Sandburg CAD students sketch up success
Students studying computer-aided design and engineering at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park made a successful trip to the Illinois Design Educators Association State CAD Competition recently at Illinois State University. Sandburg competed in five divisions and medaled in three.
Senior Logan Zerfass finished in 1st place in the Introductory CAD division with a perfect score and was named a State Champion, marking the school’s third State Champion in the past four years in that division. Fellow senior Jacob Sexton took home 2nd place in 3D Architectural Modeling, and senior Monica Jagodka placed 3rd in 3D Machine CAD. Other Sandburg seniors who competed at the state event were Nathan Fuentebella and Patrick Bigos. All of the students had finished in 1st place at the Moraine Valley Regional.
Fire damages Orland Park restaurant
A fire Monday night damaged the Al Bahaar Restaurant, 39 Orland Square Drive, according to a news release from the Orland Fire Protection District. Major damage was averted and nobody was injured in the blaze, which was discovered in a restaurant wall, officials said.
Restaurant owners initially suspected an alarm was triggered by a malfunction, but as firefighters inspected the restaurant to reset the fire alarm, they detected a burning smell, district officials said in the release.
“The danger of a fire inside a wall is that it climbs up inside the wall above the sprinkler system and can do far more damage,” said Fire Chief Michael Schofield.
Once the fire was discovered additional responders came from Orland Fire, Palos Heights, Palos Park, Tinley Park and other fire districts and departments.
Firefighters moved quickly to open the wall exposing heavy smoke and flames which were rapidly extinguished, preventing the fire from spreading and causing more damage.
“The diligence of the initial fire company should be commended, given that their actions saved a potential total loss by locating a hidden fire within a wall that could have spread to the unprotected attic area and destroyed this building or caused harm to patrons and employees,” Schofield said.
Emmy winner alum to return to H-F
Scott Adametz, who has built a career that spans media, sports, esports and gaming since graduating from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor in 2003, will return to his alma mater Monday morning to give broadcasting, computer science and engineering students a chance to hear from an accomplished industry leader.
Now the engineering director for ecosystem security at Epic Games, Adametz oversees a team that develops tools to ensure player safety across Epic’s games, including Fortnite, LEGO Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket Racing. Before that, he worked for Riot Games, where he focused on technology and production for esports events. He was a key figure in Project Stryker, a global remote production initiative, and was involved in major events for League of Legends and VALORANT.
Adametz has helped launch several national television networks, starting with the Big Ten Network in Chicago, the Speed network in Charlotte, and the Pac-12 Network in San Francisco, and also contributed to technology operations at NFL Media in Los Angeles.
During his high school years, Adametz was the Viking Television anchor, station engineer and operations director as well as station manager at WHFH radio, and was a member of the National Honor Society. Additionally, he was an Illinois Speech State Champion and an Illinois Theater State Champion.
The school has proudly displayed his 2019 Emmy Award for Outstanding Esports Coverage of the League of Legends World Final at the main entrance to motivate students.
Andrew High School takes part in Day of Understanding
Students at Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park recently took part in a Day of Understanding to address respect and responsibility. The activities were created, delivered and facilitated by students as a way to enhance cultural responsiveness by educating students about microaggressions, the importance of words, and how to contribute to the school’s climate and culture.
Students watched a series of videos and discussed microaggressions, respect, and responsibility. Students highlighted what microaggressions are and the impact they can have. Respect centered on the importance of not judging but rather understanding, while responsibility focused on how words and actions can cause more harm than good, especially when social media isn’t used appropriately.
There were break-out sessions where small groups discussed ways to stop the drama, stop making judgments without knowing the full story, and discussions about what could be done to make Andrew a better place.
According to senior Marisa Lynch, the Day of Understanding stemmed from the Restorative Circles Club as members were trying to find ways to instill preventive measures so students could better understand their frustrations and solve issues.
“The day is necessary because it shows students leading by example,” she said. “If your peers are more likely to participate in a civil manner, then you are likely to as well. A Day of Understanding is the projection of this idea on a larger scale.”
Weavers Guild South to meet in Matteson
An abundance of fibers will be introduced when the Weavers Guild South meets at noon May 18 at the Matteson Public Library, 801 School Ave.
Former art teacher Betty Burian Kirk will present about animal fibers, such as yak and musk ox, plant fibers like ramie and lotus as well as regenerated manufactured fibers like rose, pearl and mint. Find out what the most expensive legal fiber is.
Beverly/Morgan Park Home Tour planned in May
The Beverly Area Planning Association will host the Beverly/Morgan Park Home Tour from noon to 5 p.m. May 19 Five private residences, including three with deep roots in area history, will be open to visitors. The tour will begin at Smith Village, a senior care community celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Homes on this year’s tour range from a Victorian era Morgan Park mansion to a modest Depression era West Beverly brick house that has been expanded and remodeled for modern family living.
Tickets are $35 in advance at bapa.org/home-tour and $40 at the door. BAPA members receive a $5 discount. More information is at at 773-233-
3100, bapa@bapa.org or bapa.org/home-tour.
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