Girl’s Leadership Tea

April 18, 2016angie

Enjoying High Tea with Buffalo Grove Village President Beverly Sussman (4th from left) and area Girl Scout leaders on April 14th.

As a female in the predominantly male field of politics, I think it is important to do what we can as women and mothers to encourage leadership in young women. My neighbor and colleague Beverly Sussman, Village President of Buffalo Grove shares this sentiment, and recently the two of us teamed up to host a Leadership Tea for local Girl Scouts. Last Thursday, fifteen girls from Long Grove, Buffalo Grove, and Arlington Heights joined us at Gerri’s Tea Room in Long Grove to enjoy a three course High Tea complete with finger sandwiches, pastries, and freshly baked scones with cream. As we were supping on our English Breakfast & Earl Grey blend, Gerri (who grew up in Ireland) provided us with some history on teatime customs and etiquette.

As we learned, the tradition of sharing tea is really more about the conversation than the food (although those scones were scrumptious!) To that end, Beverly and I engaged the girls in some conversation about our jobs as Village Presidents, and how our different leadership roles throughout life have lead us to the positions that we now hold. We talked about how women have unique contributions to make to this world, and encouraged the girls to rely on those strengths, say yes to opportunities in life, and not be afraid to “reach for the stars.” The idea was to enjoy a relaxing ladies afternoon together and hopefully provide some inspiration for the future.

The Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana also blogged about this event. Click here to read more.

Gerri Gwarnicki (in green dress at right) explains the proper way to drink from a china tea cup.

Celebrating Girl Scout Week

March 9, 2016angie

Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts helping me proclaim National Girl Scout Week in Long Grove on March 8th, 2016.

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than by inviting some of our female leaders of tomorrow to help lead the Pledge of Allegiance at our Village Board meeting. Thanks to the girls of Junior Girl Scout Troop #40465 from Country Meadows Elementary and Cadette Girl Scout Troop #41041 from Woodlawn Middle School who joined me in honoring Girl Scout Week with an official proclamation. And of course, being a former Girl Scout myself and a Girl Scout leader for many years, I had the perfect chance to dig out my old scouting sweatshirt and remember the great times spent with my daughter’s troop, symbolized by all the patches. Did you know this week marks Girl Scouts 104th anniversary of Girl Scouting in the United States? A few more tidbits from the proclamation include:

WHEREAS, Girl Scouts is a global movement that thinks big and acts locally. Programs and experiences are designed to help every girl discover her sparkle. In addition to singing, dancing, hiking, and canoeing, our local Girl Scouts use problem-solving skills to make an impact in our community and around the world; and

WHEREAS, the mission of Girl Scouts is to change lives by building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place; and

WHEREAS, more than 55,440 girls and 21,381 adults are involved locally in Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that I, Angela Underwood, past Girl Scout and Girl Scout Leader and now Village President of Long Grove do hereby recognize National Girl Scout Week, March 6th-12th, 2016, and declare the same as official Girl Scout Week in Long Grove.

FURTHER, I urge all citizens of Long Grove to join me in recognizing the achievements and leadership of our local Girl Scouts and volunteers; thank them for their valuable community service and encourage the future success of this organization.

Cat in the Hat Cuteness

March 4, 2016March 4, 2016angie

Sharing my love of reading with the students at Green Bay Early Childhood Center.

In honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday this week, schools across America have been visited by red & white striped hat-wearing volunteers sharing their love of literacy. Today I had the delight of donning such a hat and reading to a preschool class at the Green Bay Early Childhood Center in North Chicago. And let me just say, this early morning dose of cuteness was much more invigorating than a triple shot latte!

My involvement with this particular school comes as a by-product of being a member of the Women’s Leadership Council of United Way of Lake County. WLC has recently partnered with Green Bay Early Childhood Center to fund a community resource center that will be used to help get as many kids as possible ready to start kindergarten with the necessary skills. This morning our “crew of crazy chapeaux” had a tour of the school and the space we are helping to create which will be shared by Head Start families as well as residents of the local school district. By dedicating time and money now to improve early childhood education in some of the most at-risk areas of Lake County, we are making a significant investment in our workforce and families of tomorrow.

When I was a child my favorite Dr. Seuss book was “Green Eggs and Ham.” When my kids were little, the title they asked me to read over, and over, and over was “Fox in Socks,” mainly to see if they could catch me up in the tongue-twisters! Today I had the pleasure of reading “Dr. Seuss’s A, B, C’s” to an adorable group of energetic 3 and 4 year old students, who could not have been more fun.

