Local Robotics Team Going to Nationals for Second Straight Year

Groups from Brooks and Julian will travel to Omaha Neb. in early March.

For the second time in two years, two VEX Robotics teams from the Oak Park Education Foundation will head to nationals March 7 through 9. The Terminators from Gwendolyn Brooks and the Black Team from Percy Julian, along with their coaches, will be traveling to Omaha to compete against the best middle school teams from across the country. They will face off against other teams on a playing field in this year's VEX Robotics game Sack Attack by driving robots they have designed, built and programmed from the ground up since October. The teams will also vie for awards in categories such as design, creativity, innovation and teamwork. Terminator team members are Samantha Braun, Mac Bell, Julia Dreher-Threlkeld, and An Edwards. Black team …

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Brooks B-Balling Boys Win Village Tournament

Brooks eighth graders win fourth annual Oak Park-River Forest Al Allen Village Tournament.

Brooks Student Moves to Finals for International Poster Contest

Eighth grader Stacey Sevriukova won the statewide contest for her peace poster, now she's in the finals.

Robo War: Battle of the Bots Slated for Jan. 26

Robotics geeks will show off their creations and compete for prizes.

If you're into all things robots and robotics, Percy Julian Middle School will be the place to be Jan. 26. More than 100 middle school VEX Robotics students from Oak Park and the Chicago area will square off in the Battle of the Bots, featuring teams from Brooks, Julian, St. Giles and the surrounding suburbs. It will be set at 9 a.m. at the school, 416 S. Ridgeland Ave. Participants will compete for trophies by strategically executing the VEX Robotics challenge game Sack Attack, driving robots they've designed, built and programmed from the ground up since October. The Robotics program involves more than 80 middle school students who have worked with teachers, volunteer engineers, and high school mentors. The most successful teams will …

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Brooks Arts Troupe Heading to National Junior Theater Festival

This year's appearance is the fifth in as many years for BRAVO program.

BRAVO, the fine arts and performing arts program at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, has done it again. The troupe of 46 performers will head to the National Junior Theater Festival, being conducted over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend in Atlanta, GA. This is the fifth consecutive year that the talented group will represent Brooks and the entire state of Illinois in one of the most prestigious national competitions of its kind. The festival is sponsored by iTheatrics, a New York-based organization that takes Broadway shows and changes the keys of the songs to fit younger performers’ voices, shortens the scripts and in the case of such shows as Hairspray, makes them G-rated. The Saturday night of the festival, the cast will …

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Brooks Middle School Student Named Statewide Winner for Peace Poster

Stacey Sevriukova, of Oak Park, has been chosen the statewide winner in the Lions International Peace Poster Contest.

An Oak Park middle school student has been picked as the winner from Illinois in the Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Stacey Sevriukova, a student at Brooks Middle School, was picked as the best in the state. A presentation will be made to Sevriukova at Brooks Middle School on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 3:30 p.m. by President Tina Gaddy and Secretary Hope Bell of the sponsoring Oak Park and River Forest Lions Club. Sevriukova's poster will go on to be judged at the international level at the Loyola University Museum of Art in Chicago in late January. The Lions International Peace Poster Contest was created to encourage young people to express their vision for peace through art. Each year a theme is picked, and students can use a wide …

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Person of Interest Held In Possible Student Abduction Attempts

Oak Park police credit passing motorists with stopping two possible abduction attempts of Oak Park students earlier today.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with new information from police. Click here to read: Charges Brought Against Maywood Man in Child Abduction Attempts Oak Park police have reported that they are holding a suspect in connection with recent reports that students in Oak Park have been followed in the last 24 hours in possible abduction attempts. In one attempt, a teen-age girl bit a man and screamed as he grabbed her. In another, a middle-school student screamed and caught the attention of others nearby. Officially designated a "person of interest," police said they would consult with the Cook County State's Attorney to review their evidence. Police said they took the suspect into custody today around 9 a.m. on Madison Street in …

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Forum Set for Wednesday on New Learning Efforts at Oak Park Middle Schools

Parents can explore how programs will be integrated into classrooms at Brooks and Julian.

New efforts that Elementary District 97 officials hope will take education to a new level at Oak Park middle schools will be the focus of a forum at 7 p.m. this Wednesday at Brooks, 325 Kenilworth Ave. Staff will explain how the Common Core State Standards and the International Baccalaureate program, which have been initiated in District 97, are being integrated into the classrooms at Brooks and Julian. Parents also can talk with their child's teachers to find out how these new programs are affecting every-day learning. Follow Patch on Facebook for breaking news, friendly discussions and more. Click here to follow Forest Park Patch. Or, click here to follow Oak Park and River Forest Patch. The Common Core State Standards came about by  a …

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District 97 Athletes, Musicians Stand Out in Competition

Oak Park middle schoolers earn top honors in state track meet and music festival.

From Oak Park Elementary School District 97 The track teams from Gwendolyn Brooks and Percy Julian Middle Schools earned several medals and top finishes during the state meet held by the Illinois Elementary School Association on Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 in East Peoria, Illinois. Mary Blankemeier, a seventh grader from Brooks who took first place in the 2011 Girls AA Cross Country Champion state meet held in the fall, captured first place and set a state record of five minutes and 10.23 seconds in the 1600 meter run. In addition to Blankemeier, who also took second place in the 800 meter dash, Chisom Nwoko, an eighth grader from Brooks, finished first in the 400 meter dash. Other notable performances included: The girls track …

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Brooks Middle School Principal Resigns

Tom Sindelar tendered his surprise resignation at a recent District 97 school board meeting.

Parents of students at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School are trying to understand what led to last week's surprise resignation of principal Tom Sindelar. Sindelar, who's been at the helm of Brooks since 2005, announced his resignation at the March 13 board meeting. He'll leave the job, which earned him $122,032 in 2011-2012, June 30. Related: Brooks' New Principal Clear on Challenges (Wednesday Journal, June 2005) Oak Park Elementary School District 97 spokesman Chris Jasculca declined to discuss the details of the departure, citing privacy reasons. "Since this is a personnel issue, the district is prohibited by law from providing specific details about the matter," he said. Sindelar's sudden resignations means Oak Park's two middle schools …

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