Tee-ball at the park district, Tuffy the dog is lost, LCHS awards and commencement schedule, Hartem musical, the band Look Up, Princess Party at LCHS, new book for stutterers, WL-B honor roll, and mobile food pantry make Close Up

By Mike Fak

[May 06, 2011]  As many of you know, the older kids are already beginning to play ball. For youngsters entering kindergarten through second grade, it's tee-ball time. The Lincoln Park District has a tee-ball league as a noncompetitive introduction to baseball for both boys and girls. The basic skills of hitting, fielding, catching, throwing, base running and safety will be stressed through drills and game situations. Emphasis is on sportsmanship, teamwork and fun!

All games are played on Saturdays and the season will last for six weeks. Roster information will be available at the front desk. T-shirts, caps and schedules will be distributed at the first practice. All athletes must wear sneakers and have their own ball glove. In the case of inclement weather, tee-ball will be indoors on the Sports Center courts. It starts on Saturday, June 11, with game times at 8:30 and 9:30. Cost is $40 in district and includes team shirts and caps.

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Tuffy the dog is lost. He is small brown male wearing a brown, white and blue collar. No tags, no microchip. Lost on Short 10th Street. He moves very, very quickly. He is scared, so he probably won't readily come to anyone. If you see him, please call Wanda Stevens at 217-737-4042 or 217-648-2703.

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The LCHS senior awards assembly will be on Sunday, May 15, at 5:30 p.m. in the LCHS auditorium.

The commencement ceremony will be on Saturday, May 21, at 5 p.m. in Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium. Clarissa Bess, Class of 2012, and Matthew Mason, Class of 2012, will play the processional and recessional. The welcome will be given by Holly Klockenga, followed by introduction of valedictorian and salutatorian by Mr. Todd Poelker, principal. Sarah Fuller will present the class gift to LCHS. Ms. Rhonda Hyde will recognize the National Honor Society members. The principal will present the Logan County Bank Senior of the Year. Music will be "Lean on Me," by the Senior Ensemble. This will be followed by the thank you from Alberta Danley. The LCHS Board of Education will award the diplomas to the graduates. Closing remarks will be given by Katie Boss.

Everyone planning to attend graduation will be required to have a ticket for admittance to the gym. Individuals without tickets will be able to view the graduation ceremony on the big-screen TV in the auditorium. If entering the auditorium, please use the front entrance on Primm Road.

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Hartem High School presents their spring musical, "The Music Man Jr.," on Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, in the Hartem High School gymnasium. Curtain will be at 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.

Advance tickets are available in the Hartem High School office. Tickets are just $3 and will also be available for purchase at the door both evenings.

"The Music Man Jr." is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

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The local alternative rock band Look Up will release their debut full-length album, "Out of Place," on May 13. The album will be available at their concerts, in select stores and through online distributors, including iTunes. An album release concert is also scheduled on the same date at the Lincoln High School auditorium, with special guests, Identity and Love/Lust. Doors open at 6:30.

Formed in 2009, Look Up is a band based out of Lincoln. They have performed many shows around the central Illinois area and as well as out of state. Currently, the band lineup consists of Christian Sandel, Mike Twist, Blake Burris and Ethan Frontone. Through their music, lyrics and connections with the fans on and off the stage, Look Up strives to touch people with songs of love, life and hope.

Look Up frontman Christian Sandel states: "There is so much 'popular' music out there right now that is lyrically so shallow, or even worse, puts out a negative message to its listeners. With our music, we really want to influence people in a good way. We want people to know they are not alone, they have a purpose, and there is a God and people out there who really care for them. Whether they are a teenager going through drama at school or an adult going through a terrible divorce, we want to give them a message and feeling of hope."

Princesses, get your dresses ready. The sophomore class at Lincoln Community High School is hosting a Princess Party on Saturday, May 7, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the LCHS cafeteria for all princesses and their attendants.

For $10 admission, each princess will move from station to station and enjoy the royal treatment of face painting, creating your own princess coloring book, hearing an enchanted story, dancing at the Princess Prom, creating a paper flower and Mother's Day card, decorating your own cupcake with lots of delicious goodies, and creating a picture frame to hold the memories of the day.

