News Briefs: New Trier Township’s new housing program; New Trier’s biliteracy students; Moraine Township’s new assessor; Northfield’s new clinic

New Trier Township has partnered with the nonprofit Northwest Compass to provide housing and homeless services to those in need. The Shelter Access for Everyone, or SAFE, program uses a coordinated entry approach to help the home insecure access shelter, according to a release from New Trier Township.

The pilot partnership for the 2024 fiscal year is the first of its kind for the township, which has no existing emergency shelter and services for homeless individuals.

“New Trier Township is a welcoming and generous community, but we do not have the housing resources available locally to offer emergency shelter and services to those presenting as homeless in our community,” Township Supervisor Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg said in the release. “I am excited to partner with Northwest Compass to allow our community to provide short-term shelter opportunities, case management, and other resources.”

Northwest Compass is based in Mount Prospect and helps individuals, families and businesses with financial resources.

The SAFE program offers a community-wide system to help individuals experiencing homelessness have access to standardized and expedited services. This includes connecting individuals with needed resources, basic needs and housing options.

The program is one way that New Trier Township can address the “real, aggregated need” in the community, Eisenberg said.

Individuals who qualify for the SAFE program will be connected with Northwest Compass through local police departments.

123 New Trier students earn Seal of Biliteracy

More than 100 New Trier High school seniors are recent recipients of the Seal of Biliteracy, an award given to students who show proficiency in English and at least one other language. The award is granted by the Illinois State Board of Education and given by New Trier High School’s Modern and Classical Languages Department, according to a release from the school.

To be eligible, students must earn an English score of 21 or higher on the ACT or 4.8 on the ACCESS exam. Students can show proficiency in another language by earning a 4 or a 5 on the Advanced Placement language exam or by taking a state-approved test, such as the Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages exam, and earning an intermediate high or advanced score.

Of special note are 5 students who qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy in multiple languages: Benicio Becka (Spanish and French), Emilia Kowalczyk (Spanish and Polish), Erik Li (Spanish and Chinese), Ethan Shu (Latin and Chinese), and Yvette Hermann (Hungarian and Spanish). 

The awardees are:

In Chinese: Riley Botjer, Emily Boyd, Zoey Fang, Myra Gallant, Yunqing Han, Kaminta Hou, Erik Li, Ethan Li, Sophie Li, Zhengdong Lu, Alison Lucchesi, Niyati Naveen, Ethan Shu, Danyan Wang, Yinuo Wu, Andrew Xia, Eric Yang, Jayden Ye, Joseph Yuan and Amy Zheng; in Czechoslovakian: Vojtech Ponrt; in French: Benicio Becka, Jackson Hasbrook, and Sophia Korobov; in Georgian: Ana Adamadze; in German: Kyle Fix, Makenzie Gable, Lilian Grady, Max Steen, and Jasper Zettelmeyer; in Greek: Andriana Geroulis and Haralambos Iskos; in Hungarian: Gruia Radu and Yvette Hermann; in Italian: Emma Lucchese; in Japanese: Kay Ito, Rintaro Kishi and Sumi Pandiri; in Korean: Aitak Mosen Harzandi, Chloe Park and Yaejin Shin; in Latin: Alexandra Vile and Ethan Shu; in Polish: Emilia Kowalczyk, Gabriel Lopez and Izabela Suszko; in Russian: Hannah Kogan and Sophie Rakoushchyk; and in Spanish: Grace Allen, Owen Appel, Addison Auer, Kyle Bartsch, John Baumeyer, Alison Beanblossom, Benicio Becka, Santiago Benes, Ella Bostrom, Katherine Braham, Nathan Cata, Sarah Choi, Julia Chychlyk, Shaili Das, Suvali Dhar, Mathias Di Si, Gabriela Esteve, Talia Feinberg, Rocco Fernandez, Lia Fontana, Keira Fortin, Lindsey George, Taylor Glicken, Sally Glynn, Lillian Goettsche, Ana Hagist, Ignacio Hampton, Siena Harper, Yvette Hermann, Jennifer Hernandez, Erik Iancu, Henrick Ingram, Jaden Jansen, Samuel Kazmier Kaiser, Lexi Kittnar, Haley Knupp, Emilia Kowalczyk, Zoe Kunreuther, Dae Lee, Clare Levine, Amanda Lhee, Erik Li, Gabriela Manzano Pashinian, Jacob Matten, Elizabeth McCoy, Ella McCurdy, Margherita Merlo, Colin Meyer, Derek Mitchell, Wyatt Nelson, Aidan Nolan, Raina Patel, Tasyn Patel, Katherine Patterson, Virginia Peterson, Caroline Pilant, Sarah Popoff, Sophia Puljic, Brandon Regalado, Nora Rolison, Silvia Romero, Caroline Saunders, Catherine Schwaab, Ruth Schweidel, Maeve Scott, Julia Son, Annabel Sturgis, Alexander Swoish, Alena Tadelman, Chirag Tailor, Caroline Tzur, Madelyn Varkey, Olivia Veneziano, Rachel Veneziano, Tessa VonBank, Jane Welch, Victoria Wenzke, David Wolff, Chris Xu, and Riley Zenkewicz. 

Moraine Township approves new assessor

The Moraine Township Board of Trustees on May 8 accepted the resignation of Moraine Township Assessor Mark Lindsay. Lindsay will resign from his position on May 15, 2024, citing health reasons, according to a release from the township, which encompasses Highland Park.

The board expressed its gratitude for Lindsay’s six-year service to the township, which began in 2008.

The board appointed Thomas J. Healy to fill Lindsay’s term, which ends in December 2025. Healy is a certified Illinois assessing officer with experience in West Deerfield Township, for which he served as assessor from 2009 until 2021.

Healy’s appointment was praised by the board in the release as they expressed confidence in his ability to bring his expertise and knowledge to the role.

Assessor Healy can be reached by email at assessor@morainetownship.org.

Northfield welcomes new medical clinic

A new medical practice, Forward Focus Concierge Medicine, has opened in Northfield and local officials joined the new business on May 15 for a ribbon-cutting.

The concierge medicine model emphasizes relationships and collaboration between patients and caregivers, with a focus on prevention and wellness.

The clinic, 1622 Willow Road, specializes in preventative care and wellness, offering screenings and lifestyle modification.

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.