Latest news with #ElginCommunityCollege
Chicago Tribune
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Only 13, Carpentersville girl already a seasoned student at Elgin Community College
Antonika Shapovalova of Carpentersville is one smart, busy kid. Just 13 years old, she has been taking classes at Elgin Community College since fall semester 2024. She's working toward an associate's degree even though she's not yet old enough to attend the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora, where she said she'd like to go due to its individualized programs and reputation for getting students into prestigious universities. 'They typically don't take students until they are in the 10th grade,' she said. Still, as it can be a factor considered for IMSA admission, Antonika already took the ACT test. She scored a composite 33, including a 36 in science and 34 in math. Down the road, Antonika hopes to attend Princeton or another university to study astrophysics. 'My mom has told me the first books I liked were about astronomy, and when I was a little girl I wanted to be an astronaut or an architect,' she said. 'What I like about astrophysics is that the universe is so vast, unexplored and complicated. I want to be a part of the discoveries about it.' These days, Antonika's mom, Veronika, is there helping her daughter on her journey toward reaching her goals, while her dad, Anton, runs his own HVAC business. Veronika Shapovalova drives her daughter to and from ECC and other activities on days that would most likely exhaust many adults, and works remotely at her finance and accounting job. Antonika's day typically includes spending four hours in the water practicing with the Barrington Swim Club. A gifted student, she is also a talented swimmer. She placed first in the Girls 13–14 category at the Great Lakes Open Water Championships held June 26 on Lake Andrea in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, where she competed for Team Illinois. 'I love open water and long distance swimming,' Antonika said. 'I specialize in freestyle and the breaststroke, the hardest stroke. I like to grind it out, to keep going.' Some days, when not practicing at the indoor pool at Barrington High School, she takes a bus with other swimmers to Pleasant Prairie for practice. Other days, her mother drives her to and from the Wisconsin practice facility. That's because this summer Antonika has had to scurry back to Illinois for an evening astronomy class at ECC. Antonika said she has already completed requirements for graduating from Barrington Middle School. She tested and qualified for ECC's dual enrollment program, which requires specific permission from the Academic Dean and Dean of Students for those under the age of 16. One of ECC's youngest students, Antonika took a college algebra class at the school in fall 2024, trigonometry and English composition courses in spring 2025 and Calculus 1 and an astronomy class this summer. That's in addition to already taking online classes from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and Delft University in the Netherlands. The Elgin Community College instructors have been wonderful, particularly math teacher Phil Pardun and astronomy professor Rick Jesik, and the other, older students are supportive, the mother and daughter both said. Antonika said she has not felt intimidated in classes. In turn, she has befriended older students, she said. 'Antonika's experience demonstrates how accessible, flexible programs like those at ECC can support high-achieving young learners right here in the suburbs,' Veronika Shapovalova said. On top of all this, Antonika's growing resume includes winning a Noetic Math Contest Award from the National Honor Roll and honors from the Mathcounts Competition Series and the Barrington Mustang Math Tournament. This summer, she also attended an astronomy camp at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and joined the Northwest Suburban Astronomers Club. In spring, she won the ECC Math Problem of the Semester Contest, she said. 'It took me a couple hours to figure it out,' Antonika said. Moreover, this year, she finished third in a K-8th grade Chinese Speech Contest, for which she received a certificate of recognition from the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago. During summer 2024, Antonika volunteered at a School District 220 Chinese Immersion Camp. In addition to Mandarin, she speaks Russian, too, she said. With what spare time she might have, Antonika said she spends it with family, friends from the swim team and with her family's two dogs. She also likes to read sci-fi and fantasy novels and recently finished 'The Hobbit.' Antonika didn't mention – but her mother did – that Antonika plays violin, too. Like many a mother, Veronika Shapovalova keeps videos of her daughter to proudly show. 'Here she is from when she was much younger. She made the violin she's playing out of paper,' she said.
