by Marta Segal Block | May 6, 2021 | Awards, Fundraising Events, News
We are thrilled to announce that Monica Collins is the winner of this year’s Staszak Outstanding Educator Award. Congratulations to Ms. Collins, a beloved District 97 social worker and OPEF partner. Ms. Collins demonstrates a deep commitment to expanding summer... 
by Marta Segal Block | Apr 24, 2021 | Events, Fundraising Events, News
By this point in the Pandemic, we’re all about ready to get away, one way or another. That’s why we’re so excited about the raffle prizes for our upcoming Evening of Magic. We’ll help you get out of town, out of the house, or maybe a little bit... 
by Marta Segal Block | Jul 9, 2020 | News, Poetry Slam, Spoken Word
How do you have a poetry slam when you can’t gather? You do it virtually! Just like the rest of the world, our Spoken Word program had some unexpected challenges this year. But, our poets prevailed. For the first time, we had a combined Brooks/Julian club. The... 
by Marta Segal Block | Jun 22, 2020 | Beye, Fundraising Events, News
One of the things that made us saddest about canceling this year’s Bingo Bash was that we were losing the chance to give Mr. Ellwanger, also known as Mr. E, the 2020 Staszak Educator Award. Mr. Ellwanger started his Oak Park career as a music teacher at Beye,... 
by Tracy DellAngelaBarber | Mar 11, 2020 | Battle of the Bots, Brooks, D97 Schools, Events, Julian, News, OPEF Programs, VEX Robotics
It took a lot more than luck for the “Lucky Llamas” to take home the top honor at the Battle of the Bots middle school robotics competition this weekend. For this all-girl team of 7th graders from Julian Middle School, winning the VEX Robotics Excellence Award... 
by Laura Garcia | May 17, 2019 | Brooks, D97 Schools, Julian, News, Poetry Slam, Spoken Word
OPEF Spoken Word students shook the house at the School of Rock with their raw honesty and powerful words last week. The poetry slam, titled Respect the Mic, fostered creativity and self-expression while giving kids the opportunity to speak about their lives in a...