Illinois School Report Card

One dad's goal: Help others become computer savvy

Adolfo Lopez knows his way around a computer. He also knows Spanish.

Being the education lover that he is, Lopez decided if he put those two skills together, he could teach a computer class in Spanish.

The challenge was he didn’t have enough computers at home to hold a class.

That’s where the Aurora Public Library’s Eola Road Branch comes in.

Lopez sent a proposal to Shannon Halikias, the coordinator of the Eola Road Branch, and asked what she thought of the idea to offer Spanish language computer classes. She liked the idea, and arranged for Lopez to begin the classes this summer.

“A process of review and curriculum development took place in order to formulate instructional content that would match our current class offerings,” Halikias said. “We feel that offering classes both in Spanish and English will give a full complement of opportunity to our library users. We’ve had several requests for classes from Spanish-speaking patrons, and I am pleased that the library can be responsive to increasing demands.

“Adolfo has been a delight to work with and goes the extra mile both in class preparation and enthusiasm. His commitment to using his talents for civic volunteerism is most appreciated,” she added.

Lopez will teach four two-hour classes in July (beginning July 12) and four in August at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. One class will concentrate on computer basics and the other will focus on email basics.

“I’m just trying to give back,” Lopez said. “I know how to use a computer and I know the language. I can give my time and help as long as I have the resources. I just don’t have 20 computers at home.”

Lopez has several motives — all philanthropic — for wanting to teach computer classes.

“I would like to get more parents involved in schools,” he said.

Lopez lives in the Georgetown subdivision on the Far East Side of Aurora with his wife and three children. As a Georgetown Elementary School parent liaison, he has worked extensively with Hispanic parents. (According to Illinois State Board of Education School Report Card statistics for fiscal year 2010, Georgetown Elementary School is 33.5 percent Hispanic and 23.3. percent limited English proficient.

Antioch teacher recognized for promoting peace and international ...

Antioch (IL) Community High School special education and global studies teacher Kerri Elliott was honored during the National Education Association’s (NEA) annual Human and Civil Rights Awards dinner in Chicago on Friday, July 1, 2011.

( Read the July 2010 Advocate story on Elliott’s work . Watch a brief video about the project )

Elliott received the NEA’s Applegate-Dorros Peace and International Understanding Award, which is given for outstanding  contributions toward efforts to foster peace and international understanding and the ability to motivate youth to work toward world peace.

“The need for wider public support for international understanding and a willingness to work for peace has never been greater,” said Dennis Van Roekel, NEA president. “Kerri Elliott has made lasting contributions that will continue to make a difference for years to come.”

While visiting the Kilimahewa village near the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania during the summer of 2008, Elliott learned that local children whose families could not afford to provide a formal education for them were being taught by village elders. The Kilimahewa School initially had been held outdoors in the shade of a roadside tree until a local benefactor donated a small building to shelter the students and their teachers.

Since her initial visit, Elliott has returned to the village each summer with other volunteers for four to six weeks. Their work has enabled the villagers to expand their two-room school into the Kilimahewa Educational Center. Elliott has designed a curriculum, taught students, and provided professional development to the local school staff. Her next project is to use technology to connect her American and Tanzanian students.

In 2009 Elliott started EdPowerment with the goal of creating a clean water system. Initial drilling in 2010 found water near the village, and fundraising to supply running water to the school and the entire community continues.

If you’d like to donate to Elliott’s cause or to learn more about Project Kilimahewa, visit the project’s website .

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