow because it made worship more accessible to interested people. They also sent personal notes to members and non-members in need of support. She noted that the pandemic was “a blessing of a new kind.” – Mary Grace Crowley-Koch, a Roman Catholic Womanpriest, Spirit of the Living God congregation. There are only 200 such female ministers worldwide at this time.

“The Pandemic, especially in the early months, was hard on elderly homebound Mount Prospect residents. Those who were not able to participate online felt disconnected.” – Ginny Thomas, Village of Mount Prospect social worker

Do you think that the COVID-10 pandemic resulted in fewer or more members seeking God? Were people seeking comfort from religion or falling away because they couldn’t gather in person?

“The pandemic actually allowed us to connect better with some new people and also with homebound former members like several living at Luther Village in Arlington Heights. We learned that several would gather to watch the services together. We are also reconnected with former members who had moved away from Mount Prospect. On the other end of the spectrum, however, there were some members who felt that they had to step back from the church.” – Christie Webb, St. Mark Lutheran Church

“We had some parishioners who reached out to us and said that they needed to find God. We had others who backed away from church. I am also active in a prayer network and through that I had many people who said that they were seeking God in the midst of the chaos in the world and many who thanked me and others for being there for them.” – John Lorbach, St. Raymond Catholic Church

“I saw an increase in people’s need for community during this time so I have had to thank God for modern technology which kept people together and engaged during this terrible time. What I saw was a crisis of community, not a crisis of God.” – Norm Kurtz, Jewish community

“I dealt with so much grieving on every level and we used Zoom to support people through their grieving process.” – Mary Grace Crowley Koch, Spirit of the Living God congregation

“In our community, which has Methodist roots, we were able to experience a different level of connection through technology during the pandemic. We found that we were able to cultivate a sense of community on our computer screens and that was huge. During this time of uncertainty we had to use computers to build our sense of community and alleviate our fears so we spent a lot of time applying for and receiving grants to provide technology to low-income families like computer and Wi-Fi.” – Katherine Inserra, Kids Above All

Looking back, how would you characterize this period of time for those who follow us?

“It will be interesting in the future to see how children who experienced this time will talk about it and what changes we have endured will become permanent.” – Russ Bechtold, Northwest Assembly of God
“My grandson celebrated his first birthday during this time, and we weren’t able to be there because they live in Philadelphia. Instead, we celebrated virtually on Zoom. When he gets older, it will be interesting to show him the photos and tell him how we had to celebrate his first birthday!” – Mary Grace Crowley-Koch, Spirit of the Living God congregation

“I never realized when I was a child how the stories my grandparents told me of their younger lives would become so critical to me – the suffering they went through thanks to poverty, addiction, losses during childbirth and so forth. Reflecting on those stories during this time expanded my perspective. Those stories told me the importance of resilience, faith and stepping up for one another. We all need to err on the side of shared compassion. We cannot dismiss the seriousness of COVID and the racial hatred we saw these past few years, but we need to make sure that the stories we tell of this time are hopeful stories, not despairing ones.” – Katherine Inserra, Kids Above All

“This time of COVID will be a significant marker in history. There have been many shifts – large and small. For instance, my sister who has lived out of state for 40 years chose to move back here. That was one of the small shifts. At the Jewish cemetery where I work we have had more requests from people to videotape services for those who weren’t able to attend in person and then to leave the ceremony videos up on our website longer. I believe that moving forward we will continue to offer videotaped services for those who find it too expensive or difficult to travel to a service.” – Marguerite O’Connor, Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist congregation

“We saw lots of suicides and accidental drug overdoses among young people during COVID. We also saw many mental health problems, particularly among young people. I thank God for the opportunity to gather on Zoom. I reflected on this in several articles that I write for a Catholic Fraternal Society magazine and stated how important it is to help and support each other however we can.” – John Lorbach, deacon – St. Raymond Catholic Church

“Though Zoom gatherings I found many people across the country who have been looking for feminine-directed Catholic liturgies and found us online during the pandemic. I found myself sending notes, cards and emails of comfort to many people who were suffering.” – Mary Grace Crowley-Koch, Spirit of the Living God congregation

