Military notes

• U.S. Army Sgt. Aaron M. Conrad, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, returned to his home base at Fort Lewis, Wash., June 2 after serving 14 months in Iraq. Conrad, 25, was greeted at the joyful and boisterous welcoming home ceremony by parents Mike and Jan Conrad of Riverside. Fort Lewis will be the site of additional welcoming home celebrations as the 4,000 soldiers in the 2nd Infantry Division continue to return in the coming weeks. Conrad, brother of Sarah Conrad, and a 2000 graduate of Riverside Brookfield High School, is expected home for a leave later this summer.

Achievements

• Kristen Javorski and Grant Kassel of La Grange have been named to the dean's list at Boston University for the 2008 spring semester.

• Meghan Murphy of Western Springs has achieved magna cum laude status at Northern Illinois University.

• Christine Murphy of Western Springs has achieved a straight 4.0 and has been accepted in the honors program at College of DuPage. She is a member of Phi Beta Kapa.

• Zoe Thompson of La Grange Park was named to the 2007-08 academic year dean’s list at the University of Chicago.

• Chelsea Strohl of Indian Head Park; Erin Trompeter and Danielle Dunn of La Grange have been named on the spring 2008 Dean’s List at Ball State University.

• Cadet Michael Smaniotto of Western Springs was elected president of the senior class for the 125th Corps of Cadets at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wis., for the 2008-09 academic year. In addition, the academy’s athletic department announced that Smaniotto has also been named co-captain of the Varsity Lancers football team. Smaniotto has completed his third year as a junior at the Academy where he serves as Cadet Sergeant First Class in Golf Company. He is also an accomplished bagpiper in the Academy Pipe and Drum Corps where he received “Best Piper” and scholarship awards. Smaniotto is the son of Tony and Rejeanne of Western Springs.

• Andrew Ritter of Brookfield has been named on the dean's list of the College of Commerce at DePaul University. Ritter is in the Strobel Accounting Honors program. He was also invited, and accepted, membership in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Graduates

• Ryan McCready of La Grange Park graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Ball State University in the spring of 2008.
 
Scholarships

• The eighth annual Kohl’s Kids Who Care Scholarship Program has announced youth from Illinois who will receive $50 gift cards and recognition certificates from Kohl’s. Local youth recognized for the good deeds they performed in their communities through volunteerism include Christine Lifka of Brookfield and Samantha Tracy of La Grange. Winners could go on to receive a $1,000 regional scholarship that Kohl’s will award in July.

Honor rolls

• Highlands Middle School Honor Roll - 4th quarter 2007-2008

High Honor Roll

Grade 8: Heather Albano, Brendan Blaber, Clare Bohne, Holly Briskey, Kimberly Campbell, Caitlin Campion, Kevin Carlson, Lauren Carlson, Courtney Cleveland, Donovan Corcoran, Alexandra Daemicke, John Danielson, Abigail David, Caroline Dost, Amanda Gacek, Richie Golz, Brigid Greska, Lauren Gronke, Nicole Hladik, Sebastian Hoak, Ashley Johnson, Jennifer Kim, Stephanie King, Tyler Klitchman, Olivia LaPiana, Peirce Leavitt, Mark LeFevour, Andrew McGrath, Katherine Miller, Megan Miller, Spencer Morgan, Marina Pejkovic, Gabriella Pethokoukis, Nathan Phillip, Sarah Pipal, Celeste Radogno, Rachel Ramos, Linnea Ridlen, Christopher Riske, Matthew Robare, Gia Rowley, Peter Rundle, Christine Schied, Matthew Smith, Taylor Sobol, Taylor Sopron, Allison Stuck, Marisa Tirado, Megan Titzer, Leighann Van Wormer, Kelly Wang, Laura Williams, and Jessica Wydra.

