Northbrook Schools Organize Concert for African Orphans

Northbrook Junior High is hosting the annual Concert for Africa fundraiser on Friday night from 6:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The following story was based on information from a press release provided by District 28. Northbrook Junior High is hosting school district 28's ninth annual Concert for Africa fundraiser on Friday night, collecting donations for school construction projects for Kenyan orphans.  The concert, at 1475 Maple Ave. in Northbrook, runs from 6:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and features local student bands 7 Cents, Wavelength and the NBJH All-Star Band. The $10 admission includes pizza until 7:00 p.m. and a glow-in-the-dark jelly ring. District 28 adopted Spurgeon's Academy in 2004, a school in Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, after the U.S. Congress passed a bill that asks American schools to adopt and support a third world school.  Over nine years, D28 …

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Northbrook Junior High Students Research Water Quality, Habitat Restoration

Northbrook Junior High School seventh graders had the opportunity to learn about local river restoration efforts, participate in pond and river water quality testing and help remove invasive plant species from a local park.

Board Appoints New Principal at Wood Oaks

Rob McElligott, former assistant principal at Old Orchard Junior High School in Skokie, will take over for departing principal Marc Schaffer in July.

Wood Oaks Junior High School’s new principal comes by way of Skokie, but he’s no stranger to Northbrook. Rob McElligott, who currently serves as assistant principal at Old Orchard Junior High School in Skokie, will take the place of outgoing principal Marc Shaffer in July. Before he became assistant principal, McElligott spent ten years as a math teacher, five of them at Northbrook Junior High School.  Earlier: Wood Oaks Principal Will Leave District This Year “Having worked at Northbrook Junior High School, I am aware of the commitment to quality education that both the students and parents of this community possess,” he said in a press release.  Before he became a teacher, McElligott served in the U.S. Navy, where he taught advanced math…

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WWII History Comes To Life At Northbrook Junior High

Speakers included Navy vet and author Jack Coombe as well as Holocaust survivor and Illinois Holocaust Museum Founder Sam Harris.

Photos by Philip Downie Describing how a kamikaze pilot looked him in the eyes before swerving off to bomb another ship, World War II vet Jack Coombe brought history to life. The 50-year Northbrook resident, 89, spoke at Northbrook Junior High School Wednesday for World War II Day, several hours worth of speakers and demonstrations arranged as part of the students’ study of the historical period. Also speaking was Sam Harris, a Holocaust survivor and founder of the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie. Demonstrations included a ration cooking show and a wound dressing activity. (Click through the photos at right to see the activities.) Coombe was a gunner’s mate and later a radar operator for the U.S. Navy. When the Japanese attacked Pearl …

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Patch Picks

Patch Picks For the Perfect President's Day

Even if you don't have Monday off, you can still enjoy many of these ongoing events.

The presidents we honor Feb. 21 may differ in their feelings about foreign affairs and domestic spending, but they would probably agree that a day spent with family is second to none.  This edition of Patch Picks offers a few ways to celebrate President’s Day locally Hit the Links Several presidents played golf, but President Eisenhower was the first to have a putting green installed at the White House. Celebrate his legacy with some early work on your swing. Willow Hill says the driving range will be open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday. (If the weather weren’t so good, we’d consider cross-country skiing or snowshoeing at Sportsman’s Country Club. They’ve got the equipment and lessons you need to enjoy the course in the offseason. ) Get Sideswiped…

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VIDEO: District 28 Kids Rock Out For Africa

Students, faculty, parents and siblings raise money for Kenya's Fred Outa Foundation.

Junior high band Radio Edit and high school bands 42 and Axidents played to a packed house Friday night at Northbrook Junior High School. The "Concert for Africa" benefited The Fred Outa Foundation, which was founded by Westmoor School Secretary Sue Vaickauski and her daughter, Maryanna Gibbs. Moved by the poverty and lack of education they saw on a 2004 trip to Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, they created the foundation as a means of providing aid to 420 orphans at a local school. The foundation is also trying to raise $50,000 to build a girls high school. and every year they host the "Concert for Africa" at Northbrook Junior High School. The $10 admission price included pizza, a glow ring, and of course, the music. In addition, concert…

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Want Kids to Eat Veggies? Try a Gourmet Chef

Northbrook Junior High partners with award-winning Chef Sarah Stegner to make veggies the hottest item on lunch menu.

The hungry mob is about to descend, but award-winning Chef Sarah Stegner looks calm as she dices local Honeycrisp apples with a purposeful stroke. The two-time James Beard prize winner as well as co-chef and owner of Northbrook's Prairie Grass Cafe is preparing 200 servings of apple cabbage coleslaw for a room that's sure to be packed. With 15 minutes to go, there are more apples to chop, bok choy to be added and dressing to toss in. "Easy on the onions," Stegner tells the kitchen staff. It's lunchtime at Northbrook Junior High School. Instead of vending machines dispensing carrots, the school has brought in this Ritz-Carlton-trained chef and advocate of locally sourced ingredients in an effort to get children to eat more vegetables. As …

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