Four Bolingbrook HS Seniors Sign Letters of Intent to Play at College Level

Ben Moore, Brad Elmore, Dani Knaak and Kennedy Cattenhead officially committed to their respective college athletic careers Tuesday.

Four Bolingbrook HS Seniors Sign Letters of Intent to Play at College Level

Ben Moore, Brad Elmore, Dani Knaak and Kennedy Cattenhead officially committed to their respective college athletic careers Tuesday.

Four Bolingbrook High School seniors signed their letters of intent Tuesday, officially committing to their respective college athletic careers.  Ben Moore, Brad Elmore, Dani Knaak and Kennedy Cattenhead signed their letters in a school ceremony.  Sport: Basketball  College: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  High school career: Cattenhead earned Illinois Basketball Coaches Association special mention honors as a junior last year when the 5-10 Lady Raiders guard saw signficiant playing time. She averaged 5 points and 5 assists a game.  Why Illinois: "I like my new coaches, and the program. I also wanted to major in business, and they have an excellent business school. It's not all about basketball."  Goal for the season: "Winning …

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Bolingbrook QB, Illinois Recruit Aaron Bailey Injured

Bailey injured his knee in the first quarter of Friday's game against Lincoln-Way East.

Bolingbrook High School's star quarterback Aaron Bailey was injured during Friday night's game against Lincoln-Way East.  Bailey led the Raiders to the team's first-ever state championship in 2011.  He injured his right knee during the first quarter of the game and has not returned, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He is scheduled for an MRI this weekend.  Bailey was on the sidelines of the game, icing his knee, with crutches next to him. He seemed "upbeat," according to Jeff Graveline, Patch sports reporter.  "Everything happens for a reason, Bailey said. "I'm just going to trust in God and come back better."

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Boys Basketball: Freshman Nixon Already Making His Mark

The young Bolingbrook point guard has University of Illinois recruiting him while he impresses his coaches and teammates alike.

Freshman year terrifies many students, but Prentiss Nixon is taking the challenging year head on.  The Jane Addams Middle School-product has already made the varsity basketball team at Bolingbrook High School as a shooting guard and has the prestigious University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign trying to recruit him. All this attention might be challenging for a youngster, but Nixon is humble throughout. “I just can’t get big-headed,” said the 6-foot Nixon, who has been to Champaign three times in the last two months. “Even though I’m a freshman and getting looked at, I have to stay humble and keep doing what I do to make myself, teammates and the program better.” Nixon played AAU basketball for the Illinois Wolves from 5th through 7th grade…

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Park District to Honor Former Colleague, Now Village Attorney

Former Landscape Architect Jim Boan will have a portion of wooded area named in his honor April 30. Boan was very instrumental in the design of the park district as we know it today.

In 1973, Bolingbrook’s population was a mere 7,800 and Jim Boan had just stepped off the campus of the University of Illinois with a degree in landscape architecture and into the role of Bolingbrook Park District Superintendent of Parks. Employed on the heels of a referendum that earmarked funding to build parks in the village, Boan spearheaded the development of 16 neighborhood park sites as well as overseeing the installation of playgrounds at each of the village’s public elementary schools. Boan will be immortalized April 30 as the Bolingbrook Park District honors his service on the parks behalf, naming 27 acres of open space and high-quality woodlands the James S. Boan Woods at Hidden Oaks Conservation Area. The ceremony, which will be…

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Bolingbrook's Scholarship Coach: Your High School Student's Secret Weapon

LaToya Forrester has found her calling: helping to pave the path to college for young people.

There are plenty of successful Bolingbrook High School graduates who can trace their stellar start in life back to LaToya Forrester. Forrester, a Bolingbrook resident since 1999, wears many hats—private tutor, scholarship coach and college mentor, among them. But who wants to admit they needed help with the vagaries of algebra or the mysteries of Shakespeare? "I’m not in this for the praise or accolades," Forrester said. "I started out with the intention of helping a couple of students that went to my church. I keep it going because there are so many students who need my help. It’s my ministry." Many believe God has a specific plan for each person that is revealed in time. For Forrester, that plan initially appeared to unfold tragically. A…

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Valley View Officials to Develop New Diversity Recruitment Plan

Valley View School District's student population is at nearly two-thirds minority, officials say. In comparison, only 5 percent to 6 percent of teachers are minority. A new diversity recruiting plan hopes to combat that gap.

Valley View administrators are in the beginning phase of creating a plan that will more closely align the ethnic makeup of its students with that of its teachers. The district heard an informational report from Executive Director for Human Resources Sharon Hawks on a new diversity proposal the district hopes to begin implementing as soon as it can. Right now, the minority student population is at nearly two-thirds, officials say. In comparison, only 5 percent to 6 percent of teachers are minority. “Our teaching model does not reflect our community,” said board member Rick Gougis. “This seems obvious to me.” Under the new proposal, the district would create a committee that would be in charge of recruiting minority teachers, developing …

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Former BHS Grad Now on the Cutting Edge of Science

Since graduating BHS in 2003, Basil Hussain’s path has led him to Johns Hopkins University.

Many young children dream of becoming a doctor when they grow up—not many follow through with it. But Basil Hussain, a 2003 graduate of Bolingbrook High School, was as determined as it gets. After seeing his older brother struggle with a heart ailment for years, Hussain dedicated his life to helping cure disease. “I think he was in third or fourth grade when he came home from school and told us he wanted to be a doctor,” said Nuzhat Hussain, Basil’s mother. “He looked so serious, and promised to find a way to help his brother and other people like him who had the same disease. It was very touching, but at the time we didn’t take what he said seriously.” But Hussain, always a stellar student, held steady to his statement. Now, Hussain is …

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Bolingbrook Golfer Cooke's Up Winning Recipe

Practice, hard work, determination and skill have been key ingredients for Raiders senior golfer David Cooke, who earned all-state status this fall.

Golfers, like any other athletes worth their salt, have undoubtedly been told on numerous occasions that if they work hard they will succeed. You won't find a better example of such achievement than that of Bolingbrook's David Cooke. The senior committed himself to becoming the best player he could be during the recently completed high school boys golf season. He hired a new off-season instructor for guidance with his swing and game and spent last summer on the golf course competing with many of the best players in the state. And he hit golf balls. Lots of them. It wasn't just dropping a $10 bill on the counter at the local driving range; it was working tirelessly on muscle memory, club selection and a wide-range of shots. "He's really …

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