Bugle Newspapers 3-11-21

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FeatuRe

Plainfield South’s Schultz is state’s best

by MaRK gRegoRy editorial director

@Hear_The_Beard mark@buglenewspapers.com The 1930’s actor and vaudeville performer Will Rogers was one quoted as saying, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”

And while Rogers died some 50 years before Niko Schultz was born, the Plainfield South senior sure lived up to Rogers’ words.

In Schultz’ first-ever attempt to run 600-meters at the CYUP Misfits Invitational in Chicago, he posted a time of 1:19.86, making him the fastest in that race this year in the nation and the fastest ever in the state of Illinois.

“It is really surreal feeling. It was the first time I ever ran that race in my life, so it was a nice compliment to me as an athlete that I could perform at my best,” Schultz said. “I was the first guy in Illinois to ever to break 1:20 in the 600. My coach suggested it to me that I run the 600 and I was honestly contemplating not doing it, but I decided to sign up. I knew I was going to get great competition. There was a guy from Boston [area] in it and he was flying and the last lap I caught him and ran 1:19 and that was insane.”

That guy was Matthew Griffin, who was at the race representing the New England Elite Track Club.

He Griffin is the record holder in the one-mile run for Londonderry High School in Londonderry, NH. “It was really nice to be pushed to the absolute limit,” Schultz said. “It comes down to how bad do you really want it because it is easy to let that person get away from you, but to track someone down that has been leading 90 percent of the race and have that fight in you to pass them at then end really takes a lot.”

That fight and result go Schultz the attention he had been looking for from scouts.

When the 2020 outdoor high school track season was cancelled, so was the chance for the runners to compete for a state title and in the process show college scouts what they are capable of.

“If I didn’t have these races, I would still be behind in recruiting and these races have written out a lot of what I will be doing for the next four years,” Schultz said. “A month ago, I had no schools and no scholarships and my parents were telling me to maybe look at a junior college and see what happens, but that wasn’t what I wanted because I was training so hard the last year to get what I felt I deserved. To run that race and be No. 1 in the nation opened a lot of people’s eyes to what my real potential is.

“If I would have finished one second slower in that 600, none of this would be happening and it really goes to show that hard work does pay off.”

According to Plainfield track coach Jason Crowe, that hard work is what has separated Schultz from other runners during his career.

“He doing all this unattached, on his own, which makes it more impressive. He has never stopped training since last year when we got shut down by COVID,” Crowe said. “I give him suggestions on workouts, but he goes to the Vaughan Center in Aurora and runs at their indoor track, he runs in his neighborhood and because our stadium at Plainfield South is shut down, he goes over to Troy, which is open to the public, and does training over there. He is doing this all on his own.

“He has an old school, blue collar mentality and he goes out and works hard and he has earned everything he gets and I give him all the credit. It is nice to see him reap the benefits.”

Schultz spent the weekend after his historic 600 run in Virginia

plainfield south senior niko schultz set the illinois state record .

Beach, VA at the Adidas Indoor Track Nationals.

There is was more in his zone, competing in the 800 run, where he placed 12th in the national event with a time of 1:54.90.

Schultz was one of three Illinois runners in the race, which saw Plainfield North senior Ryan Maseman place 17th in 1:55.46.

Nicholas Dovalovsky of Nuequa Valley was eighth in 1:54.65, while Austin Klingler, a senior from West Jordon, UT won the race in 1:52.51.

While Schultz said he was not particularly happy with his results in Virginia, he has a positive takeaway from the meet.

“It was one of those days. I just didn’t have it. I look at it with a glass half full because I am running consistently two seconds faster than I ran last year,” Schultz said. “All I wanted to happen at

these preseason meets was to set my base mark and to see if my training paid off and I think I did that and then some. So, heading into the outdoor season, I am going to be able to test a lot of things. I have to stay hungry and keep up with my training.”

Outdoor track practice is allowed to begin in Illinois April 5 and Schultz is looking forward to getting back to the 400 and 800, the races he has grown into over the years as a sprinter with endurance.

He is a 400 and 800 guy. He is a sprinter that has moved up to running the 400 and 800 because he enjoys it,” Crowe said. “He is naturally fast and he does a lot of sprint workouts, but he has really taken off in the 800 — he is doing a great job and is making the most of his opportunities.”

It is still unclear if there will be

SUBMITTED PHOTO

an IHSA state meet this spring for track and field, but either way, Schultz and his coach have plans.