David Brooks of the New York Times has noted, “By age 5, it is possible to predict with depressing accuracy who will complete high school and college and who will not.” By recognizing this need and addressing it head-on in the last 10 years, WLC and United Way of Lake County has seen a dramatic improvement of kindergarten readiness in Waukegan from 6 percent to 48 percent! That “Cat in the Hat” is more than just a sly comedic character; he is providing a spark that can lead toward improved literacy and a brighter future for all of our children.

"Crew of Crazy Chapeaux" aka members of the Women's Leadership Council of United Way of Lake County.

Volunteer readers and members of the Women’s Leadership Council of United Way of Lake County.

Track and Field of Dreams

February 19, 2016angie

At the ribbon cutting for the new running tract at Woodlawn School (L to R) Lake County Board Representative Sidney Mathias, Me, Buffalo Grove President Beverly Sussman.

At the ribbon cutting for the new running track at Woodlawn School (L to R) Lake County Board Representative Sidney Mathias, Me, Buffalo Grove Village President Beverly Sussman.

Right now we are smack dab in the middle of a Midwestern winter, and springtime is still a couple of months away despite whatever the groundhog recently predicted. So with this blog post I am going to remind you that warmer weather is coming, and with it will be the start of track season. And this year, our local teams at both Woodlawn and Twin Groves middle schools will have beautiful new running tracks on which to perfect their sport. Previously, students had to practice on grass fields with hand-painted lines, but about a year and a half ago School District #96 was able to finally work construction of proper tracks into the capital projects budget. What were once rough practice fields have now been transformed with a paved foundation topped by a rubber surface, sporting permanently painted lanes. The work was accomplished in the summer and early fall of 2015, and I was honored to participate with other local elected officials in the official ribbon-cutting ceremonies at both schools this past October 8th.

Gazing out my window on this dark winter morning, I am dreaming of the days soon to come when I can get back out on the walking path in the spring sunshine. I imagine there are also students at Woodlawn today gazing out the windows at their new athletic field, with the same cabin-fever thoughts as me. Hang on kids, because warmer days are sure to come and when they do, these beautiful improved tracks are ready and waiting!

Lunchtime at Montessori

February 4, 2016angie

Spending time with students of the Montessori School of Long Grove

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to have lunch with the teachers and students at the Montessori School of Long Grove. They were celebrating “Schools of Choice” week, and to commemorate we were each given a buttery yellow fleece scarf, shown in the pictures here. While we all enjoyed a nutritious lunch of pizza, carrots, oranges and cinnamon bread, I talked to the kids about our community and what it is like being Village President. I particularly enjoyed answering their questions, my favorite one being, “Do you find your job luxurious or kind of stressful?” My answer: sometimes a little of each, even on the same day! The students presented me with three illustrated and laminated posters that they had created, showcasing the positive attributes of their school and our village. I hung one up in our Village Board meeting room, another at the downtown Information Center, and the third can be found on the bulletin board at Reed-Turner Nature Center. It was great fun going back to school and spending some time interacting and getting to know some of our youngest residents and potential leaders of the future. Thanks to our Montessori students, for putting a smile on my face for the rest of the day!

Wrapping up the visit with Lyn Pearson, Montessori School of Long Grove Administrator.

Gray Matters

January 22, 2016angie

Volunteering for the App Roll Out Party at Stevenson High School (L to R) Elise Hauptman, Patriot Parents Association President, Jamie Epstein, Stand Strong Coordinator, and me.

Before I was Village President, I spent much of my time volunteering at our local schools. When I was PTO President at Country Meadows Elementary, it was like having a part-time job. And I used to volunteer weekly at the nurses office at Stevenson High School in addition to many other PPA jobs, so it was a familiar spot for the nine years I had children in attendance. But I have not had a reason to be a mom volunteer in the past four years until today, and it was so great to be back! This Friday I helped the Stevenson Prevention Team as part of the Stand Strong Coalition to assist with a special event party. A new App has been developed for the students to download, and it highlights positive messages to encourage our teens to avoid underage drinking and drug use. A large part of this message is about adolescent brain development, and how much more damaging substance abuse is to our “gray matter” at this particular stage in life–hence the catchy slogan on our T-shirts. All students who downloaded the App on their phone were invited to a special party today during the lunch periods featuring free desserts, D.J. dance music, raffles, and a grand prize giveaway. We were hoping to get 900 students to attend and the final count was closer to 1500! I had a great time being back at Stevenson, volunteering with my fellow moms and topping hundreds of ice cream sundaes with whipped cream. And if I helped encourage even one of those students to avoid drugs and alcohol at this stage in life, it was time well spent.

