Oak Lawn students deemed best in state at vocabulary

Oak Lawn Community High School is the Illinois Champion for the Vocabulary Bowl Fall 2023 season. The competition, sponsored by vocabulary.com, took place in October and November, as OLCHS students mastered 18,296 words, most of any participating school in the state. to come in first place in the state. the Spartans also placed 4th in the Top 5 Rookie School category.

The English department also recognized its top student Samantha Ramirez, who mastered 490 words and was awarded an Amazon gift card. An event celebrating the state title is planned for January at the school, officials said.

Rotarians replenish art supplies at St. Coletta’s

Developmentally disabled children and adults at St. Coletta’s of Illinois in Tinley Park received a holiday gift that will keep on giving as the Rotary Club of Orland Park delivered boxes of paintbrushes, canvas boards, acrylic pour paint, art markers and colored pencils.

The art supplies helped replenish the nonprofit’s dwindling supply, according to a news release from St. Coletta’s, which noted art is used to help ease anxiety, enhance communication skills and boost self-esteem in people with developmental disabilities.

Historic holidays on display in Park Forest

The 1950s Park Forest House Museum showcases holidays from the past with its exhibit Step Back into a 1950s Christmas and Hanukkah, which closes Jan. 3.

The museum, inside St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 227 Monee Road in Park Forest, is open from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays and by appointment for small groups at other times.

The December-long exhibit offers “a dose of holiday nostalgia,” according to a release from the Park Forest Historical Society. Vintage decorations include a musical rotating aluminum tree — a Brilliant Noble Fir model made by the C. Sincere Company in Chicago that is decorated with midcentury era ornaments. There’s also Gurley Candles and Rosbro plastic figurines and other dolls, toys, and games from the past. The museum also has a Hanukkah display, along with an exhibit on Jewish residents of Park Forest.

After Jan. 3, the museum will be closed in January, except by appointment. It is planned to reopen Feb. 3 with the exhibit Step Back into a 1950s Valentine’s Day as well as a yearlong exhibit celebrating Park Forest’s 75th anniversary.

More information is with museum director Jane Nicoll at 708-481-4252 or www.parkforesthistory.org.

Bird art takes flight at Plum Creek Nature Center

Paintings, sculptures and graphics created by an international cast of artists will be on display during a “Birds in Art” exhibition this winter at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township.

The 60 works of art are part of a traveling exhibition culled from the larger “Birds in Art” exhibition that was on display at the Wausau, Wis.-based Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in 2023. The admission-free museum, which was established in 1976, is internationally renowned for its “Birds in Art” exhibitions, which change each fall. Plum Creek Nature Center is the traveling exhibition’s first stop on its 2024 tour.

The exhibition will run from Jan. 2, through Feb. 25 at the nature center, which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.

“This exhibition is absolutely a perfect fit for Plum Creek because it’s an established birding location,” said Jessica Prince, facility supervisor at Plum Creek. It’s a big ‘get’ for Plum Creek to host such a prestigious exhibit from a world-renowned museum.”

Program details are listed on the Forest Preserve’s Event Calendar at ReconnectWithNature.org.

Caring Crew Gathering at senior center in Burbank

Any caregiver, especially those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, is invited to enjoy fellowship, participate in educational programs and to gain knowledge on many different topics as part of the Caring Crew, which kicks off a new year of programming from 10 to 11 a.m. Jan. 16 at the Louis S. Viverito Senior Center, 7745 S. Leamington Ave. in Burbank.

According to a news release, the free gatherings include benefits such as sharing common experiences and learning coping strategies, finding emotional outlets and receiving support from peers, forming new friendships and discovering a sense of community and helping others while still helping yourself.

The Caring Crew Gathering is part of the National Family Caregiver Support Program, a federal program that provides services to help families. More information is at 708-636-8850.

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