“I would love to see him win a state championship because that has been a goal since his freshman year,” Crowe said. “But, we can only control the things we can control, so there is no reason to get mad or frustrated about it, you just have to roll with the punches, but good thing for these other meets. He is able to compete at the highest level.”

Schultz’ goal at the end of this year, state meet or not, is to go out as the best Illinois has seen.

He would like to break the Illinois state record in the 800 of 1:48.10, set by Dave Ayoub of Peoria High School in 1977.

“Even is a world where there is no state meet, I am going to run on my home track and try and break the state record,: Schultz

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state

Lawmakers discuss $1 monthly copayments for child care services by gRaCe baRbiC

Capitol News Illinois

After an executive order from Gov. JB Pritzker that set monthly copayments for child care services to $1 for all families expired last month, a House Committee on Friday agreed to continue working on legislation to create a law to make the benefit permanent for lowincome families.

House Bill 141, sponsored by Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, would permanently offer the $1 monthly copayment for child care services to families whose income is at or below 185 percent of the most recent federal poverty guidelines based on family size.

The bill advanced to the floor on a 9-2 vote with Ford noting his intent to return to committee with an amendment.

When the pandemic hit, the Pritzker administration provided $270 million in funding to child care providers as part of the state’s federally-funded Business Interruption Grant Program, along with additional funding from federal coronavirus relief packages.

This additional funding allowed for child care providers in the state to continue to operate, while families benefited from the executive order’s $1 monthly copayment fee amid economic instability brought on by the pandemic.

The copayment for the state’s Child Care Assistance Program is traditionally determined by income and family size. The Illinois Department of Human Services requires that the copayment be no more than 9 percent of an individual’s income, according to Beata Skorusa, a child care advocate and owner and director of a Montessori school in Chicago.

For example, Skorusa said, a single mom with two children in her program would pay a $196 copayment per month for child care services, but the rate varies for each family.

Skorusa was one of two witnesses to testify in Friday’s committee hearing.

With the expiration of the executive order, the monthly copayment for child care services returned to regular rates based on income at the end of February.

The committee said the Pritzker administration could possibly extend the program by executive order, depending on whether the state receives more federal coronavirus relief funding that is awaiting congressional action. But committee members said they preferred legislative policy to executive orders in addressing the ongoing concerns of child care accessibility in the state.

“This bill is actually a jobs bill because a mother or a father that receives child care assistance has to be in school, or they have to be in work,” Ford said. “And so we hope that we respect the frontline workers that have carried this state during the pandemic and realize how important it is to make sure that every child has access to high quality child care.”

Rep. Joe Sosnowski, R-Rockford, said he is concerned about how the state will pay for this.

“If we are going to supplement those funds...we want a good idea, a good handle on what those costs will actually be,” Sosnowski said. “I know it’s not an ultra-lucrative business model in the child care industry and so when you do have to waive those funds, or they’re not supplemented by the CARES Act or the state, if you lose 5 percent of income, it can be detrimental to those facilities, they operate on a very thin margin.”

There is no cost estimate yet because the numbers would be based on pre-COVID rates, Ford said. He added that the number of individuals still reliant on unemployment benefits and welfare because the pandemic also impacts the accuracy of data.

Ford said he plans to work with IDHS to confirm the cost before bringing the bill back to the committee with an amendment. Ford said he wants the committee to be in agreement before the bill goes to a full vote, but there was still some pushback.

Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, also raised concerns about the possible impact the bill could have on child care providers in the state.

“It seems like we’re really putting the day care providers in a lurch because they’re not getting the copay, but there’s no guaranteed funding source from the state once the CARES Act money goes away, and that money is set to expire,” said Mazzochi. “So I would feel very uncomfortable about eliminating the copay, unless the state will step in, when we don’t actually have a similar put-in-statute funding source for making up that difference.”

Skorusa said she believes the state already has at least some money to support this because of a dramatic decline in participation in the Child Care Assistance Program.

“The last time CCAP participation was down this much was after the 2015 budget crisis, and it didn’t recover until just pre-pandemic in 2019,” Skorusa said. “It took four years to recover and the numbers weren’t even this bad after that crisis.”

She said the participation is down 45 percent for infants and toddlers and 35 percent for preschool aged children, attributing this data to IDHS and the Governor’s office.

“Permanently reducing the copay to the dollar will help families come back to providers, it will also put community based organizations on a level playing field with district schools,” Skorusa said. “It will be one of the Band-Aids that helps to ensure that the child care industry survives this pandemic.”

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

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doWneRs gRoVe

No Bull: DGN student is Journalist of the Year Sam Bull, a senior at Downers Grove North High School, has been named the 2021 Illinois Journalist of the Year by the Illinois Journalism Education Association. He becomes the organization’s 32nd Journalist of the Year since 1989 and the third from Downers Grove North High School.

