Some Pictures as 2010 comes to close

2010 was been a difficult year, involving loss, and change, neither one are favorites of mine. Clearly I can not understate how hard these past months have been on Ilene. The loss of her mom Shirley has been a tragic, traumatic, and has left a deep scar. I have to say that she, Steven and Ed; have all shown a level of strength that I'm SURE I don't possess.

Lane's move to Latin for high school has been a challenge; but one that he is handling quite well. He has just finished his first semester, and by all objective measures, it went quite well.

I have explained to him that if I have "My expectations Too High" it's his own fault for getting straight "A"s for the past few years. 

So I will take break from looking at some less-than-stellar business results, and post some recent fun pictures.

 

Yes that's the Stanley Cup (not an empty keg of beer)

Friends Taylor, Nick &Donna

This was an amazing costume.

He wanted his hair black; so I found some "Temporary" spray to put in his hair.

By the start of the night he was the Fonz, but as the night wore on, his hair started getting a bit lighter, while his face started getting much darker; by the end of the night he looked more like

Al Jolson.

Sam and Alan were nice enough to travel to Detroit,
along with several other of our close friends;
I know it was a great support for Ilene.

Back To Detroit

Wishing Lanny Cooper well

Lanny checked into Baylor Hospital the other day. He has been going through a ruff stretch of medical issues.

Sheila Wilk Cooper November 16 at 5:00pm Reply• Report


Monday was miserable.....Monday night was worse. Tired and nauseous. Could barely look at food. During the night he got very sick and nauseous.....so much so that his chest hurt and he had an EKG at 2am...wich was fine. His blood pressue went up so much that he was moved to ICU before 7am. I got to the hospital at 10:15am yesterday....left at 7pm for dinner and Target because I had not planned to spend the night. got back at 9pm....left at noon today and came back at 3:30pm

We all have our fingers crossed, and send our love.

Shirley Ruzumna

I have been writing this Blog for a few years now. I'm not sure exactly why  began, nor am i sure that the most important events have necessarily gotten their fair share of space, but I am sure that the "Lubell family blog" has been decidedly up-beat. That is partially due to me having a truly fortunate life, and in part my unwillingness to share some of the "Darker moments". Today I do have to write about the sad and disturbing situation involving Shirley. 

What began as a simple ache in her arm, developed into the situation we have today. Shirley has truly been going through a living Hell. A "trial by fire" that would have caused Hercules or Oddesses to quit; yet one that Shirley has fought with courage and grace. I have watched her battle to keep her spirits up, in fact even lifting those around her. Shirley loves to cook, to make the party, to be the one serving.   All that know her can imagine how hard it must be for her to have others do for her, those things that she has always taken such joy and pride to do for others.

But Shirley is never alone, she is circled by a team of warriors fighting by her side, and of them, Ed is clearly the General. He has been unwavering in his love and support. He has been there for her in every way, made every sacrifice and asked nothing but that God would give him more time to spend with Shirley.

Steven has been a constant source of pride and happiness to Shirley.
He has been there with Ed for each piece of news. All the long days and nights both by his mom's side but also a great help to Ed.

What I  know best I know though the eyes of Ilene. It is so difficult to watch someone you love go through such pain. Throughout the years I have known Ilene she has always spoken of her relationship with her Mom as one that transcends that of just Mother and Daughter,and includes being "Best friends" I know that Ilene looks to her Mom as an inspiration and the bedrock on which her life was built. I have watched Ilene go through a personal Hell, one where she is constantly "Torn". Every moment she is here in Chicago, she feels guilty and longs to be with her family in Detroit. When in Detroit, she feels bad that she is missing Lane's first week of High School, or his Cross Country meet. It is so hard to for her, and yet it's never herself that she thinks of, instead her thoughts are just for those that Love her and need her.

I would be amiss not to mention all of those that have been by Shirley's side. Her sisters, nieces, extended family, many coming from around the country to lend there support and Love. So many that have visited in the hospital or at home. Those you have sent cards, made calls. All of Ed and Shirley's friends that have been so supportive. Friends of ours that do not go a week without calling Ilene, many offering to help drive Lane, or whatever they can do, while Ilene is out of town.