“I have a lot of clients who are senior citizens and they were struggling. They couldn’t have visitors and they couldn’t join in virtually because they didn’t have or couldn’t handle the technology and, as a result, they felt disconnected from their faith.” – Ginny Thomas, Village of Mount Prospect social worker

“The hardest part was the fact that people without technical abilities were unable to connect with other people. So, we started mail and phone outreach at St. Mark’s; did call trees; and even did some drive-in worship services. It was amazing how much God showed up in our parking lot! The hardest part, as far as I was concerned, was not being able to celebrate people’s lives at funerals and memorial services.” – Christie Webb, St. Mark Lutheran Church

“I will never forget how the COVID pandemic showed everyone the importance of low-paying jobs. We found out that essential workers are not necessarily the lawyers and other highly paid people. They are the doctors, pharmacists and people stocking the grocery store shelves. I am 41 years old and I have never been through a time when I was afraid to leave my house and when people were hoarding food and toilet paper. This was not an incident isolated to Mount Prospect. The whole world has been traumatized and it has been so big and overwhelming that I believe the experience will stay with everyone as long as they live.” – Ginny Thomas, Village of Mount Prospect social worker

Did you experience different responses from different demographic groups?

“We received over 3,000 hand-made masks from various groups – mainly women’s groups – around the area. There was a Veterans group in Huntley, however, that also made masks and most of them were men.” – Katherine Inserra – Kids Above All

“I found that the response depended upon where people were in their lives. Older adults were seeing much more of their spouse than normal and that caused some struggles. Those who lived alone were very lonely. Young families were struggling and overwhelmed because they were trying to manage working and having their children home instead of in school. They missed having ‘alone time.’ Most of the children were resilient. They loved being home. Many didn’t attend religious services because they simply couldn’t face getting on another Zoom.” – Christie Webb, St. Mark Lutheran Church

“The Wise Up North Shore Village Networking group held weekly Happy Hours; made birthday phone calls; sold Ruth Bader Ginsburg masks for $15 each; and helped each other over Zoom. The way we were able to function over Zoom showed how we can include people in the future who are afraid to drive at night or in bad weather. One guy told us that he had his best year of sales ever because he didn’t have to waste time driving from place to place. He ended up in the top ten percent of his company’s sales team.” – Marguerite O’Connor, Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist congregation

“I spent three months working from home and doing financial assessments for people who were seeking help to pay their rent. It was gut wrenching. I heard from people who are immune-compromised and couldn’t go to work, even though they were the family’s breadwinner. Not everyone saw that side of the pandemic. Every day I talked to people who had lost their jobs and were very emotional because they were afraid to go to work. They had never before been in this position and they felt that their whole world had closed down.” – Ginny Thomas, Village of Mount Prospect social worker

A never-before-known virus called COVID-19 happened upon the scene in late 2019/early 2020 which would change the world’s population for years to come.

From March 13 through June of 2020 Prospect High School students learned and staff members taught remotely, via Zoom. Fortunately, students already had iPad technology, so they were able to learn remotely relatively easily. But all high school sports and activities, including prom, were canceled and graduation was done virtually. Yard signs congratulating graduates were seen all over town in an attempt to make up for the traditional activities they missed.

School resumed in August 2020 with remote learning once again. But many teachers once again taught from the school building.

All staff came back to the building in October 2020 and students had the option of learning in person from October 2020 through Thanksgiving. In January 2021, students once again had the option to return to the building for the remainder of the year, according to Greg Minter, principal.

“There were a few teachers who were reluctant to teach in person, at first, but that dramatically subsided,” Minter stated. “Teachers definitely prefer teaching students in person. Online teaching did work for both students and teachers, but it was not ideal.”

As for school attendance, COVID did cause issues. But Prospect High School had measures in place to address that problem, he said.

All sports had seasons during the 2020-21 school year, but many seasons were delayed or abbreviated. For instance, football was played in the spring. In addition, students in spring 2021 had both in-person prom and graduation. 

“The pandemic has been hard on everyone in one way or another,” Minter stated. “I think District 214 responded very well. Our students and staff already had a lot of experience with technology, so that made remote learning an easier adjustment. Educators will view this as the greatest challenge of their career.”