“Sam is an outstanding student who is fully engaged in and passionate about everything he undertakes,” says Janice Schwarze, principal of North High. “We are so proud of him for achieving this prestigious honor.”

Bull serves as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Omega.

He also serves as the North High student representative on the District 99 Board of Education.

“Sam is an exemplary editor-inchief for the Omega newspaper. He is dependable, creative, and one of the best writers I have ever had the privilege of teaching,” wrote Eric Land-

schoot, English teacher and Omega advisor. “Sam’s overall contribution to our newspaper and school has made a lasting impression on his peers, teachers, and classmates. To say that Sam is deserving of this award is an understatement, and we all look forward to following him as more accolades come his way.”

The honor comes with a scholarship and makes him eligible to compete for the national title. DGN graduate Natalie White received the title in 2018 and Abbey Murphy received the title in 2017.

“The passion, honesty, dedication and commitment to excellence reflected in your outstanding portfolio moved everyone,” wrote John Gon-

dupage County

Summer Camp at Hinsdale Humane Society is back The Tuthill Family Pet Rescue & Resource Center (PRRC) operated

by Hinsdale Humane Society (HHS), opened its summer camp registration on 3/1, and by 3/3, all but one of the camps was sold out.

Knowing plans can change, a waiting list has been added at hinsdalehumanesociety.org, where those interested can just click through on the camp session they’re interested in to get on the list. The sold out camps with wait lists include Critter Camp, for children ages 6-8, and Animal Advocates Camp, for children ages 9-12.

Both camps are $150/camper.

The All Abilities Animal Friends Camp is new this year and is the one camp that does have open spots re-

maining. “This camp is designed for children with developmental and cognitive disabilities,” said Lauren Link, Humane Education Program Manager, HHS. “Campers will be provided with an array of activities that will encourage them to get active, express their creativity and share their emotions. We’re thrilled to be able to offer this new session.” For more details about this camp, families can contact Lauren directly at: lauren.link@hinsdalehumanesociety.org All campers will learn pet care basics, build adaptation skills, discuss resilience, play social-distancing games, learn about the spread, treatment and prevention of cat, dog and human diseases including FVR, Kennel Cough, and

COVID-19, and enjoy hands-on time interacting with pets within a safe, welcoming, together-apart camp setting.

If weather requires indoor camp time, each camper will have their own designated space, safely togetherapart from others. Masks are required when within 6 feet of other campers and at all times when they are required to be inside, like during inclement weather. For more information or to register your child for camp, visit www.hinsdalehumanesociety. org/programs/summer-camp-2021.

For more information about our summer camps, please contact Lauren Link at lauren.link@hinsdalehumanesociety.org.

czy, IJEA president, in a letter to Bull.

“You are clearly an articulate and selfreflective young man with a key sense of social justice.”

The Illinois Journalist of the Year winner receives a scholarship and

becomes the Illinois representative In JEA’s national-level Journalist of the Year contest. For more information, visit http://www.ijea.net/contests/ student-awards/illinois-journalist-ofthe-year/.

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Will County

Plainfield East teacher earns National Board certification Plainfield East High School science teacher Angela Severino has earned certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

NBPTS certification is widely considered to be the highest professional recognition for educators. It is a rigorous, voluntary assessment program designed to both recognize excellent teachers, and help them improve.

NBPTS certification typically takes from one to three years to achieve.

Candidates must successfully demonstrate advanced and in-depth teaching knowledge, skills and practices.

They must build a portfolio demonstrating their professional acumen, including student work samples, assignments, videotapes and a complete analysis of their classroom teaching.

As well, candidates are tested on the subject that they teach.

“National Board certification requires a tremendous amount of work, dedication and classroom skill and ex-

pertise,” said District 202 Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lane Abrell.

“We are very proud of Ms. Severino and all of our teachers who have earned this recognition of their excellence and applaud them for their achievement,” Abrell said.

Twenty-six current or former District 202 teachers have achieved NBPTS certification. They are among 6,816 NBPTS-certified teachers in Illinois and 125,000 nationwide.

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We d n es day, M A R C H 10 , 2 0 2 1 | b u g l e n e w spap e r s. c o m | pag e 7 Phone: 815.4106.10101 >> Mon. - Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. FAX: 815.4109.1015 email: classifieds@enterprisepublications.com IN PERSON: Enterprise Publications >> 2101556 Andrew Rd. >> Plainfield, IL

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