Yes today is not a "Happy post", but it is an important one. Let's all close our eyes and hope, pray and above all, close ranks and wish Shirley well.         

    

First 6 Weeks into High School

"Latin Cross Country Team"

While I meticulously avoided any "Formal Extra curricular activities" during my-own time in High School- I have been very pleased to see Lane "Jump-in" to Latin and really try to be apart of the school. I am so glad, that despite his temporary health set-back, and over-booked schedule; that he went back to Cross Country. Granted, he's not any kind of "Star," but the kids have all been great.  It is especially heart-warming to see the way the seniors have taken him under their wing, it says a lot about their character.    



Latin Biology Class



While the work in high School has definatly required Lane to "Turn it up a notch," I really think that all the Catherine Cook Kids seem up to the task. 

At the Homecoming game, I had on my Latin T shirt, and we cheering on the team; I still have a difficult time when the school their playing have a number of Lane's good friends in the freshman class.

     

   

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"It was the best of times

It was the worst of times;
it ws the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way."

Charles Dickens


Looking through this Blog, it's hard for one not conclude that ours is a family for whom only sunshine falls. That each week brings new awards, days on a beach, and the joy of time spent with family and friends. And truth be told, we do have at-least our share of Happy Moments, but as there is light, there is also darkness.

Last week, after some simple blood work looking to see if he still had a skin infection, the doctor sent us off to Children's hospital to find the source of the problem.

The test showed he was loosing protein in his urine and that is the result of some kidney problem.

His kidneys are functioning fine except that one problem.

He spent three days in the hospital, he got to come home Saturday and Sunday, but had to return at 1:00 on Monday.

There are a number of possible causes. They range from something "Serious" to something as serious as getting the flu.

It seems as if the "Bad" possibilities are exotic and not likely the cause.

The doctors seem to be talking about a 90% chance that it is one of two things, either of which would require he take some pills for a few weeks. The next couple of possible causes would add a week to the meds (Slightly different meds) and a bit more observation to make sure he does not get this again.

Forgive me but I'm not going to address the idea of the more serious, far less likely causes.We will find out what this is all about when we get the results back from the biopsy he took today (08/24)

On the positive side; Lane did make it to Orientation today. He was 20 minutes late, as he came right from spending the night at the hospital. But HE MADE IT.

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Ilene's Mom is not doing well at all. She is fighting valiantly, has has been to Hell and back. There is nothing that she ever did in her life to warrant such pain and suffering.

Ed and Steven have been great, and have worked diligently to be there for her, and to keep her spirits up- clearly it is a challenging task.

Ilene has been performing the most difficult of balancing acts. Taking care of Lane, and myself, starting up a business with a close friend, while bouncing back and forth between Chicago, and Detroit. by comparison, Juggling chainsaws while standing one foot on a tennis ball, is child's play.  

Every moment she spends here she feels guilty she is not "There;" yet when "There" she feels bad she is not "Here". It is a non-stop ride of questioning. of placing needs over wants. and second-guessing each decision.

Today we find out Ed crashed his car, flipping over ending upside-down in the car.

Luck was shinning; since he escaped with a few scratches.

So there is a lot of "waiting with fingers crossed" here in our home.

Question- does it make any sense for Jews to "CROSS" fingers?

Maybe I'll file that under, "I guess it can't hurt"

OK, So I'm 14 months late

I'm not making this up.  Google won a court case concerning copyright law.
Prior to that, You Tube would not let me "Up-Load this because it used music that was copy written.

Anyway, Better Late than never.

Beach Day

I must admit, I do not have a degree in Climatology, but it sure seems like a
HOT Summer.  In previous years, I would have been a bit happier about the number of hot sunny days, and would have had quite a tan to show for it- this year my heart really wasn't into, nor did I have the time to spend at East Bank.

