A unique check presentation took place Wednesday, not in a board room or corporate office but in a fifth grade classroom at St. Raymond School in Mount Prospect. At the end of their school day, the students proudly presented Don Grossnickle with a check for nearly...

David Malone writes for a trade magazine by day, but he has found his voice, it seems, writing fiction. His first novel, written for middle school readers, The Wordsmith, is drawing positive reviews for its whimsical setting -- and the sophisticated introduction of...

In her 30-year career as a choral director and music teacher, Ann Espel never had the chance to direct her favorite musical, until now. She and her cast, crew and pit orchestra open tonight with Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella at Schaumburg High School. Shows...

More than once during Saturday evening's Night of the Lion gala, Saint Viator High School officials described the addition of air conditioning to the building last summer -- and the difference it made for students and faculty -- as lifechanging. They credited Mount...

Lindsey Pazerunas figures she has been in all 17 musicals staged by the theatre company with UPS for Downs, and she can't decide which she likes more: being on stage and wearing fancy costumes or having her whole family come out to watch her. "I look forward to it...

Right from the start, when the Arlington Heights Memorial Library began offering solar glasses -- in advance of Monday's solar eclipse -- they went through 500 pairs in the first hour alone. By early afternoon they had handed out 700 pairs. The distribution of the...

Barry Norton of Rolling Meadows brings his years of experience in both community and professional theater to his latest role, as director of A Grand Night for Singing at St. Edna's Parish in Arlington Heights. The musical revue is the 12th production of the church's...

Nate worked behind one of the stations at Gerry's Cafe in Arlington Heights, putting sandwiches together for the morning and lunchtime rush. But he wasn't too busy to show off his colorful, mismatched socks to those in the dining area. And to his surprise, many of the...

Colleen Gallagher of Rolling Meadows describes this week as "insane."  Between baking loaves of Irish soda bread -- 1,500 loaves this week alone -- wrapping them in foil, decorating the loaves, boxing them up and delivering them, it leaves little time for anything...

Third year Band Director Spencer Hile puts joy above all else in leading his students in band and jazz band at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights. "I want them to be authentically having fun and enjoy playing music -- so there's joy in the room," Hile says. Going...