Latest news with #WoodlandElementarySchool
Chicago Tribune
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
An aspiring teacher, Katie Monroe helps Warren try to fulfill its potential. The senior catcher ‘inspires.'
Warren catcher Katie Monroe's patience has been rewarded on the softball field. Monroe has learned the importance of that quality off the field too. She said she wants to be a teacher like her mother, who works in special education at Woodland Elementary School. Monroe has assisted her mother in the classroom. 'It's taught me patience,' she said. 'It's a tough job. So just seeing any improvements, even if they're small or big, are important. It's fun to see the kids doing better academically and socially.' Monroe played on the junior varsity team for two seasons while Ally Badgley was the Blue Devils' starting catcher. 'It was hard, but I know I had a great catcher in front of me,' Monroe said. 'I just did my time. I hit the weight room at home and in class and really put the time in to get better and be ready. 'I was pretty excited to get to start catching. I learned a lot and think I did well.' Indeed, Monroe was an All-North Suburban Conference selection last season, her first as the varsity starter, and the Wisconsin-Stout recruit has continued to backstop the Blue Devils (17-8, 9-4) with grit in her senior season. Monroe, who is batting .338 with a 1.044 OPS, three home runs and 22 RBIs, has thrown out five runners trying to steal and picked off four others. Not reflected in the scorebook, Monroe is also adept at blocking. 'Katie is such a good catcher because of the way she will sell out for everything behind the plate,' Warren junior outfielder Annalise Stich said. 'The way she will block anything in the dirt and throw a girl out at any base are things that make her stand out. She's a competitive and dedicated player.' Warren coach Jenna Charbonneau said Monroe does everything she can to help the pitcher succeed. 'Katie does a great job of being a partner for her pitcher,' Charbonneau said. 'She knows when she should go out and have a talk and manage the pace of the game. Katie has improved the most on receiving the ball. I know she has put a lot of time and effort in the offseason, and it really shows. She works really hard behind the plate for her pitchers.' Warren junior pitcher Camryn Guldberg knows that well. 'What makes Katie such an amazing catcher is the way she talks to her pitchers,' Guldberg said. 'She competes every pitch that's thrown to her, takes charge of the field and keeps everything honest in any situation with feedback. 'Katie's work ethic inspires others on the team, and she shows true leadership by keeping people in the game mentally.' Stich agreed that Monroe's impact is widespread. 'Katie is such a good teammate,' Stich said. 'She's there every time to help out a teammate.' Monroe said she spent most of the offseason working on her defense but also wanted to improve as a leader. 'Being an older person on the team, I try to help out the younger teammates,' she said. Monroe has helped Warren at the plate too. In April, she had three hits and three RBIs in a win against Antioch and three hits and five RBIs in a win against Mundelein, two teams that reached the state semifinals last year. With the playoffs approaching, Monroe hit .643 with a 1.524 OPS and four RBIs during a recent stretch. The second-seeded Blue Devils will play either 15th-seeded Wheeling or 18th-seeded Waukegan in the Class 4A New Trier Regional semifinals on Tuesday. 'We have a lot of potential,' she said, 'and are still getting better and learning.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Woodland Elementary and Harrison High teachers selected as TSC Teachers of the Year
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Tippecanoe School Corp. has named Lisa Merryman as the TSC Elementary Teacher of the Year and Kristen Trella as the TSC Secondary Teacher of the Year. Merryman, a kindergarten teacher at Woodland Elementary School, has garnered over 28 years of experience in education after earning her bachelor's degree from Purdue University. In a news release, Woodland Elementary Principal Lee Sweet said Merryman's commitment to student success shines in everything she does. 'Her unwavering dedication to students, creative teaching methods and passion for inspiring a love of learning are just a few reasons she deserves this honor,' Sweet said in the release. 'Her peers would say she is knowledgeable, kind and always ready to help. She fosters an environment of collaboration, invites input and shares her expertise generously.' Merryman extends learning beyond the classroom through meaningful connections with the community, the release said. Partnering with the McCutcheon High School FACS department, Merryman coordinates shared activities around topics like apples, pumpkins and pizza making. Trella, an English teacher at Harrison High School, has garnered over 25 years of teaching experience after earning her bachelor's degree from Indiana University Northwest and a master's degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. Harrison Principal Cory Marshall said in the release Trella has the ability to meet students where they are, helping struggling learners grasp important concepts while also challenging high-achieving students to reach new levels. 