Annual Flute Day to include workshops and concert

Musicians young and old are coming from across the region to celebrate a beloved woodwind. The Eighth Annual Flute Day is Saturday at LP High School.

The day of workshops is organized by local flute instructor Sue Gillio. She says Flute Day is a big deal because not every community has something like it. She says about 50 flutists from across the region have registered for the workshops.

Evening brings a concert that’s open to everyone. Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for children.

L-P, Ottawa and Streator fans vying for state honor

Who has the best student section in the Illinois Valley? A statewide contest is going on to name the state’s best student sections. Forty schools were divided into Class 1A/2A and Class 3A/4A based on enrollment.

Vying for the best student section in Class 3A/4A is L-P, Streator and Ottawa. Finalists will be announced starting February 25 with the overall winner announced during the boy’s basketball state championship game Saturday, March 21. You can check out submitted videos of the “L-P Super Fans”, “Ottawa Pirate Nation” and “Streator Red Surge” by clicking http://www.ihsa.org/default.aspx

LPHS band and Oglesby choir to perform in Peoria

Some local musicians are hitting the road for a big gig this weekend. The LP High School Symphonic Band and the Oglesby Washington Choir were chosen to perform Saturday at the Illinois Music Education Conference in Peoria. The audience will included music directors from all of Illinois.

Christine Adelmann is the director of the Oglesby Washington Choir and the wife of LP Band Director Kyle Adelmann. Adelmann thinks it will be a good experience.

The Oglesby choir will perform in a concert with the Lincoln Park Chamber Singers, a high school group.

The LP Band will play four pieces. With their concert scheduled to begin at 8:15am, the band is driving down Friday night.

Kyle Adelman says it has been many years since the LP Band has performed at the conference, if they ever have.

Learn more by listening to an interview that’s up at the Classic Hits 103.9 WLPO news page.

Parents and eighth graders invited to an academic night at LP High School

The transition from grade school to high school is a big step in your child’s life. If you have an eighth grader that could be going to LP High School next year you’re encouraged to be at the Eighth-Grade Academic Night.

It’s from 6-8:30pm Wednesday in Matthiessen Auditorium. School officials and students will talk about the classes offered to freshman. They will also take your questions.

This program replaces the traditional eighth grade open house.

Construction of “transistion house” delayed

When someone quotes you a price that seems too low to be good, start asking questions. That’s what officials at LP High School did after receiving only two bids for an upcoming project.

The district is building a ranch-style building for their transition program. School officials had wanted the foundation finished by winter, but when the lower bid came in $100,000 lower than the other bid, it raised a red flag.

The contractor misunderstood the specs and can’t do the job for the offer he made. So rather than go with the higher bid, school officials and the district’s architect agreed to reject the bids and start over.

They hope a new round of bidding will attract local contractors who were too busy to make a bid during the initial letting.

Superintendent Steve Wrobleski says the school board could approve a bid in December. As for when the work will begin, that depends on how hard the ground is.

LPHS automotive student receives scholarship

You could change a headlight or a belt on your car if needed but could you work on its engine?

LP High School senior Johnathan Thompson wants to become a high performance engine builder or tuner. He recently won a $20,000 scholarship to attend the University of Northwestern Ohio’s College of Applied Technologies’ High Performance Motorsports program.

Thompson earned the scholarship after beating out more than 600 other high school seniors on a short-answer and multiple-choice test. He’s in his second year in LP’s Auto Mech classes.

Thompson plans to begin college in June and to be in the college’s racing team.

LPHS forms committee to consider its future buidling needs

How is your school meeting the 21^st Century challenges of learning? It’s not a simple question but a committee of community members, staff and students are working on it at LP High School

With hopes of receiving a state construction grant, school officials created the committee to develop a long-term plan for the buildings on campus.

The committee broke into groups and toured the campus Friday night. In the main building they went through classrooms and even below the first floor to the boiler room. Then they crossed the street into the even older building saw the swimming pool, locker rooms and the east gym. Inside the east gym they saw where the drop-ceiling has started to fall. They also walked through the vocational arts addition.

The committee returned Saturday morning for an envisioning meeting. They’ll meet monthly through February.

Tickets remain available for 815 Life Taste of Home Cooking School

You could light a candle that smells like you’ve been baking a delicious dessert or you could attend the 815 Life Taste of Home Cooking School Saturday and learn how to prepare the real thing.

The cooking school and vendor show has grown into an annual event for some local families. The recipes are from the popular cooking publication of the same name.

You’ll be able to watch Culinary Specialist Guy Klinzing prepare a variety of recipes from start to finish. All of the cooking will be demonstrated live on the LP High School Matthiessen Auditorium stage. Screens will be set up to give you an up-close view of the process.

People selling cooking supplies and home goods will be set up in halls before the show. Food will also be on sale.

VIP tickets are sold out but premium seats remain available for $20. General admission tickets are $12.  You can buy tickets at the door.  The vendor show opens at 10:30am and the cooking school begins at 2pm.

LPHS students to present a fall play this weekend

Being young and beautiful makes you vulnerable, but being old and wise makes you undesirable. Those are some of the themes of a play being performed at LP High School this weekend.

“Picnic” tells the story of a woman and her young daughters and a strange young man as they enjoy Labor Day weekend.

The cast includes Abbi Colby as Madge and Josh Rinehart as Hal. It’s directed by teacher Rob Clydesdale.

You can catch performances Friday and Saturday nights at 7pm. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for people 18 and younger. Doors open at 6:20pm.

Veterans wanted to be recognized at L-P

Do you think kids get more out of Veteran’s Day by being out of school or being in school to learn about and honor vets in the classroom?

L-P is among a growing list of schools that don’t have Veteran’s Day off anymore. They instead are choosing to have a Veterans Day program at school Tuesday, November 11th.

If you or anyone you know is an L-P graduate or retired teacher that served in the military, the school wants a photo of them along with name, rank, branch of service and graduation year so they can be included in the Veterans Day slideshow.

There’s a form to fill out with information about each veteran so they can be recognized. You can find it at http://lphs.schoolwires.net