Mindful Parenting

November 16, 2015January 29, 2016angie

L to R: Olivia Sorenson, Dianna Kesner, Cristina Cortesi, and I get ready to speak at the Stand Strong “Mindful Parenting” presentation on November 9th, 2015.

Royal Melbourne Homeowners Association provided a resource to our community last Monday evening by hosting a “Mindful Parenting” seminar on Youth Substance Use Prevention. Three members of the Stand Strong Coalition from Stevenson High School were on hand to talk to parents and answer questions: Dr. Christina Cortesi, SHS Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator, Detective Chris Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, and SHS Senior Olivia Sorenson, who shared her personal experiences and perspectives.

The Stand Strong Coalition was formed to help educate parents and teens on the health risks associated with alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drug abuse in young adults, without being judgmental. The purpose is to change cultural norms by getting the community engaged in strategies for change, such as being aware of the risks and consequences of social hosting. In less than two years, Stand Strong has qualified for a $625,000 federal grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and this will go a long way towards helping spread the positive message. I am proud to represent Long Grove as a member of this organization.

SHS parent and fearless leader Jamie Epstein, who is one of the founders of Stand Strong and now serves as our coordinator, was called away at the last minute to receive an award for Community Service from Congressman Dold the night of our Royal Melbourne presentation. I stepped in to fill her shoes with opening remarks and introductions but I am only one small part of the stakeholders in our community who have come together to help this organization grow and succeed. And thanks to residents like those at Royal Melbourne, we are spreading the message one neighborhood at a time.

Golden Girl

August 15, 2015July 27, 2016angie

Girl Scout Erin McDermott in the butterfly garden she has created at Reed Turner.

One of the more enjoyable things that I get to do as Village President is to recognize students for their achievements. Today I was honored to meet Erin McDermott, who is completing her Gold Award project for Girl Scouts here in Long Grove at Reed Turner Woodland and Nature Center. Many of us are familiar with the Eagle Scout award in Boy Scouting. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest honor that can be achieved, and 2016 marks it’s 100th anniversary.

For Erin’s project, she chose to restore a prairie and install a butterfly garden and sitting area at the Woodland. This afternoon she held a ribbon cutting ceremony, education session, and open house to unveil the restored garden to the public. I was lucky enough to get a personal tour by Erin, and see the beautiful wildflowers and benches she has created on which to sit and contemplate nature. It is a great enhancement to an already wonderful community treasure.

In today’s world, our kids have so many choices about how they want to spend their time. I want to thank Erin for giving of her time to make our community a little bit better. I was happy today to congratulate her for sharing what she has learned, and for her recent accomplishments. And, I will be making some trips back in the months ahead to check for more butterflies!

Diary of a One-Room School Teacher

May 22, 2015angie

Getting ready to start the lesson by ringing the school bell.

Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right? I recently had a day that started out bad and went to worse, and frankly I was in no mood to teach. But two classes of eager third grade students from Country Meadows were counting on me to lead a field trip at Archer School that afternoon, so what could I do but don my 1860’s day-dress, and subject myself for questioning:

“Did you really teach here?”

Well, I realize that today I might look and feel like I am 165 years old, but no, I am not the actual original schoolteacher from 1849.

“Can I pretend to be naughty so you will use the switch on me?

You know, that’s not a bad idea, but unfortunately your parents could have me arrested if I actually employed old-school discipline.

“How come they did not fall in when using the outhouse? And is that what I think it is?”

The children were careful and used the privy at home too. And yes, the raccoons have broken in again and set up their latrine in our outhouse, but they are not smart enough to use the holes!

“Do we get to use the axe to chop wood for the pot-belly stove?”

No, but Mr. Lee Bassett has many pitchforks and other sharp objects to fascinate you in the barn.

“I already know the rules of the spelling bee because I saw a video of one on YouTube!”

Okay… if we are role-playing that it is 1876, and I am really your school teacher and you are really my student, what in the world is a “video” and mercy-sakes, a “YouTube?”

After two hours of relentless inquiry by some of our brightest little residents, I found my spirits had been lifted. When surrounded by so much infectious enthusiasm and joy, how could they not be? Thanks, kids!!!

Life in Long Grove

by Angie Underwood

Students