'Ms. Trella's classroom is one of constant activities,' Marshall said in the release. 'Her students clearly realize that her classroom is a place of learning and work, but also that enjoyment and fun can come from such activities.' Beyond the classroom, Trella serves as a travel club sponsor and coach for the girls swimming and diving team, the release said. Earning the NCC Coach of the year award several times, Trella emphasizes character development and community involvement, the release said, by organizing service projects that support the American Red Cross and a local animal shelter. Merryman and Trella will move forward out of a pool of 19 nominees to represent TSC in the Indiana 2026 Teacherof the Year program. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: TSC selects Woodland, Harrison teachers as 2026 Teachers of the Year
Chicago Tribune
27-01-2025
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
Gurnee Pinewood Derby encourages Scouts to use STEAM skills; ‘I think it's a big deal for the kids'
It's Cub Scout Pinewood Derby season in Lake County. On Sunday, the Cub Scout Pack 627 of Gurnee Pinewood Derby featured handmade cars crafted by most of the pack's 40 Scouts, with the event held in the gym at Woodland Elementary School in Gages Lake. The Pinewood Derby, a popular part of the Scouting program, strives to propel derby cars using gravity. Cars have a five-ounce weight limit, and are crafted from provided official kits. Each kit has a small block of wood. The wood is cut and typically sanded and painted, using the kit's axles and wheels. Some cars are designed for speed, others for looks, and sometimes for both. Themes of cars evolve over the years depending on what's popular or simply classic. This year, there were several Tesla-inspired Cybertrucks rolling down the pack's 45-foot aluminum track. Pack 627 Scouts received their kits in December. STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) principles go into the making of each derby car. 'My son and I have been building them for five years — He tells me what he wants, and I try to do my best to cut it out,' said Dave Johnson, pack committee chair and father of Nathan, 10. And yes, Nathan made a Tesla Cybertruck. 'It's pretty ugly but it has good technology,' Nathan said. His mother Beth, co-den leader for the fourth-grade Webelos, added, 'To Nathan's point, the technology is quite impressive. It's amazing the data that they're able to capture so, from that perspective, it's a pretty innovative design.' One Cub Scout in the pack is female: Charlotte Martinez, 8, of Lindenhurst. She made a blue 'Sonic the Hedgehog' car. 'I put a lot of detail in it,' she said, adding that being the lone girl in the group was 'kind of cool.' Dave Johnson said, 'We are open to both boys and girls. We're what we call a family pack.' About the Pinewood Derby, he said, 'It's family. We have grandparents here, brothers and sisters. We want to make it a family event. Ultimately, it's just all about having fun. 'We have a lot of different varieties and creativity with our Scouts,' Johnson continued. 'This is the premiere event for Cub Scouts. They love it. We make it fun. We have it interactive. 'Kids are designing their cars,' he said. 'They're painting their cars. They're coming up with ideas and things I've never seen before or heard of. But then they're also working on the STEM part of it, with dealing with angles, dealing with friction, some of that physics that gets involved with how you're creating the wheels so they spin faster. Where do they put the weight on the car so that it pushes it down the track faster?' The derby was live-streamed on YouTube. Concessions were available for purchase. A loop fixture feature was added for fun to the track after the competition so kids could see if their car could make it through the loop. Ribbons, medals and trophies were part of memories made. Teresa Pajor of Gurnee, celebrated with son William, 6, a kindergartner, who won for best designed car in his group and used gold LEGO pieces. Kindergartners made LEGO brick cars to ease them into the actual Pinewood Derby official kit process. 'It was fun,' she said. 'It was really a great experience. He loves building with LEGOs, and he loves being creative.' Pack Cubmaster Jeff Semler of Gurnee served as emcee and announcer during the countdown to the release of cars down the track. 'I think it's a big deal for the kids because they get to use their creativity to make whatever they want,' he said. 'It's a great time.'
