District 205 Honors Mentors and Volunteers at Annual Luncheon

Submitted by Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.

On April 29, Elmhurst District 205 honored its mentors and volunteers for the 2015-16 school year.

A total of 41 non-parent mentors and volunteers were recognized for the selfless dedication of their time and talents on the behalf of our students.

They serve in elementary, middle and high school, as well as the Transition Center.

They were treated to a special lunch prepared by York High School Food and Restaurant Management students under the direction of their instructor, Wendy Albert, Division Chair for Technology & Applied Arts. Served at La Brigade, the high school’s authentic culinary lab and restaurant, the luncheon is a small token of appreciation for the hundreds of hours donated by community volunteers this school year.

As part of the recognition program, a total of 14 volunteers were honored with one, three, five, ten or 15-year service pins, which were awarded as follows:

• One Year – John Osbolt (Churchville Mentor) and Stacy Wrasse (York Mentor)
• Three Years – Patt Gutierrez (Sandburg Mentor), Paul Heinz (Bryan Mentor) and Jim Bursch (Sandburg Mentor)
• Five Years – Lucy Bruzas (Jefferson Classroom), Chris and Debbie Khayat – Jackson Chess Club
• 10 Years – Leslie Leader (York Mentor), Connie Nestler (York Mentor), Chuck Malefyt (Transition Center Mentor) and Karen Nishimura (York ELL Program)
• 15 Years – Jack Island (Bryan Mentor) and Anna Locascio (York Mentor)

This group alone has given a total of 95 years of volunteer service to the children of District 205.

The mentor program is coordinated by the District’s middle and high school social workers, with support from building administrators, under the auspices of the Communications Office, which also assists in placing school volunteers.

School social workers involved in the program include: Denise Gulotta (Bryan), Bill Denny (Churchville), Mel Phillips (Sandburg) and Teri Finley (York). Melea Smith is the Director of Communications and Public Relations for District 205; Debbie Hollstein serves as administrative assistant for the Communications Office.