Grade 7: Tyler Allen, Taylor Bastyr, Katrina Bellocchio, Dominica Bendyk, Annelise Boland, Peter Bornhoff, Thomas Bryson, Austin Caron, Kimberly Collins, Adam Conrath, John Donato, Matthew Farmer, Austin Goetz, John Harlow, Mallory Hasty, Tayler Hayes, Justin Hinshaw, Joshua Hirt, Connor Hughes, Marisa Johnson, Elyse Jost, Alaina Kafkes, Marit Kirklys, Emma Klitchman, Ari Kowalski, Jeffrey MacDonald, Taryn MacLean, Katelyn Marino, Cassidy Marston, Michael Matusiak, James McGrath, Joylynn Mitchell, Sarah Murphy, Emily Novakowski, Margaret O’Brien, Matthew O’Connor, Naomi O’Reilly, Christine Pond, Shaafin Rafiq, Taylor Rodemoyer, Thaddeus Rogozinski, Hillary Schaeffer, Christopher Sekula, Emily Sheehy, Blake Shockley, Eric Slivovsky, Mary Smyers, Miranda Speir, Ryan Speir, Rocco Stefanini, Mary Claire VanSpankeren, Egle Visgintas, Milica Vucicevic, Rachel Walsh, Na-On Weeraklaew, Kelsey Wilp, Jacob Wittenberg, and Christina Yelnick.

Grade 6: Sydney Arsenault, Arandjel Balla, Erin Blaber, Elisha Borgstrom, Mallory Bryson, John Coleman, Christina Cooper, Kaitlyn Fehrman, Sean Green, James Hofer, Alexandra Hojnar, Joseph Keeler, Taryn Kryza, Nolan Lenc, Brenda Lezon, Matthew Lindeen, Paige Matusiak, Joseph Mayer, Margaret McDermott, Alexandra Miller, Ian Murdoch, Frankie Nix, Samuel Norris, C.J. O’Neill, Samantha Pethokoukis, Richard Podkowski, Zachary Prinz, Katherine Raleigh, Natalie Schaeffer, Alyssa Smith, Elaine Smith, Carter Strien, Kaira Teschke, Rebecca Valek, Rajko Vucicevic, and Robert Watkins.

Honor Roll

Grade 8: Audrey Barc, Nick Boskovich, Simona Bruzyte,  Arthur Catrambone III, Timothy Chesner, Dominic Cione, Joseph Cione, Brigid Coleman, Stefania Culafic, Kathryn Curran, Gregory DeNuccio, Hector Godinez, Martin Hasler, Margaret Holt, Molly Joseph, Ashley Justus, John Kearnuey, Hannah Keenan, Michael Korzon, Nick Kourafas, William Koziel, Cody Kutay, Lisa Lopez, Kyle Luesmann, Jessica Majeske, Connor McDermott, Preston Meyers, Conor Moran, Casey Moss, John Mossing, Kyle Mysiewicz, Michael Parisi, Kevin Patzelt, Flora Petrini, Jennifer Pilipchuk, Alisel Ponce, Alex Reynolds, Adam Rodgers, Arthur Seter III, Madeline Stack, Timothy Taylor, Alessandro Tenorio-Bucci, Taylor Warf, and Joseph Wesbrook.

Grade 7: Brian Adelman, Zachary Carlson, Michael Cyz, Nicholas DeFabio, Connor Delaney, Luke Gaigalas, Joseph Halpin, Leslie Hernandez, Nicole Jackson, Matt Janowiak, Katie Klemp, Stephanie MacDonald, Nicholas Maldonado, Brandon McPhee, Patrick Meingast, Liesel Metz, Colin Moran, Lucas Nelson, Daniel Pett, Jeanine Pettrone, Kevin Pikul, Emiliano Ramirez, Morgan Russo, Meghan Sargent, Emma Saunders, Emily Strohl, and Frank Zimmerman.

Grade 6: Allison Alexander, Emily Ayala, Silvia Bendyk, Eric Benson, Barrett Breitenbucher, Erica Camacho, Eileen Campion, Samuel Colonna, Rodger Combs, Paige Costelloe, Anthony Cuomo, Wesley Dekorski, Gianna DeLise, Leah DiNicola, Joseph Drummond, Alexandra Esposito, Kevin Flores, Matthew Gall, Melissa Gall, Tyler Giacomelli, Emilio Godinez, Daniel Greska, Mary Gronke, Jack Harrigan, Molly Henderson, Sarah Holt, Emma Jensen,  Amanda Keeve, John Korzon, Ethan Leavitt, Trinity Lindgren, Daniel Lupano, Joseph Lupano, Angela Madjer, Hayley McGuire, Russell Meyers, Kristina Murphy, Isabella Nelson, Justin Rhiner, Patrick Richert, Kelsey Sundberg, Dustin Warf, and Gianna Ziccarelli.