Dan Toomey, Michael Horvich and Barbara Myers are veteran collectors. One-of-a-kind artifacts, ubiquitous and often discarded items, small oddities, family mementoes and handcrafted objects are the treasures and lifeblood of these Evanston collectors whose creative pleasures also include organizing, displaying and living with their collections. A sense of humor and family sentiment Dan Toomey likes […]
Author Archives: Judy Chiss
Posted inCOVID19
COVID-19 risks force music educators to make key changes
There’s little argument that music education enhances the social and emotional wellbeing of students. Music activities are thought to help build confidence and enhance collaborative work skills, social awareness and even empathetic behaviors. Keeping school music programs viable is important, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, layered safety mitigation strategies and diligence in following them are also […]
Posted inArt & Life
NaKorn Urban Thai has unique food and a big heart
Sam Rattanopas and Mina Sudsaard, co-owners of Evanston’s NaKorn Urban Thai restaurant, were 11 years old when they met and became friends while students at their Bangkok school. Later, in 1996, the good friends spread their wings and emigrated from Thailand to the United States for graduate school to prepare them for careers in graphic design […]
Posted inArt & Life
Justin Wynn Fund: Out of Grief Comes Community Service
In 1987 the family of fourth-grader Justin Wynn created an organization to honor his memory and turn the tragedy of his early and accidental death into a legacy of youth leadership. Since the first annual Awards Brunch, the Justin Wynn Fund, through its Justin Wynn Leadership Academy, has now mentored 636 youths in fourth through […]
Posted inArt & Life
This Northwestern Professor and Robotics Engineer is Unstoppable
When Brenna Argall was starting college with an undergraduate major in mathematics and minors in music and biology, she never imagined she’d become a robotic engineer developing highly complex machines to assist people with severe motor dysfunctions. More than two decades later, Dr. Brenna Argall has the distinction of being Associate Professor of Computer Science, […]
Posted inSchools
ETHS Seniors Followed Their Muses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Last of a series Evanston Township High School seniors Angel Cruz, Noam Hasak-Lowy, and Indira Abraham are making the best of the Pandemic’s “new normal.” They’ve stayed plugged into the high school’s remote learning, have goals for the future, have pursued their creative passions, and are grateful for their mentors and peer support along the […]
Posted inSchools
ETHS Seniors Followed Their Muses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Judy Chiss Part 2 of a Series Evanston Township High School seniors Angel Cruz, Noam Hasak-Lowy, and Indira Abraham are making the best of the Pandemic’s “new normal.” They have stayed plugged into the high school’s remote learning, have goals for the future, have pursued their creative passions, and are grateful for their mentors […]
Posted inSchools
ETHS Seniors Followed Their Muses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Part 1 of a Series Evanston Township High School seniors Angel Cruz, Noam Hasak-Lowy, and Indira Abraham are making the best of the Pandemic’s “new normal.” They have stayed plugged into the high school’s remote learning, have goals for the future, have pursued their creative passions, and are grateful for their mentors and peer support […]
Posted inArt & Life
Four Profiles of Resilient and Creative Young Evanstonians During the Pandemic
Despite the pervasive uncertainty, isolation, and disruption that Covid-19 has caused, there are considerable lessons of resilience and creativity in the community. Many young Evanstonians, still mindful of safety, are demonstrating perseverance, productivity, creativity, and enterprise look like. They are not letting this pandemic shut them down. Four of them, Taryn Robinson, Gaby Calixte, […]
Posted inArt & Life
Evanston Teen Finds New Homes for Cats and Dogs
Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak about a year ago, animal adoptions across the country have soared, including in Evanston. In March one family in southeast Evanston decided it was the right time to follow their hearts, the right time to translate their love of animals into an organized support and rescue system for […]