Chicago Tribune
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin News Digest: Gail Borden, Fox River library districts receive state grants; ECC awarded $295,000 grant to expand EV technician training
The Illinois Secretary of State's office has awarded in $221,112 grant money to the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin and $105,506 to the Fox River Valley Library District in East Dundee. Both per-capita grants are based on population and part of nearly $20 million in funding provided to library districts across the state, according to a news release. 'These funds are not designated to a specific project, but are helpful in enabling us to continue to provide the community with literacy resources, Internet access and many of our services and programs,' Gail Borden spokeswoman Natalie Kiburg said. 'We are so appreciative of this funding as it is essential to our community's vital resources.' News of the state's grants comes amid federal cuts to library budgets nationwide. In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to eliminate and defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which issues $180 million annually to libraries nationwide. Illinois receives nearly $6 million annually, the sixth highest amount of any state, according to the release. Elgin Community College's Sustainability, Business and Career Technology division has been awarded a $295,794 RevUp EV Community College Initiative Grant. The money will be used to expand existing programs and develop new coursework to support technician training in electric vehicle systems, including components of EV advanced manufacturing, according to a news release. 'This grant will help Elgin Community College stay ahead of the curve as the electric vehicle industry continues to grow,' ECC President Peggy Heinrich said in the release. The initiative is part of a statewide effort to accelerate the development of EV infrastructure and workforce capacity in Illinois. It is administered by the Illinois Community College Board and funded by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Elgin Community College Musical Theatre production's of 'Shrek The Musical' will be staged the weekends of July 25-28 and Aug. 1-3 at the school's Second Space Theatre in the ECC Arts Center. The Tony Award-winning musical is based on the 2001 animated Dreamworks movie. ECC's production is directed by Cale Haupert with musical directors Marc Beth and Douglas Orlyk, according to a news release. 'At the heart of 'Shrek The Musical' is a truly beautiful love story,' Haupert said in the release. 'Shrek thinks there is no one in the world who would care for him, but he slowly discovers that he can find true friendship and more when he is brave enough to show the world his true self.' Show times are 7:30 p.m. July 25 and Aug. 1; 7:30 p.m. July 26 and Aug. 2; and 3 p.m. July 27 and Aug. 3. Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and free for ECC students. Elgin Township Senior Access Passes cannot be used to obtain tickets. For purchase tickets, go online at call 847-622-0300 or go to the Arts Center box office.
Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin News Digest: ECC's Project Backpack in need of volunteers, sponsors; lunchtime hike to be held at Hawthorne Hill Nature Center
Elgin Community College is seeking volunteers and sponsors for Project Backpack, which provides backpacks and essential school supplies to students and families in need. This year the giveaway will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, on the ECC campus at 1700 Spartan Drive. Volunteers will help assemble backpacks on July 30-31 and assist during the event, a news release said. Nonprofit and for-profit organizations can set up booths as part of the giveaway, with the latter asked to make a $150 donation to participate. To donate, volunteer or become a sponsor, go to Hawthorne Hill Nature Center in Elgin will host a brown bag lunch hike from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, June 19. Lynette Spencer, a licensed clinical social worker and certified clinical adventure therapist, will talk about how spending time outdoors can boost mental wellbeing in advance of the walk, a social media post for the event said. The cost is $8 for Elgin residents and $11 for nonresidents. Register at Participants should bring their own lunches. The nature center is located at 28 Brookside Drive. Local historian Rebecca Miller will give a brown bag lunch lecture on the stories behind the names of Elgin streets, buildings and schools from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at the Elgin History Museum, 360 Park St., Elgin. The presentation will explore how the names seen every day throughout the city reflect Elgin's diverse history, according to the museum's website. Guests should bring their own lunches; the museum will provide beverages and dessert. Admission is free for museum members and $5 for nonmembers. To register, go to For more information, call 847-742-4248. National Recognition Awards were presented to two infrastructure projects in Kane County at the 2025 American Council of Engineering Companies Engineering Excellence Awards in May. The first was in recognition of Carpentersville becoming a lead-free community by securing $4 million in IEPA loan-eligible reimbursement funding to pay for the removal of 400 lead water service lines to homes. Engineering Enterprises Inc. oversaw the work. Also recognized was the Kane County Department of Transportation's $117 million Longmeadow Parkway, the four-lane, 5.6-mile highway that included a 788-foot-long bridge over the Fox River, the release said. Crawford, Murphy & Tilly; Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick; Thomas Engineering; BLA Inc.; Burns & McDonnell; V3; CivilTech; Alfred Benesch; Clark Dietz; Huff & Huff served as engineering firms for the project. Six School District U-46 students earned first-place honors at the Illinois Science Olympiad. Teams from Eastview Middle School in Bartlett, Larsen Middle School in Elgin and Elgin High School competed in April at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and were honored at a June meeting of the U-46 school board, according to a news release. Pratyush Ramesh, who graduated from Elgin High last month, and junior Abhinav Arvind finished first in the anatomy and physiology category. Classmates Aarav Patel and Mahitha Ratakonda, who both graduated last month, finished first in the disease detectives category, which involved epidemiology case studies. Eastview students Jacob Baca and Melia Ortiz-Tan, who will be eighth-graders in the fall, earned first place in the remote sensing trial event.
