2 named EPCHS Staffers of Year, scholarship for MVCC student, plus dance news
The STamPede Booster Club at Evergreen Park Community High School, which helps fund school-related efforts outside of athletics and music, recently announced the winners of its annual Staff Members of the Year awards.
Selected by students via a Google ballot were Bryn Zingrebe (certified staff ) and Vern Estes (support staff ).
Others who were recognized, included certified staff members, Kevin Knapik and Amy Kazin, and support staff members, Katie Hyland and Lisa Shields.
Zingrebe and Estes will be presented with plaques at EPCHS Honors Night.
Moraine Valley student earns automotive scholarship
Daniel Padilla is the first Moraine Valley Community College student selected to receive a $2,000 scholarship from the TechForce Foundation, which works to champion students in their education and into careers within the transportation industry.
A resident of Chicago, Padilla has been taking classes at Moraine Valley since fall 2019 and is enrolled in the college’s Nissan/ Infiniti Technician Training Academy. After tinkering with cars for years, Padilla now is working toward an automotive technology associate degree and certificate. He aims to graduate in spring 2023.
“I’m pretty excited and happy to get this scholarship,” he said. “It surprised me because I usually don’t think I can win anything. It’ll help with school and the tools I’ll need.”
Ira Siegel, Moraine Valley professor and program coordinator of automotive technology, said the partnership with Nissan is providing wonderful opportunities for students like Padilla.
“I can’t tell you how exciting it is to help a student get money to learn to do what he loves,” he said.
Frankfort’s Enguita shines in DanceSport
Frankfort’s Jayna Enguita was among the 10 competitors of the University of Alabama Ballroom Dance Team to compete in the National Collegiate DanceSport Championships in Pittsburgh, April 1-3. The team won fifth place in the American style team match against 12 other universities and sixth place for points per person.
Enguita and Reed Fowler ranked first in both Collegiate and Adult Bronze International Paso Doble. They were also American Smooth finalists, earning fourth place for Waltz/Foxtrot and fifth place for Viennese Waltz, and were semifinalists in Adult International Tango and Viennese Waltz. Their American Rhythm and International Latin dancing skills resulted in third and fourth placements (Cha Cha/Rumba, Swing, Jive, Samba) against 60-90 other couples.
University of Alabama Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society inductees
Frankfort: Madison Glatz; New Lenox: Marie Moore, Josie Schmitt.
Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi inducts new members
Oak Lawn: Joanna Kollpainter (Florida Institute of Technology); Park Forest: Delisa Thomas (University of Houston); Sauk Village: Mercedes Gest (Southern Illinois University Carbondale).