News Briefs: Congregation awarded; ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ author visit Tuesday; Hope Walk Sunday; Science olympiad accolades

The Frank Memorial Hall and Rebecca K. Crown Social Hall at the North Shore Congregation Israel were among the winners of the 2026 Faith & Form International Awards.

The awards are administered by Partners for Sacred Places, a nonprofit that works to preserve historic sacred spaces as active community sanctuaries.

The program was founded in 1978 to honor the excellence and innovation in architecture, design and art for religious places. This year’s 12 winners were selected from 75 entries from across the globe.

Of the congregation’s halls, the program noted: “This project reimagines key communal spaces to support gathering, education and celebration. The design strengthens connections between indoor and outdoor areas while enhancing functionality for diverse uses.”

Author, director coming to bookshop

Matchmaker Bookshop will host a discussion and book signing with bestselling author Shelby Van Pelt and award-winning director Olivia Newman from 4-5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5.

Van Pelt is the New York Times bestselling author of “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” which is set to become a Netflix movie directed by Newman. The release date is May 8.

The story follows a widow who works at an aquarium, set in the fictional town of Sowell Bay in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. She finds joy again when she forms an unlikely bond with a giant Pacific octopus and a young man who comes to town searching for family. They work together to uncover a mystery that will lead to life-altering discoveries and restore their sense of hope and wonder.

The live conversation is free and open to the public at the Highland Park bookshop, 1891 2nd St.

Attendees can bring one copy of the book from home, or purchase one in the shop to be signed by Van Pelt and Newman.

Hope Walk on Sunday in Wilmette

A group of local rotary clubs will host the fourth annual Hope Walk for the Homeless on Sunday, May 9, at Gillson Park in Wilmette. The event will begin at 10 a.m. near the Wallace Bowl.

Participating clubs include Wilmette, Winnetka-Northfield, Evanston Lighthouse and Skokie Valley.

Participants will enjoy a fun 5K walk through the park while raising funds for organizations that provide services to the homeless in Evanston, Chicago and other local communities. Organizations include: Connections for the Homeless, La Casa Norte, Fraternite Notre Dame, and Interfaith Action of Evanston.

Registration is $40 per person, $100 for a family and $20 for students. Leashed dogs are welcome.

WJH science olympiad is top 10 at state

The Wilmette Junior High School science olympiad team, coached by Ciara Tate and Kevin Swarthout, earned its second consecutive top-10 finish at the Illinois State Meet, placing ninth at the state competition on April 18 at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

The team achieved medals in seven out of 26 challenging STEM-based events during the meet. The team also finished second place in the Rocks and Minerals competition.

In addition to that strong performance , the team also earned medals in the Disease Detectives (3rd place), Experimental Design (4th), Codebusters (5th), Code Craze (7th) and Scrambler (7th) and finished strong in ninth place among 44 teams.

The Wilmette Junior High’s team performance concluded a season of medals in 19 of 23 events at the regional competition in March to earn its trip to the state meet.

In the past three seasons, WJHS has finished in the top 12 at the state meet, including a seventh-place finish in 2025.

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