We did make several trips to Oak Street Beach.
I'm always a bit envious of those that arrive at the beach so well prepared. They have the Coolers, the chairs, umbrellas, and a better spread of food than I have in my home.
Then I see them "Packing-up" and lugging all this stuff a mile to the beach- and my envy vanishes.
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Lane is Now an ALUMNI of CCS

Alumni Reception

submitted by Mrs. Kerri Neis

As a part of the Catherine Cook 8th grade graduation ritual last Friday, graduates and alumni attended the 2nd Annual CCS Alumni Induction Ceremony. Alumni gathered to reconnect and share stories of life beyond CCS in high school and college. Alumni that had been previously inducted into the CCS Alumni Association welcomed the 2010 graduates into the group by pinning them with their official CCS Alumni Pin. The visitors enjoyed refreshments and a visit with old friends and favorite teachers. They also toured the hallways noting the many changes that have taken place over the years in the school and reflected on happy memories of their elementary and middle school years within the comfort of the walls of CCS.

3rd annual CCS Language Olympics.

Our sombreros and berets go off to you this week as we enjoy the highlights of our 3rd annual Language Olympics. The success of this year’s event was definitely heightened by your involvement. Thank you for making time in your schedules to help us make this year’s Language Olympics the best one yet! Thanks also for your flexibility in accommodating our indoor “contingency” plan which turned out to house us perfectly. Although the storm did not strike, there were far fewer balls kicked “out of bounds” and lots of contained amusement for our students.

We believe we were successful in helping our Spanish and French students become more aware of the connections between language and team work. They now have a greater sense of how to connect with different parts of the world with the quickly approaching 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Larry Lubell has put together a lovely photo montage of the non-stop, fun-filled day that honored language, culture, competition and team work that reminds us of some of the great moments of the day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuKSv0kvNts

We are blessed at CCS to have unparalleled and amazing Parent resources.

Gracias &; Merci

Kristen O’Rourke and Suzie Giacotto

Lane's Eighth Grade Grad Party #1

Lane's class Bar-B-Que was held at Finkl Steel. OK we were not in the same room as one of the Blast-furnaces. 

It was great fun to once again gather together with so many people with whom we have grown so close. At the same time it was yet another reminder that a stage.... A very big stage of life is coming to a close.

Catherine Cook Cougars

Shirley Ruzumna, "Woman of Valor" Award

Your Old Mobile Phone Can Make a Difference

by Lane Lubell, 8th Grade

ALL: If a child drops his books, the unwritten laws of integrity say that one should help him by picking-up the books. In other words, the right thing to do is to help clean-up the mess.

As you read this, thousands of barrels of oil are leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, closing in on the Mississippi River Delta. Considered part of the Atlantic Ocean, this large body of water is being destroyed.

Whilst cleaning up the mess isn’t as easy as picking up a book, we can do things to protect what remains, and prevent further destruction.

One way to do this is to recycle. Another is to round-up other nasty chemicals, for example, mercury (Hg), which can ultimately ruin the oceans’ ecosystem. This round-up will ward-off improper disposal of these nasty chemicals into the environment.


Here at CCS, being environmentally friendly is something that is taken very seriously.

The support and success of the Acts of Green campaign, which ran in conjunction with Earth Day, not only realized over 800 Acts of Green within the school, but it also encouraged us to believe we should participate in a completion called March to a Million.


The basis of the competition is to collect as many old cell phones as possible. The winning school will receive $5000 towards a party, and a performance by the famed band, Hey Monday! (Sorry, girls. I guess Justin Beiber just isn’t as eco-friendly, or maybe his people just don’t have connections with the sponsor.)


Cell phone collection and recycling is very important. In an average cell phone, there are precious metals like gold (Au), silver (Ag), and even platinum (Pt). In addition to the precious metals, there are also multiple ounces of mercury (Hg), which is a metal in a liquid state. When thrown into a landfill, cell phones leak mercury, which can seep into the groundwater and contaminate our oceans. In fact when mercury meets the ocean, it can be more toxic than the petroleum (CH4) that is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico!

