Two D142 Students Approached by Strangers

Oak Forest police recieved two suspicious persons complaints from Forest Ridge Elementary School District 142 officials Jan. 16. Both incidents involved an older, white male approaching female students.

Oak Forest police and District 142 administrators are warning parents and children to be on the lookout for two older, white males who approached female students Wednesday.  Oak Forest police and Forest Ridge Elementary School District 142 issued a statement to parents and residents Jan. 16, warning of two older, white males approaching female students in two separate instances  One incident took place at 7:45 a.m.; a second took place after school, around 3 p.m. The first involved a man in a red, four-door vehicle pulling up next to a female student and stopping. The older, white male in the vehicle then took several pictures of the female student before driving away from the scene. Later in the day, a student reported that an older, red …

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District 142 Names Hille Principal as New Superintendent

Dr. Courtney Orzel, currently the principal at Jack Hille Middle School, will become the district's superintendent on July 1, 2013. She replaces Dr. Margaret W. Longo, who is retiring.

Forest Ridge School District 142 has new leadership coming in at the beginning of the next school year, as current district Superintendent Dr. Margaret W. Longo is set to retire at the end of the current year. At the district's Dec. 18 board of education meeting, the board voted to appoint Jack Hille Middle School Principal Dr. Courtney Orzel as the district's new superintendent as of July 1, 2013. According to a letter that is posted on the district's website by board of education president Judith Schramm, the search process to replace Longo began in January of this 2012, when she announced her intentions to retire. The board then began the process of accepting applications and narrowing the field down to two finalists. Orzel, whose …

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Where to Hear the Sounds of the Holiday Season

Oak Forest schools are gearing up for their holiday concerts, and Patch has compiled all the info into one handy list.

Radio stations have been pumping out the Christmas tunes for weeks—but there's no better version of 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer' than the one your kid's been practicing for weeks. Oak Forest schools are gearing up for their holiday concerts and Patch has a comprehensive list of when and where to hear the sounds of the holiday season this year. Arbor Park Middle School Jack Hille Middle School Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m., at Jack Hille Middle School, Winter Band Concert Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. at Jack Hille Middle School, Winter Chorus G. Kerkstra Elementary Lee R. Foster Elementary Ridge Early Childhood Center St. Damian School Oak Forest High School Saturday, Dec. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at Oak Forest High School, Madrigals Sunday, Dec…

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Michael M.

11:26 pm on Friday, November 30, 2012

Mike-now that you revealed that, some people will want the word holiday banned and replaced with vacation or some other nonsense.   more ›

Distracted Driver Charged in Hille School Bus Crash

Franklin Buttron, 27, was charged with improper lane use and driving too fast for conditions following a crash between a Hille Middle School bus and his car. Three students were sent to area hospitals for injuries.

Franklin Buttron, 27, of the 8600 block of S. 82nd Ave. in Hickory Hills, was charged with driving too fast for conditions and improper lane use after a crash involving a Jack Hille Middle School Bus and a car, Oak Forest Police Chief Greg Anderson said. “The guy ran right into the front of the bus. He was apparently distracted by some papers or something and ran right into the front of the bus,” Anderson said. Anderson said three students were taken to area hospitals for treatment of injuries. “Any time a kid gets transported, I'm not going to say it was minor injuries,” Anderson said. “But there were no real serious injuries that we're aware of.” Anderson said the accident highlights what he believes to be a major problem for today's …

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Michael M.

7:12 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012

Was the driver REALLY distracted? The headline says he was, but the story says "Franklin Buttron, 27, was charged with improper lane use and driving too fast for conditions following a crash between a Hille Middle School bus and his car." Where is the charge for distracted driving? The Chief says he was distracted by something; it almost sounds like he is guessing. What I am getting at is that …   more ›

Hille Summer Band Plays it Straight, Then Gets Wet and Wild

After a week of practice, the Jack Hille Middle School Summer Band showed off their skills, first with a performance from the sixth-grade band, followed by the seventh- and eighth-grade group. Afterwards, students cooled off with a water balloon fight.

