Our family had the opportunity to visit the Niles West High School Auditorium on a Sunday for…read moreViking Dance Studio's Recital 2023. These are the sort of community based events that a public school's facilities should be used for, bringing the general public in to show what the tax dollars are being used for, and giving prospective students/parents an idea of what's ahead next. It is a large auditorium, with comfortable seating and good acoustics. It can host a large production, with a lot of available seating. It also has dedicated auditorium parking very close to the main auditorium entrance, but it's limited. The studio had 6 shows in all this Sunday, and between show 3 and 4, it was definitely busy in the parking area, but everyone was dealing with it happily: a beautiful day outside and a show that makes you feel young.

Chief Justice Merrick Garland is probably the most famous Niles West grad at this time. Nominated…read moreby both Presidents Obama and Biden, I think he'll be Attorney General any day now. Other alums who've made the news are Rick Singer (think Lori Laughlin/Full House college admissions advisor) and George Papadopolous (foreign policy advisor for President Trump). Of course there are sports stars - Rashard Mendenhall (Steelers) and Jewel Lloyd (WNBA), Bart Conner (Gold medalist), etc. But what I really like about Niles West is that it's probably the most diverse high school in the country - by race, national origin and socio- economic status. See - a lotta people talk about supporting diversity but don't exactly want to live in it. Niles West embraces the over 100 different languages and makes it happen. And you don't have to be an elitist to attend this school, however, with hard work and good grades - you'll find yourself in elite company, in the very near future.

Oh God- the worst years of any kid's life- Jr High!…read more It's hard to give any Jr. High a good review, since it's such a terrible time for most kids. I tried to put much of those years out of my memory, but there are a couple things about Frost that really did stand out for me I'll recount: My teachers were decent enough- Mr. Catalano was my science teacher- he really rooted for me when I aced my HS entrance exams and got into the accelerated track. On the flip-side was Ms. Costansa, my English teacher, she actually fought to keep me out of the accelerated HS English track because of my misbehavior. Somehow she couldn't see that my misbehavior was largely due to boredom from being unchallenged by her criculum- duh? Oh well, at least in HS English I got to hang out with normal kids instead of the AP geeks. Gym class. OMG, Mr. Steger was notorious- every boy in the 5-6th grade feared entering Jr. High because of this guy's reputation for embarrassing and harassing the boys in the locker room. I never had to jump naked for my towel myself, but the dude was huge and scary and he got pretty mean when other kids acted up. Not a really good deal if you ask me. I'm sure he's long gone now, but that's how it was in the 80s. French class. I had the best French teacher ever- she was this totally cool, cosmopolitan, artsy lady. She really cared about us learning the language and the culture, and took us all to the Creperie in Chicago. Mlle Doyle was the best. Math- both my Pre Algebra and Algebra teachers were really good. The kids in these classes were ahead of the other kids in Math and we were taught that way- nice to have reasonably tough expectations placed on our progress. So Frost was just OK, there were some really nice teachers, some were pricks, some good experiences, and some pretty bad. I booked lots of geeky kids in the hallway and got away with it. I suppose that experience typified my whole experience here: not really good, but not really bad either- 3 stars.

This is a wonderful school, where all the staff is so kind, and they have a social worker right on…read moresight to help. The principals are always around and greeting the students. The teachers are helpful and make sure the students understand the topic at hand. They have a wide variety of different club activities and sports. In the cafeteria they have vending machines that are filled with snacks. Over all this school will get a five out of five from me.

I am a coach and was at HPHS Highland Park High School for a tournament. HPHS Highland Park High…read moreSchool is a great school to have a tournament at. All of the spaces used were up to date and had the latest technology. The library was large and was giving off very comfortable vibes. The classrooms were large and had spaces to charge your electronics. The cafeteria was large and had plenty of room for the students. There were two tournaments going on when I was there and there was enough space that neither tournament bothered the other. I highly recommend HPHS Highland Park High School!

