PHOTOS: Longfellow Students Learn Heart Health, Donate 516 Pounds of Food to PRC

Longfellow students learn about heart health during the first week of American Hearth Month.

Longfellow Elementary School last week hosted about 150 people to learn about heart health and help the local food pantry at People's Resource Center during the first week of American Heart Month. The students and their families participated in a Heart Adventure Course, where students become blood and travel through the body and heart on scooters to learn the functions of the heart. Students also studied food labels to learn about healthy foods, using products they collected to donate to the PRC. So far, they have collected 516 pounds of food to donate, Longfellow P.E. teacher Barb Williams said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), while heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women, it's …

• Photos (7)

Community Remembers 'Mr. G': Beloved Crossing Guard, Jokester, Friend

Students, parents remember beloved crossing guard as a friend—a smiling face with kind words. Visitation services for Anthony Ghilarducci of Wheaton will be Saturday, Feb. 2 at Hultgren Funeral Home.

He only spent about two minutes with the kids each day, but his kindness, his jokes, his generosity and his pockets full of tootsie rolls and bubble gum have left a lasting impression on Wheaton students. For the last decade, Anthony “Tony” Ghilarducci, or, “Mr. G,” stood at the corner of Franklin and Main streets on weekday afternoons to help hundreds students cross the road safely from Franklin and Longfellow schools.  On Friday, Jan. 23, Ghilarducci died in his home at age 73. He was born November 10, 1939 in Chicago. He was the former vice president of floor operations at the Board of Trade in Chicago, where he had worked for over 40 years. He served as a crossing guard for Longfellow Elementary School and Franklin Middle School since …

• Photos (6)

PHOTOS: Are You More Coordinated Than a 5th Grader?

Longfellow students challenge their parents to moves they learned from the P.E. Central Challenge program.

Parent's of fifth graders at Longfellow Elementary School on Monday participated in "Are You More Coordinated Than a 5th Grader?" after students prepared challenges for their parents to attempt. The night followed the students' P.E. Central Challenge program, sponsored by a premier website for physical education teachers, and designed to encourage families, schools and organizations to help all children become more skillful movers, according to a message from Longfellow P.E. teacher, Barb Williams. The students had six challenges to accomplish over the course of a week before challenging their parents. "I have been so impressed with all the effort and determination the students have put forth this week with the challenges," Williams said. …

• Photos (6)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Veteran Thanks Longfellow for the 'Best Veterans Day Ceremony'

Wheaton native and Marine Corps veteran Cathy Godfrey thanks Longfellow Elementary for a special Veterans Day ceremony.

Editor:  As a Marine Corps veteran I accepted an invitation last Friday, November 11th, from fifth grader Will Richards to attend the Longfellow School Veteran’s Day ceremony as his special guest. I’d been invited in the past by its organizer, Barb Williams, but always seemed to have another place to go. When I arrived I was amazed at what the students had prepared: special veterans parking, door openers and greeters, flags and other patriotic decorations everywhere, letters to veterans at each place on every table, a lovely breakfast, 40 or so veterans, family members and friends, the Mayor, Michael Gresk and everyone very thankful and appreciative. The assembly in the gym was superb with each class performing a song, poem or skit. My …

• Videos (1)

Wheaton Scout Now Soars With The Eagles

Local Scout's love of geography earned him the rank of Eagle Scout in Wheaton's Troop 374.

Wheaton resident Gregory Becker now has something in common with former President Gerald Ford, astronaut Neil Armstrong and film director Steven Spielberg.  This month, Becker joined these men as an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, scouting's highest rank.  Becker, 16, is a member of Wheaton Boy Scout Troop 374, which was formed in 1971. He is the 39th member of Troop 374 to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. In order to become an Eagle Scout, a scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills. Additionally, a scout must also plan, direct and successfully complete an Eagle Scout Project.   Becker, a Wheaton North High School sophomore who has been scouting since he was six years old, chose a …

• Photos (2)