Sandburg team earns top marks at business contest
A team of three young women from Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park won this year’s Moraine Valley Community College & Moraine Area Career Systems 2026 Business Skills Competition.
Juniors Nidhi Patel and Jane Chan and sophomore Kamile Juzenas competed against four other teams in the contest, which required them to come up with a comprehensive marketing plan for a solar battery product. Teams had just one hour to design and research their idea before delivering two six- to eight-minute presentations.
Sandburg’s team created the slogan “Charge on the Go” for a solar battery and featured nature enthusiasts, people interested in a healthier lifestyle, Gen Z members and runners who could charge it while on the go.
Sponsor a bench in Flossmoor at memorial
As the Flossmoor Veterans’ Memorial begins construction on the Flossmoor Veterans’ Wall of Honor, it’s looking for donors who would like to buy a plaque on one of the four benches to be placed at the wall.
The 8-foot benches will be black onyx with a bronze plaque 10.5 inches by 3 inches mounted at the top of their curved backs. Four lines of text with a maximum of 28 characters and spaces per line can be used. Sponsorship is $2,500, which can be done at https://flossmoorvets.squre.site.
The money will be used to maintain the wall after it’s completed this summer between the CN/Metra tracks and Park Place at 2525 Flossmoor Road. The benches will be installed when the project is mostly done, with a ribbon-cutting happening later this summer, noted Paul Braun, the organization’s president, who also was mayor of Flossmoor for 12 years.
Cal City plans talk on the ‘90s, scavenger hunt
The Calumet City Historical Society Center & Museum will meet June 14 at the center, 760 Wentworth Ave.
The center opens at 1 p.m. with a membership meeting at 2 p.m., refreshments and a Flag Day tribute. The program at 3 p.m. is “Pictorial From the Daily Southtown: Cal City in the 1990s” and features photos saved in 2011 by local historians when the “Southtown Star” merged with the “Daily Southtown.”
A museum scavenger hunt follows at 3:30 p.m. in conjunction with the special road trips exhibit. Everyone who submits a questionnaire receives a prize. Admission is free. Information is at www.calumetcityhistoricalsociety.org or 708-832-9390.
Teen driving ambassadors earn scholarships
The SafeLIGHT Foundation has named the latest class of its Teen Ambassador Program, which aims to promote safe driving messages to prevent crashes and save lives, with each teen receiving a $2,500 college scholarship for participating.
Nine area high schools were represented in 2025-26: Mother McAuley, Morgan Park, Lyons Township, Whitney Young, Southland College Prep and the Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy.
The 17 ambassadors were Genesis Watts, Rayten Skotmyr, Loren Rounds, Anyla Martin, Jordan Lee, Chaz Christian Knight, Kara Grant, Alayna Gilspie, Amouri Fisher, Izabell Kutyla Enriquez, Erin Eberhardt, Bisola Disu, Anna Condron, Brianna Coleman, Courtney Clemons, Alina Chavez and Leilani Barnes.
Students are expected to share information with other teens about the responsibilities and risks associated with driving via social media campaigns and town hall meetings at their schools.
Applications are being accepted for next year’s class. To sign up and learn eligibility requirements, visit safelightfoundation.com/teen-ambassador-program. The foundation has awarded $138,000 to more than 50 teens thus far, working with 21 high schools in the Chicago area.
Musical acts perform at Palos Heights park
Concerts in the Park featuring four acts come to the gazebo at Memorial Park, 7607 W. College Drive in Palos Heights. All shows are from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Drinks and food will be sold.
Wildwood Country performs June 18, Classic Blast plays July 9, Miss Angie & The Misters stars July 30 and The Chicago Experience ends the series Aug. 13. Attendees should bring chairs and blankets to sit on. Details are at the Palos Heights Parks and Recreation Department at 708-361-1807.
Retro songs, brass band featured at Orland Park library
The Orland Park Public Library will host two free concerts this month at 14921 S. Ravinia Ave.
Rosie & The Rivets, led by Christine Murphy, perform at 2 p.m. June 14, featuring the band’s retro style and powerhouse vocals with a mix of hits from the 1960s through the early 2000s. Since forming in 2015, the live act has appeared at more than 1,000 shows in the area.
The Frankfort Brass Band plays at 2:30 p.m. June 20. At 2 p.m., children newborn through 6 years old will be invited to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday by having a parade from the South Services program room to the library’s lobby. Wagons and strollers are welcome.
The band, which will play traditional brass band music, was founded in 1860 as the Frankfort Silver Cornet Band before becoming the Frankfort Brass Band in 1897 and doing well for more than 30 years. It was revised in 2005.
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