Chicago Tribune
03-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
U-46 plans to cover cost of high school juniors taking the ACT in fall
School District U-46 will pay for high school juniors to take the ACT test in the fall in an effort to familiarize students with the exam, meet dual-credit application requirements and potentially boost scores. The standardized tests will cost $121,862 according to a proposal endorsed Monday by the U-46 school board and to be formally approved June 16. 'This is a new initiative to stay in alignment with the Illinois State Assessment for 11th-graders,' said U-46 Assessment Director Matthew Raimondi, who spoke about the plan prior to the meeting. The state requires all 11th-grade students and any untested 12th-grade students take the ACT with Writing exam as part of the spring state assessment in order to graduate. That test features a 40-minute written essay session, according to the ACT website. 'For many years previously, the SAT was part of the graduation requirement in Illinois,' Raimondi said. 'Now, by offering the ACT to juniors in the fall, it provides students the opportunity to get familiar with the format before the mandatory ACT in the spring.' The district had considered offering the PreACT to juniors in the fall but opted against it because Elgin Community College and other community colleges do not accept its scores for admitting qualifying dual-credit students, he said. PreACT scores also aren't considered for scholarship opportunities, such as those offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. 'The actual ACT does count for dual credit, directly aligns to the state test, is college reportable and allows for students to submit a 'Super Score,'' Raimondi said. A Super Score lets students to submit their highest score from each test subject from different test dates when applying to college, he said. According to a memo provided as part of the Monday meeting agenda, 'a student who performs best in English and reading in the fall and in math and science in the spring may submit an ACT superscore combining their top section scores for college admissions.' After taking the ACT test in the fall, based on their performance, students will have access to targeted activities to build their subject skills in preparation for taking the mandatory ACT in the spring, the memorandum said. 'We are excited to offer this new opportunity for our students and help them prepare for the spring test,' Raimondi said prior to the meeting. The district has been providing the PSAT, which aligns with the state test, and offers dual-credit opportunities, both of which can lead to scholarship opportunities through the National Merit program, he said. 'We are planning to continue to offer the PSAT to 10th-graders and 11th-graders in the fall,' Raimondi said. With the state and the federal government requiring high school students to take so many tests, Superintendent Suzanne Johnson said staff would provide school board members with a calendar of when during the 2025-26 school year U-46 will be offering the various assessments.
Chicago Tribune
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin News Digest: ECC bands and ensembles to present spring concerts in May; Hanover Township's annual Kite Festival set for Saturday
ECC bands and ensembles to present spring concerts in May Elgin Community College bands and ensembles will be holding concerts this week and next at the Blizzard Theater in Building H on the 1700 Spartan Drive campus. All performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and are scheduled to run 90 minutes. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. The schedule is: Wednesday, May 7 — Concert Band under the direction of Greg Matushek. Thursday, May 8 — Steel Bands under the direction of Scott McConnell. Monday, May 12 — Hip Hop Ensemble under the direction of Adam Schlipmann. Tuesday, May 13 — Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Shawn Maxwell, with special guest Snarky Puppy's Grammy Award-winning violinist Zach Brock. Wednesday, May 14 — American Roots Ensemble under the direction of Adam Schlipmann. For tickets and more information, go to Hanover Township's annual Kite Festival set for Saturday Hanover Township's second annual Kite Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 10, at the Carl R. Hanson Woods Forest Preserve, located off Route 59, south of Shoe Factory Road, between Elgin and Hoffman Estates. The free festival will celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and honor the origin of kites, according to a news release. A limited number of free kites will be available for assembly. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own to fly. Also featured will be the Brookfield Zoo Chicago's Animal Ambassador Program, a children's bounce house, and free popcorn and snow cones, the release said. For more information, email info@ or call 630-837-0301. Library holding program on how seniors can avoid injuries An informational program called 'ThinkFirst for Life,' focusing on the ways older drivers can prevent injuries, will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 7, at the St. Charles Public Library. Michelle Larsen, project manager for ThinkFirst, will address areas of concern, provide guidance on protecting oneself and offer advice for staying active and independent for as long as possible, a library news release said. Information on safe driving practices and tips to reduce the risk of crash-related injuries also will be provided. The library is located at 1 S. Sixth Ave. To register, go to or call 630-584-0076. 5K to benefit U-46 program for deaf/hard-of-hearing students A 5K run and walk to benefit School District U-46's program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Bartlett Nature Center 2050 W. Stearns Road. The U-46 Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program serves more than 100 students with hearing loss in self-contained classrooms and through traveling resources, according to the district's website. Online registration ends Friday but participants also can sign up in person Saturday morning. The entry fee is $25 for adults, $12 for children ages 3 to 17 and free for those under 3. To register and for more information, go to
