And the 2011 Winner is...

Guided by our interest in promoting stronger involvement in our schools and investment in our children, each year BerwynC.A.R.E.S. awards scholarships to Morton West High School students headed to college. Due to generous contributions from our community and membership, we were able to award one special student a scholarship this year. We are honored to announce 2011 recipient Sandra Bilo and her achievements below. She demonstrated true passion for personal and academic development.

Congratulations Sandra Bilo!
Sandra Bilo is ranked 84th in her class. She scored a 32 on the ACT and has a GPA of 3.561. Her school activities include Math Team, and Advanced Vocal Ensemble and has volunteered her time at the library as well as the local church food pantry. She plans on attending the University of Illinois at Chicago and will work towards a major in either Accounting or Social Work. Sandra attended most district 201 school board meetings and stood up for student rights. She helped receive additional seating for students that were forced to eat their lunches on the floor, and fought for not suspending students over the number of buttons on their shirts (“To take someone’s education away for a day for such an insignificant thing is unthinkable”).

The following is a quote from her essay: “It is my hope to one day change the school environment, as education should be the primary focus, no matter what the financial problems are. By speaking out in my community, I know that I can make a big difference, big or small, because even small changes can help the quality of education.”

Congratulations to Sandra, her mother, Dorothy and her Father, Michael!

A Wish List for Morton West

Berwyn CARES had a small, but spirited, group meet on Thursday at the Library to discuss the book "How to Walk to School: Blueprint for a Neighborhood Renaissance". Our discussion kept coming back to Morton West. I've posted the following question on the CARES forum and was hoping you all would comment there. While not everyone can attend meetings in person, most readers of this blog have something to say on this subject. Let your voice be heard!

* When Nettlehorst school principal Susan Kurland asked parent Jacqueline Edelburg and her friend what it would take for them to enroll their children at the school, the women came back the next day "armed with an extensive wish list" (pp. 25-27). What would be on your wish list for a school for your children? Which items, if any, would be nonnegotiable?

Reply here: http://www.berwyncares.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=39

NBPD Names Best of Berwyn, Seeks Volunteers to Build Park.

Congratulations to the North Berwyn Park District on the 10th anniversary of the Best of Berwyn program, celebrated at an awards dinner last week. Few events make you feel better about local education than the Best of Berwyn. The caliber of all the kids in the competition this year was inspiring and a video should soon be available on their Web site.

The #1 Best of Berwyn for 2011 is a young man named Weisner Perez whose brother was a #2 BoB last year. All three middle schools were pretty evenly represented (7-8 kids each from Freedom, Lincoln, Heritage) and 2 from St. Leonard’s. Many were like Weisner in that they had siblings that preceded them in the BoB, reinforcing what we already know: that family support makes a big difference.

You can read more about the program and the candidate’s here: http://www.nbpd4fun.org/uploads/Download/BOB2011Candidates.pdf.

North Berwyn Park District has plans to build a park at 19th and Cuyler in ONE day (June 4, 2011) with support from KaBOOM! and Disney. They are seeking 150 volunteers (no skills/tools needed). Please email info@berwyncares.org if you want to join a CARES team or contact the NBPD at (708) 749-4900.

How to Walk to School: Blueprint for a Neighborhood School Renaissance Author Jacqueline Edelberg to Speak at Heritage Middle School

On May 19, 2011, Berwyn C.A.R.E.S. and the Heritage PTSA will host Jacqueline Edelberg, coauthor of How to Walk to School: Blueprint for a Neighborhood School Renaissance, who will share her experiences as a successful organizer of grassroots, community-led school reform.

When Edelberg and a friend ventured inside Nettelhorst, their Chicago neighborhood’s underutilized and struggling public elementary school, the new principal asked what it would take for them to enroll their children. Stunned by her candor, they returned the next day armed with an extensive wish list. The principal read their list and said, “Well, let’s get started, girls! It’s going to be a busy year...”

How to Walk to School is the story of eight park moms who galvanized neighborhood parents and then organized an entire community to take a leap of faith, transforming a challenged urban school into one of the city’s best, virtually overnight. It provides an honest and accessible blueprint for parents and administrators who are ready to step forward and take back their schools.

Please join us for this vital discussion of how to reclaim the public schools our children deserve.

Heritage Middle School
6850 31st Street
Thursday, May 19
7:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. Onsite child supervision will be provided.

Copies of How to Walk to School will be offered for sale, courtesy of Magic Tree Bookstore.

The Nettelhorst story has been featured on Oprah & Friends, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Redbook, NPR, CNN, 60 Minutes, Education Weekly, and in the Chicago media. See below for highlights from the media coverage of How to Walk to School.

Video produced by Pearson Education:

NPR's Chicago Matters:

Chicago magazine:

The Chicago Reader: