Established 1962

Vietnam War veteran Chuck McCloud, 70, of Palos Hills survived Viet Nam, H1N1, and most recently, COVID-19. In April, he spent four days in Hines Veterans Hospital attached to IVs and wearing an oxygen mask after he became ill. McCloud never saw this coming and was instead planning on taking a flight to Washington D.C. for a sight-seeing tour with Honor Flight Chicago. 

Honor Flight Chicago is a non-profit organization that flies senior war heroes to the nation’s capital for a day of honor at the memorials built in tribute to them. The group started flying World War II veterans to the D.C. in 2008. Honor Flight Chicago began flying Korean War veterans in 2016, and recently expanded to flying Vietnam era veterans in 2019. Sadly, the flight was cancelled because of the pandemic. 

To help ease the disappointment, volunteers from Honor Flight Chicago showed up at his house and had him come outside. They had placed a sign on his lawn that said, “Honor Flight Chicago Salutes This Vietnam War Veteran.”

McCloud is hopeful his Honor Flight will soar in 2021. He said, “I’m honored to be chosen. I just want to go with the other veterans to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I’ve never been to Washington, D.C. and I’ve always wanted to go. The greatest thing will be seeing all those veterans getting off the plane.” 

In addition to serving two years of active duty in Viet Nam, McCloud served two years of active duty in the Army Reserve, and two years of inactive reserve duty.

Full story available in the Chicago Ridge Citizen

For the first time, a librarian from Moraine Valley Community College has won the Technical Services Award, which the Illinois Library Association (ILA) awards each year. Natalie Hall, technical services coordinator, was named the award recipient because of her significant contribution to the college’s technical services and cataloging areas.

Hall transitioned the Moraine Valley Library’s catalog to a new cataloging system that allows students and others to more efficiently access materials. Terra Jacobson, dean of the college’s Learning Resource Center, said, “The work in the back end of the Library is very important. If your catalog is not easily searchable, people can’t find the information they need. We do all of this work in-house. It’s clear the Illinois Library Association sees value in the work Natalie does.”

Hall was excited to learn she had received the award and is proud of the work she and the technical services staff do. “We strive to get resources in the hands of students, faculty and staff as quickly as possible. The catalog serves as a wonderful resource in the Library,” she said.

Hall will receive her award when the ILA hosts its annual awards ceremony virtually on October 22.

Full story available in the Chicago Ridge Citizen

Back in April, administrators from Richards High School asked representatives from the senior class for a wish list for graduation if the pandemic precluded a traditional ceremony.

During the Zoom conference call, the students consistently mentioned two hopes: If COVID-19 prevented a traditional ceremony, they wanted to walk the Performing Arts Center stage one more time and they would like their families to attend. “So that’s exactly what we’re giving them,” said Associate Principal Toriano Griggs.

Over the course of four days, every member of the Class of 2020 received the opportunity to have their name announced as a graduate, receive their diploma, and take photos to commemorate their achievement. 

Families registered during 10-minute intervals on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 8-11. Everyone followed social distancing guidelines and wore facemasks to limit the risk of spreading infection.

Full story available in the Chicago Ridge Citizen

District 218 is leaning toward a blended model for student learning, where half the student body comes to class on alternating days and the other half works remotely at home. The district includes high schools Eisenhower in Blue Island, Shepard in Palos Heights, and Richards in Oak Lawn. 

All students would be learning remotely from home on Wednesdays, which would be reserved for students coming to school who need additional academic help or social support, staff development and deeper cleaning of the building. The district is also considering having all students starting off the year remotely for two or three weeks and then segueing into a blended world.

Full story available in the Chicago Ridge Citizen