Government Day

The Leadership Greater McHenry County Class of 2008 is one-third through our year and it's been a dizzying experience, chalked full of wonderful informational about the county that I wouldn't have gained otherwise.
This month's session was on local government. We first met with State Senator Pam Althoff and State Reps. Mike Tryon and Jack Franks. They offered great insight into the Springfield disaster known as the governor, including plans to recall his position, or maybe even begin impeachment proceedings. They were full of dirty details about the CTA train wreck. How long do you think you have to work at CTA to be eligible for full pension for life? The answer is 31 months. How ridiculous is that? No wonder the CTA is in trouble.
Then McHenry County and township government officials presented information such as what the county recorder actually does, what's involved in county planning and development, the transportation department, clerk's office and we also heard from McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler about what his position entails.
Our afternoon was spent at Crystal Lake Municipal Center where we role played (and some of us thought we would die laughing at some of our classmates' acting abilities). You see, we were divided into four groups of planning and zoning commission, city council, developers and neighbors. We performed a case study based on a true development proposal that occurred in Crystal Lake in the 1990s.
I wish I could do justice to the leadership program here but I fall short. I can tell you that I was forced to miss the November session on education because my husband had half his foot amputated that day (due to diabetes-related complications) and I was devastated. I asked classmates to take notes for me because I didn't want to miss anything. I also missed the camaraderie and friends I've made through the program.
Next month's session is on health care. That will be great, too, I'm sure!

Two high schools double the great sports

by ANDREW DREISCHARF The Independent

Growth presents possibility for two sets of great public high school competitors

When it was first confirmed that Woodstock North High School would be fielding its own athletic teams when it opens in the fall, I immediately thought it was a good idea.
The population of the Woodstock area is increasing. This means more students and more student athletes, hence the reason for building a second public high school in Woodstock.
With more students, the talent pool of student athletes in the area will be much deeper. Therefore, it’s great that both schools will have their own teams. I always say it’s better to have two good teams than one.
However, it doesn’t mean both Woodstock High School and WNHS will have great teams right away. WHNS won’t even be fielding varsity teams until 2009, and, even then, the oldest players on the teams will be juniors. Come 2010, WNHS will have a senior pool of players.
Both schools might struggle for awhile. No new school is ready to compete overnight, and, in return, WHS will have slightly fewer students to make up their teams at first.
Exact enrollment for both high schools is unknown and cannot be predicted. This also in no way is saying a team of juniors can’t succeed, because they can. It’s just not something that happens often.
For any athlete, at any level, it’s all in what the athlete makes of an opportunity. Athletes, when presented with any opportunity or challenge, must step up.
Other newer high schools have gone on to see great things happen athletically.
Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake is a prime example. Its teams might not have been great right away but now are a force to be reckoned with in the Fox Valley Conference in almost every sport.
Where I grew up in Buffalo Grove, the high school I attended, Stevenson in Lincolnshire, simply got too large. Forcing Vernon Hills to build its own high school.
Until then, students in Vernon Hills were attending Stevenson, Mundelein High School and even Libertyville High School, depending on where they lived. All those high schools boasted great sports programs. It was only a matter of time before Vernon Hills High School was either on par or better than other schools in its conference.
The reason for its success was the same as other schools. They had great players who were coached well at younger levels and then moved on to high school. The same can happen in Woodstock.
The only difference I can see here is the size of enrollment at each school. My graduating class had roughly 800 students. My younger brother’s class had more than 1,000 students. It was very easy to find 50 athletes to field a football team that was competitive.
Woodstock being smaller, it might not be as easy. But as long as the number of students moving to Woodstock keeps increasing there’s no doubt in my mind that there will be two very competitive high schools here.
There are other advantages for student athletes by adding a second high school. There are more opportunities. When the talent pool is so tight, like it is now with a crowded high school in Woodstock, it might discourage students who don’t feel they are good enough to make the team.
With two schools, the number of spots on teams at each school may encourage more students to try out for a team. More teams means more roster spots available. The talent pool in no way is decreased or diluted, but, in fact, actually expanded and opens the door for more potential student athletes.
The most important thing for a student athlete is opportunity, and a second high school increases opportunities for all. It’s not just students who will be given more opportunities.
A second high school also presents new opportunities for coaches.
I fully expect to see two very good high school teams in each sport in Woodstock once WNHS has a senior class.
The new rivalry created in town will be a lot of fun. One of the best things about building Vernon Hills High School was that my high school had a new rival. The fact that Stevenson and VHHS were so close geographically made it all the more exciting.
There’s nothing like the feeling of beating your closest rival. It’s nice to have bragging rights for the season. How much fun will a Woodstock High School vs. Woodstock North High School games be? I think it will be awesome.
In the end, everyone wins: the two high schools, the students and the fans. It will take time, and people will need to be patient. There might be some rough seasons ahead for both high schools.
In time, when everything gets rolling more great students move into the area, there will be two very good and well-respected sets of teams that call Woodstock home. Twice as many schools means twice as many games for sports fans like me to attend and twice as many teams to follow. I can’t wait.