NUMBERS SHOW LION CLEAR EHS MASCOT WINNER
Nearly 1,400 votes were cast for Elgin High School’s new mascot, with 558 for a lion, 421 for watchmen/timekeepers and 417 for a fox, according to information provided by Principal Avelira Rodriguez Gonzalez.
Now that the mascot has been chosen, a design committee made up of students and others will come up with a design and put out bids to get a costume made and to add logos to the gym banner and on printed materials, Rodriguez Gonzalez said.
The new mascot is to be presented to the District U-46 School Board in June and the goal is to have the mascot ready by start of school in fall, she said.
“But school ends (for the academic year) on May 20, so there’s no guarantee,” Rodriguez Gonzalez said.
LOCAL GIRL PART OF WINNING ROBOTICS TEAM
Carpentersville resident Antonika Shapovalova was part of a team that took third place in its category at an international robotics contest held in Houston.
The Golden Ratio team competed in its division for a robot it created, and currently ranks sixth overall in its division for its performances at various robotics competitions, according to the event’s website.
Shapovalova, 14, said this is the third consecutive year that her five-member, Cary-based team attended the FIRST Championship. The competition bills itself as the world’s largest event of its kind and says that 1,055 teams took part this year.
Shapovalova said her team has been invited by an Illinois STEM advocacy organization to help represent student robotics program voices in discussions about STEM education funding and policy with state officials.
“It has been exciting to see how robotics can create opportunities not only in engineering but also in leadership and community advocacy,” she said.
Shapovalova’s teammates are high school students Josiah Ryan, Nehemiah Schultz, Josh Weston and Chris Ptaszek, who live in McHenry County. Shapovalova is homeschooled and working on an associate degree in science at Elgin Community College.
PLANETARIUM SHOWS TO FOCUS ON WATCH COMPANY
Hour-long shows featuring a history of the Elgin National Watch Co., its connection to the School District U-46 Planetarium and a look at the night sky will be held at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at the Elgin National Watch Co. Observatory in Elgin.
A self-guided building tour will be available before both shows, according to a post on the Historic Elgin website. Admission is free, but $2 per person donations are appreciated. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information, call Joe Kellenberger at 847-888-5019.
PUBLIC MUSEUM HOLDING ‘GROOVY’ MUSIC PROGRAM
Elgin Public Museum will hold a Seniors Free Friday Field Trip presentation on “1966: The Year Music Got Groovy” at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 15.
The free program will cover the music of the era and how it reflected the issues of the day, including the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the generation gap, and the women’s and gay liberation movements, according to a social media post.
The event is geared toward people ages 60 and older. Snacks will be served. The museum is at 275 Grand Blvd. in Lords Park in Elgin.
To register to attend, go the museum’s Facebook page and scroll down to the item on the program.
SOUTH ELGIN PUBLIC WORKS HOSTING OPEN HOUSE
South Elgin Public Works Department will hold an open house from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 15, at the Public Services Building, 1000 Bowes Road.
The free event will include a touch-a-truck attraction, games, snacks, promotional giveaways and a chance to engage with the public works team, according to the village’s website. It’s a kick-off to American Public Works Association National Public Works Week, May 17 to 23.
For more information, call 847-695-2742.