All princesses must have an adult with them at all times. Adult admission is only $5 and includes a cupcake treat.

This fundraiser will aid the Class of 2013 in preparing for prom next year, and the hope is that it will be an annual event.

For tickets or more information, please contact Jennifer Keith at [e-mail]  or call the high school at 732-4131.

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"Self-Therapy for the Stutterer" is the classic self-help guide by the founder of The Stuttering Foundation, Malcolm Fraser. It is written to and for the many adults and teens who stutter. The 192-page book is available at most public libraries, including those in Atlanta, Elkhart, Lincoln and Mount Pulaski.

If you stutter, you do not need to surrender helplessly to your speech difficulty, because you can change the way you talk. You can learn to communicate with ease rather than with effort. There is no quick and easy way to tackle the problem, but with the right approach, self-therapy can be effective.

This book outlines a self-therapy program that describes what the person who stutters can do to work toward better communication. It is often used as a supplement to speech therapy. A timely feature on Page 164 is information about King George VI and how inspirational his speeches were during World War II, as depicted in the new movie "The King's Speech."

Charles Van Riper, Ph.D., writes about this book: "There are always some who stutter who are unable to get professional help and others who do not seem to be able to profit from it. There are some who prefer to be their own therapist. In this book, Malcolm Fraser has provided guidance for those who must help themselves. Knowing well from his own experience as a stutterer the difficulties of self-therapy, he outlines a series of objectives and challenges that should serve as a map for the person who is lost in the dismal swamp of stuttering and wants to find a way out."

The book is available free to all public libraries. If your library doesn't have it, ask them to contact the Stuttering Foundation toll-free at 800-992-9392 for a copy.

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Mr. Bailey Climer, principal-superintendent at West Lincoln-Broadwell Elementary District 92, spoke to the students at an awards assembly on Monday, before he announced awards for the honor roll.

"I read the Lincoln Community High School honor roll in the newspaper, and what I look for are names from West Lincoln-Broadwell," he told students. "Do you know what I see? The honor roll at the high school includes a high number of students who attended this school."

Mr. Climer congratulated students who were named to the honor roll and told the entire student body he was proud of them for their hard work.

"Our students do well in school," he said, "and I believe we give them a quality education which supports them as they progress to the upper level and beyond."

West Lincoln-Broadwell honor roll for the third nine weeks:

Fifth grade:

High honors: Kylee Alexander, Tabitha Cooley, Abbie Crowell, Jack Eimer, Kaelyn Froebe, Bryan Hay, Autumn Hoffert, Blake Jones, Kennedy Lolling, Morgan Lolling, Carter McCraith, Amber Oliver, Hannah Schmalshof, Will Tiffany, Emerie Wieber, Ali Wilson.

Honors: Nathan Camel, Joy Chi, Haley Hicks, Jacob McCray, Smruti Patel.

Sixth grade:

High honors: Morgan Bogdanic, Preston Ebelherr, Megan Joseph, Grace Konczyk, Jacob Konczyk, Brianna Lanning, Casey Mollohan, Isabelle Stiefvater.

Honors: Josh Henderson, Zac Montcalm, Alex O'Donoghue.

Seventh grade:

High Honors: Kathryn Benner, Kaylyn Hoffert, Adrienne Klockenga, Garrett Schreiner.

Honors: Jeris Bender, David Biggs, Brycen Hicks, Emily Martinez, Brook Soebbing, Chase Turner.

Eighth grade:

High honors: Leah Anderson, Tara Bradley, Samantha Cooley, Andrew Coop, Adam Conrady, Levi Curry, Payton Ebelherr, Kyle Fitzpatrick, Kylie Fitzsimmons, Preston Marten, Lexi Morris, Betsy Olson, Jordan Yarcho.

Honors: Brock Byrge.

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There will be a mobile food pantry Tuesday, May 10, rain or shine, at the Lincoln/Logan County Food pantry parking lot, 125 N. Logan in Lincoln. Families and individuals in need of food assistance are encouraged to attend this mobile food pantry. Please bring bags, baskets or boxes to transport food home.

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