The centre of Elgin preschool program is ridiculous. Don't ever try leaving messages for teachers…read moreor preschool director. You will NOT get a call back. I understand there are due dates for tuition, however after trying several times to get a hold of someone to let them know it'll be late and no response it's frustrating. My child goes to school and her teacher will keep the lights off because she has a migraine. So now my kid is on the dark playing and learning. Then the director tells me well it seems like your kids been coming here for free. Um no, a late payment is still a payment. Baffling. I highly recommend your child go elsewhere. They don't even take the time to see if the students are learning what they are supposedly teaching. Spend your money and time somewhere else. I wish I didn't have to give a star at all.

Looooove this preschool!!! Absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a great school for their…read morebabies. Teachers are great! Location is secure and has a warm, welcoming feel.

We are new to the community and historically my family had attended private schools. My son is…read moreenrolled at Westgate and I am so pleased. The amount of progress he has made from the first day of school is amazing! The kindergarten teacher Mrs. A is outstanding. Her communication is great and the children enjoy her classroom!

I was at Wheeling High School to judge a congressional debate tournament. Wheeling High School…read morehosted this tournament in its academic wing. The library was a great place to have the coaches and judges meet. It is full of books and has a great relaxing feel to it. The classrooms hosted the individual rooms where the debating took place. Everything was well organized and the school was clean and well cared for.

So many memories Some not so good…read moresome fun Like getting chased in the hallways by gangsters and girls.

Well I love this district my daughter goes to link and loves her teachers and makes so much friends…read morethe programs they have in sd54 are fun to!!!!

My husband and I have always loved going to the theater during our dating years. Before kids, we…read moreused to trek into the city to see the bigger productions. Since having kids, things look a little different but our love for live performances hasn't changed. Now we make it a point to support local theaters closer to home. It's more convenient, more affordable, and still gives us that special date-night feeling. We've been to this theater twice since last year. My favorite so far has been "Green Day's American Idiot" production that ran last summer. The songs instantly brought back memories of seeing Green Day live during our college days. The cast delivered a lively, high-energy production that kept me tapping my feet the entire night. I felt transported back to my 20s reliving those songs. Because ticket prices are so affordable, we treated ourselves to front-row seats and I felt so immersed throughout that night. That show was performed in the main theater (I believe it's called the Blizzard Theater), seatings was assigned, and tickets were only $16 for adults. In my opinion, it was an incredible value for a production of that caliber and soundtrack. We returned this past weekend to see "Unsung Broadway," which features musical numbers from shows that never made it to Broadway or had short runs. It was both entertaining and educational. This performance took place in the SecondSpace Theater, located next to the main theater. It's a much more intimate setting, and there really isn't a bad seat in the house. You can see the actors faces very well from any angle. They also do a great job of using all the stage area and turning at all points during their performances. Tickets for this show were $22. There's a small online processing fee when purchasing ahead of time, but overall, it's still very reasonable. You select your own seats of what's available or remaining once you enter the theater. The seats are a little bit tight together your traditional classic theater seat seats so there's not too much room when you have a big coat on during the winter time. If you want more leg room, you can get the floor seats which is right next to the stage and comes with a table with a candlelight centerpiece which gives off a very romantic & intimate flair also. They seem to pair off about 2-3 chairs per table. Both times we've been here we noticed they don't sell snacks or drinks during intermission, but the restrooms are conveniently located just outside between both theater entrances and are well kept. Parking is easy, and you can walk straight into the building -- no stairs required, as both theaters are located on the first floor. We truly enjoy coming here and appreciate having quality live performances so close to home. We'll definitely be back for both planned performances and more impromptu date nights and I want to also try to pair it with the student culinary experiences in the future :)

I've been here twice for concerts; it's a decent venue. And I love that it's so close to home…read more Not a huge venue, but perfect for a community college campus theater.