So what does this mean to you right now? Well, it means you have the opportunity to make a difference by gathering old cell phones from your homes, from your coworkers, from your family members and bringing them to the collection boxes at school. Mobile phones can be donated through the end of the month, and will be turned over to the March to a Million campaign, which will coordinate the proper disposal of these phones.
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High School Admission Results

by Kate Anderson, High School Placement Counselor

MS: Our fabulous 8th grade students have done it again: another year of terrific high school acceptance results to celebrate! All twenty-eight of our students have received offers to rigorous programs throughout the Chicago area, and we are thrilled to report the following high school highlights for our soon-to-be-CCS-graduates:

• This year, we had our first ever acceptance to Northside Prep! 
   Good Job Lane Lubell

• Four acceptances to Walter Payton and seven acceptances to Whitney Young; the highest number to date for both


• Three of our eighth graders earned perfect scores on the Selective Enrollment Placement Exam!


• Eight acceptances to Lincoln Park International Baccalaureate program; out of seventeen test takers, almost half were invited to continue

• 21 out of 25 students were accepted into one of the top five CPS Selective Enrollment high schools

• 25 out of 28 (about 90%) students were accepted into one of their top three school choices

• 79% private school acceptance rate; however, this does not include wait-listings, which could still result in ultimate acceptance at this time

• This year, we celebrate our first ever CCS recipient of the prestigious and highly-coveted Daniel Murphy Scholarship Award!

With all these offers to choose from, where will our eighth-grade students be going? Four students have accepted places at the Latin School, and two at Francis W. Parker School. Four students will be attending Walter Payton, five students will be attending Whitney Young, and three students are headed over to the Lincoln Park High School Double Honors magnet program. Two students will be attending St. Ignatius College Prep, and three more will be traveling up to Winnetka to Loyola Academy. Two students have accepted places at St. Scholastica Academy and one each at St. Patrick High School and Lyons Township High School. One student will be moving internationally at the end of the school year.


Congratulations, 8th graders! We are so proud of you!
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History Isn’t Just Something That’s Studied; It’s Made

MS: Last Thursday six students from The Catherine Cook School joined hundreds of other junior historians from around the state of Illinois to compete in the Illinois State History Expo in Springfield, Illinois. Each student submitted a Chicago-related project under the National History Day theme Innovation in History: Impact and Change.


Seventh grader Brigid Freed competed with her Individual Historical Exhibit titled Schwinn Bicycle Innovations. She explored the impact of the bicycle, specifically Schwinn and Co., on Chicago and society at large. Seventh grader Blue Stevenson completed her Individual Historical Exhibit on The Ferris Wheel: The World’s Greatest Ride. During her research, Blue made her own impact on the history of the Ferris Wheel by proposing a marker be placed at the site of the original Ferris Wheel. The Univertisty of Chicago was excited about the idea, and pointed her to the Chicago Park District, who owns and manages that space. While there are formal proceedures and costs associated with placing a marker, the Chicago Park District likes the idea and has provided information on next steps. Sometimes History Fair isn’t just about investigating history, it’s about making it!


Three of our eighth grade students also received special recognition at the State Expo, earning ribbons for superior level projects:

• Davey Keegan Barry for his Individual Documentary The History and Innovations of the Chicago Transit Authority.

• Nour Hatoum for his Individual Historical Exhibit Open Heart Surgery: A Revolution in Medicine

• Brett Jacobson for his Individual Historical Exhibit The Reversal of the Chicago River


Only two projects in each of the History Day project categories qualify to continue to the National History Day competition in June at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. In the category of individual documentary, Lane Lubell is one of only two Junior Division documentaries to advance to the National History Fair with his film: The History & Legacy of the Chicago Blue. Congratulations, Lane!


History Fair is a year-long project for all 6th through 8th graders. The success of these six students has inspired the middle school community to continue to persevere in pursuit of excellent work.

Lane advances to National History Competition

For a person that walks everywhere I go, I have to say Wednesday was a very long day and night of driving. We left Southfield, Michigan after a beautiful and touching event honoring Shirley.  By the time we got on the road, it was a Little after 3:00pm. We had planed to go home to Chicago that evening, then get back on the road to Springfield early that morning, but the more we looked at the logistics, the less that plan appeared to make sense. That left us with no real choice other than to go straight to Springfield, and a Midnight arrival.

We got up, got to the convention site (It had all the feel of a fencing tournament only without the fencing) O.K. call me a Tech Snob; but I expected them to have a smart Board, or at least spring for a 42" monitor. But no, just one 16" laptop (Windows XP).

