Naperville Central senior named student journalist of year
Jake Pfeiffer, a senior at Naperville Central High School, has been chosen as the 2024 Illinois Journalist of the Year by the Illinois Journalism Education Association.
Pfeiffer is the editor-in-chief of the print and online versions of Central Times, the school’s student newspaper.
He is the 35th Journalist of the Year since 1989 and the second Central student to receive the honor.
A panel selected Pfeiffer based on his portfolio, self-analytical essays, resume, transcripts and letters of recommendations. The recognition comes with a $300 scholarship, and he will compete against other state winners for the national title and other scholarships, which will be announced in early April.
Pfeiffer has been recognized for his journalism excellence, winning the state championship in sports writing in 2022 and earning a superior rating from the national Journalism Education Association for news writing in 2023. He also received two first-place awards for best sports news story and best in-depth news story in the 2023 Illinois Journalism Education Association Newspaper and Digital News Media Contest.
‘Wigglers welcome’ at NCC concert for special needs kids
North Central College’s 17th annual Chords for Kids concert will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., in downtown Naperville.
The concert is designed for children with special needs and their families, a news release said. With the motto “Wigglers Welcome,” the free event encourages children with special needs to be themselves at a concert where no one has to worry about concert etiquette.
Presented by the North Central College Department of Music, the Concert Winds will perform music from “Bluey,” “SpongeBob SquarePants” and Disney, as well as favorites such as “YMCA” and “The Chicken Dance.”
Tickets are free and can be reserved online or by calling 630-637-SHOW. Guests can take photos and wheelchair seating is available.
Free safety courses presented by College of DuPage police
The College of DuPage Police Department will offer several free, public courses in crisis management and prevention in March and April at the Berg Instructional Center on the college’s Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.
The first course on crisis intervention will teach participants about steps they can take to help someone in a crisis. It will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, March 1.
A course on situational awareness, which will focus on developing an awareness of one’s surroundings and ways to prepare for possible danger, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 8.
“Making Prevention a Reality” features tips to identify pre-incident behaviors and enhance situational awareness. It will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, March 15.
The police department will talk about fraud schemes and way to deal with fraud victimization at 10 a.m. Friday, April 12.
The last course will deal with best practices in emergency situations when uncontrollable bleeding occurs and will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 26.
To register, go to www.cod.edu/landing/police-dept-classes.aspx.
DuPage forest preserve district holding seasonal career fair
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will host a seasonal career fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at district headquarters, 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton.
Participants can meet with staff from a variety of district departments, learn about seasonal positions and interview in person. The fair is helpful for teens, retirees or individuals looking for seasonal summer work or a short-term commitment, district officials said.
Seasonal positions include boat or campground attendants, equestrian camp counselors, natural resources maintenance workers and rehab wildlife keepers.
For current job opportunities, go to https://lnkd.in/greKTQ97. For more information or to request an in-person interview, call 630-933-7682.
