DISTRICT 54
A holiday open house will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the District 54 Nature Center behind Frost Junior High School, 320 W. Wise Rd., Schaumburg. Families are invited to make crafts, talk a walk and listen to holiday music. To register, call Mary Ellen Knight at 847-885-5816.
The winter band concert will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Eisenhower Junior High School, 800 W. Hassell Rd., Hoffman Estates. Call 847-885-6760.
Link School will present its concert for 2nd through 4th grades at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Mead Junior High School, 1765 Biesterfield Rd., Elk Grove Village. Call 847-301-2130.
DISTRICT 59
Students who participated in the Artist-in-Residence program with singers and storytellers Tom and Chris Kastle will present the original ballads they created at 7 p.m. Thursday in Brentwood School, 260 Dulles Rd., Des Plaines.
DISTRICT 62
District residents ages 55 and older are invited to a complimentary dinner and performance of the Algonquin Middle School Concert Band, Chamber Orchestra and Chorus Dec. 8 in Algonquin Middle School, 767 Algonquin Rd., Des Plaines. The dinner will be at 4 p.m. in the cafeteria, and the concert at 4:30 p.m. in the gym. The first 200 seniors to pick up tickets will receive a free dinner. Tickets are required for the dinner and are available weekdays in the Des Plaines Community Senior Center, 515 E. Thacker St., and the District 62 Administration Center, 777 Algonquin Rd. Tickets are not required for the concert. Call 847-824-1136.
The Ho-Ho Holiday Store will be open Thursday and Friday in Forest Elementary School, 1375 5th Ave., Des Plaines. For store hours, call 847-824-1380.
DISTRICT 214
The Rolling Meadows High School Music Department will present two holiday concerts Wednesday in the school’s Gilbert Theater, 2901 W. Central Rd. The 6 p.m. concert will feature the Treble and Concert choirs, New Directions, Leading Ladies and Madrigals accompanied by the orchestra. The 8 p.m. concert will feature the combined Concert and Symphonic bands, percussion ensembles and the orchestra. A CD recording will be made of these concerts; order forms will be available at the door. Tickets at the door are $4 per person for one concert, or $5 for both. The Music Department will donate $1 from each ticket to a local food pantry. Call 847-718-5752, 5753 or 5754.
“KTV” (Knight TV), the annual variety show, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday in Prospect High School, 801 E. Kensington Rd., Mt. Prospect. Reserved seats are $7. Call 847-718-5200.
The new aquatic facility will be dedicated at 6 p.m. Monday in Elk Grove High School, 500 W. Elk Grove Blvd., Elk Grove Village. Students from Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows High schools will demonstrate swimming, diving and water polo at 6 p.m., followed by the dedication ceremony at 7:15 p.m. Tours will be held. Call 847-718-4400.
LAKE IN THE HILLS
The Parks and Recreation Department will hold a field trip from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 20 to the IMAX Theater in Lincolnshire for kids 13 and older who have the day off from school. Admission is $9.50. Transportation will be provided for $10 and $7 for residents. Departure will be from Village Hall, 600 Harvest Gate. For details, call 847-960-7460.
McHENRY COUNTY COLLEGE
The “I Want to Be . . . ” career seminar series will focus on social work at noon and 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Advising and Transfer Center of McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake. Call 815-455-8728.
A self-defense workshop for girls in 6th through 8th grades will be from 9 to 11:50 a.m. Saturday in Room B166-167 of McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake. Girls will learn simple joint lock techniques, pressure points and to use their opponent’s energy to deflect an attack. Do’s and don’ts of street, home and school safety will be discussed. The workshop is part of MCC’s Kids and College program. The fee is $25. To register, call 815-455-8588. For details, call 815-479-7559.
Registration for adult education classes, including reading, General Education Development and English as a Second Language, will be from 8 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9 and 17 and from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 18 in Room A360 of McHenry County College, 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake. Arrive promptly. The registration process includes testing and will take two to three hours to complete. Most classes will meet twice a week. Start dates will be given at registration. For details, call 815-455-8752.
OAKTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
“Empty Bowls at Oakton,” a simple meal of soup and bread as a reminder of world hunger sponsored by the Ceramics Club, will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Rd. A $10 donation is required and all proceeds will benefit Maine Township Food Pantry, Northfield Food Pantry and Ignatian Services at Chicago’s St. Ignatius Parish. For information, call 847-635-1699 or e-mail emptybowls@oakton.edu.
Open houses for parents interested in enrolling their children in Oakton’s Early Childhood Education Center will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday at both the Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Rd., and the Ray Hartstein campus, 7701 N. Lincoln Ave., Skokie. The Skokie campus offers part-day and full-day programs for ages 3 to 5; and the Des Plaines campus offers full-day programs for ages 2 to 3 and 3 to 5. Call Connie Porteous at 847-635-1441.