Any of these kinds of tournaments, if nothing else teach you Patience. There is an awful amount of waiting. That said, the judges seems nice and in good spirits, as did the other kids there for the event. It was clear they had all put in the time, and all deserved to be proud of their work.

I think I might have been less bothered by the waiting if any one of the 16 Pop machines worked- no such luck.

We did finally get to go out to lunch with the other Catherine Cook families. I have said this before, but Lane is so lucky to be surrounded by these kids. They are so supportive of each other. I must admit It will be difficult not to be in the constant company of this group.

After several hours of waiting, we found that Lane was one of 4 that made it to a Run-off stage. Of that 4, two would go to represent Illinois in the national event.

The awards ceremony, while less than 45 minutes, seemed to drag on for hours. Of course the category of Individual Documentary was last. Lane was pacing like a caged tiger on crack. But the very last award, very last name was a poorly pronounced "Lane Lubell"

Lane advances to National History fair competition in Washington DC.

I was very proud of him, Ilene was excited, but I think his history teacher "David Harris" was the most excited. With that kind of support coming form his teachers, it's little wonder Lane is doing well.

Lane Lubell, spearheading Catherine Cook “Acts of Green” Phone Project.

Students and Staff Caught Green-Handed

ALL: As shared previously, Director of Facilities Bob Riccardino and Learning Support Teacher Anne Russell championed “Acts of Green” and “Get Caught Green-Handed” efforts in conjunction with Earth Day, which was last Thursday.

Efforts were embraced throughout the school, which made an immediate impact and we continue to “Get Caught Green-Handed” doing “Acts of Green” in our classroom, in our school and in our homes.

Mr. Beights reported in the school assembly today that the school has collectively completed over 800 “Acts of Green” in conjunction with Earth Day. He explained that if we continue at this level, we could reach over 20,000 in one year.

One way to get us to that number is to participate in a project 8th grader Lane Lubell is spearheading. In our assembly today, Lane explained that there are precious metals like gold, silver, and even platinum inside cell phones. Through proper recycling, these precious metals can be harvested, and even more importantly, the mercury in cell phones can be disposed of properly.


While this project won’t officially launch for another week, we’re encouraged to set-aside old cell phones for future collection, as we have the opportunity through this project to compete for $5,000.

More details will be provided as the project nears its launch date.
Thank you, Lane!
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Lane Moving on to State History Fair Competition

Why do I not remember History Fair Competitions when I was in 8th grade? I do remember science Fair, if I recall correctly I entered that most years, but History fair does not ring a bell.
Of course even entering the Science Fair, I had no concept of "Citywide" or "Statewide" events. I had no clue that there was anything beyond the event at my own school. I'm not sure if that was because this is a "New" Concept, or that the school I went to just did not chose participate. Of course there is another explanation; maybe the quality of my work did not warrant further steps, and my school was being kind to keep me in the dark.

Well these competitions do exist and Lane's documentry was selected first by school to move on to the citywide event, where a team of judges decided that it should move forward yet again this time to an event in Springfield.
His documentry was on the history of the Chicago blues. ( I would post it on YouTube but Google's new software now catches any Copy written music.) Even though "Common -Use" laws I believe do allow for children to use recorded music in their school projects. (I will happily give 100% of all of the non-existing earnings to the artists)
It is hard to get a sense in this shot, but there were a large amount of people it this event.

Lane is being joined by Nour, Davey, Brett, Brigid and Blu; other 7th and 8th Graders from Catherine Cook School.
The competition is on May 6th.
http://www.chicagohistoryfair.org/
Click on congratulations winners and then junior metro Chicago then documentaries.
http://www.catherinecookschool.org/page.cfm?p=12&newsid=250
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While taking the 911 out for the first time this year, Lane and I found a new Korean market.

Look at the fear in Lane's eyes. It is clear he's not eating that

The Lincoln Park Zoo is a great place when the weather is nice. Ours has been all over the place. Warm one day, 30 degrees colder the next.

Visited Teddy Kirsch at Univ. of Michigan.

Back in Michigan for the Jewish Holiday, unfortunately Shirley was not yet out of the hospital. I am glad to say she is now back home.