Volunteering one of your last weeks of summer to sit in school might not sound like a fun option for most students, but for all the members of the Jack Hille Middle School Summer Band it was exactly what the doctor ordered. More than 30 students in grades sixth, seventh and eighth grades took time out from the dog days of summer to dust off their instruments and learn a few new tunes. For two hours a day from August 5 through August 9, students under the direction of Steve Nendza learned three songs, practiced team building and got to show off their new skills with a performance for friends and family Friday, August 10. “I love to see the kids, catch up with the kids, how their summer was and what's been going on,” Nendza said. The seventh…

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Help Hille Middle School with Target Program

More votes mean more Target gift cards for the Oak Forest middle school.

Safety Features Coming to Spot of Alex Fitzgerald's Crash

Jack Hille Middle School is getting some new improvements out front to help prevent future accidents.

Permanent safety improvements to the road in front of Jack Hille Middle School come as soon as the holidays. District 142 Superintendent Margaret Longo said this week temporary improvements, including signs, caution lights, crossing guards and other added personnel, will be in place before school starts later in August. The Cook County Department of Highways is installing the new measures. “They want to get something up before the school year starts, which is really important for us,” Longo said. The district has worked for years to get pedestrian improvements made to 151st Street. When Alex Fitzgerald was struck by a car on April 20—the second such crash involving a child in two years—the City of Oak Forest and the district redoubled …

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Hospitalized Student Recognized in Baseball Parade

Teams from the Oak Forest Baseball Association took time during and after their annual parade on Saturday morning to honor Alex Fitzgerald, the 12-year-old Jack Hill Middle School student who was struck by a car in April.

Hundreds of players, coaches and parents from the Oak Forest Baseball Association rode in the annual parade Saturday morning. Gathering at the baseball diamonds in Convent Park after the parade, association members took a few minutes to recognize Alex Fitzgerald, a baseball player on the association's pony league "Cardinals" team. Known as "Fitz," Fitzgerald was struck by a car on 151st Street while walking home from Jack Hille Middle School. The school is located just a short distance from the park. A group is working on an official Facebook page and donations page for those who wish to contribute to the fundraiser for Fitzgerald. Everyone also has the option of writing a check to "Fighting for Fitz" and taking it to the Oak Forest City …

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Support for Hospitalized Hille Student Grows in Oak Forest

A website has established for those who wish to help provide dinners for the family.

A website has been established to help provide dinner for the family of the Jack Hille Middle School student hit by a car on April 20. Anyone interested can click this link to see the website set up for the Fitzgerald family. Alex Fitzgerald, the 12-year-old student, remains hospitalized after being struck by a car while walking home from a school musical and crossing 151st Street. A 26-year-old Oak Forest woman was cited in the incident. Calls for support have come from the Oak Forest community since the accident. John Doolin, a Forest Ridge School District 142 board member, wrote a column for Sun-Times Media about what people can do to help. (Doolin also is a South Division advertising director for Sun-Times Media.) "As a community, we …

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Prayer Site Created for Hospitalized Hille Student

A 26-year-old woman has been cited in connection to the crash on Friday that involved a 12-year-old boy from Hille Middle School.

Hille Middle School students and teachers, along with City of Oak Forest personnel, have been asked to wear blue Tuesday in support of a boy who was hit by a car last week. A public page has been created on the Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital website for Alex Fitzgerald, the 12-year-old student who remains hospitalized in critical condition following Friday's crash near the Oak Forest middle school. A 26-year-old Oak Forest woman has been cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian, Sun-Times Media reports. Speed and alcohol have been ruled out as factors.  The “PrayersforFitz” page offers updates on the family and the boy’s condition, as well as the ability to leave messages. Email registration is required. Emails sent out by Hille …

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