Willowbrook student-athletes show what it means to be a Warrior

At District 88, our goal is to develop well-rounded students who will be successful in all aspects of life.

We strive to ensure our students understand the value of helping others, and giving back is truly a cornerstone of District 88 pride. From food, clothing and blood drives to fundraising efforts and events such as our Warrior Gift Giving Project, Relay For Life and Salvation Army Bell Ringing, our Warriors are committed to giving back and providing support to our community. Recently, 14 Willowbrook Warriors were recognized for their example of dedication to the community.

This past December during our winter break, a snowstorm – complete with heavy, icy snow – hit Villa Park and the surrounding areas. We received a call from the Village of Villa Park to see whether our students could help, and they immediately responded to the request. Members of our football, boys baseball and boys basketball teams headed out in the chilly weather and spent time assisting residents in local neighborhoods with shoveling their driveways and walkways.

On Jan. 28, Villa Park Village Manager Rich Keehner, Deputy Director of Public Works Rich Salerno, Chief of Police Robert Pavelchik and Fire Chief Ron Rakosnik came to Willowbrook and enjoyed lunch with the student-athletes to thank them for their efforts and commitment to Villa Park. The students who participated are junior Dylan Worden, senior Matt Pizur, senior Cameron Zunkel, senior Mark Molitor, senior Matt Garbacz, senior Ronald Reitz, senior William Degnan, senior Kevin Miller, senior Brandon Endicott, sophomore Sikander Zafar, junior Ryan King, senior Teno Geritano, junior Lucas Olson and sophomore Sean Olson. To see a video of the students shoveling, go to https://www.dupage88.net/site/public/videos/?item=182.

Willowbrook students give back to the community and help residents during a snowstorm this past December. The students helped shovel driveways and walkways.

Village of Villa Park staff members thank Willowbrook student-athletes for helping residents shovel after a snowstorm this past December. Village representatives came to the school on Jan. 29 and enjoyed lunch with the students.

We also are proud to share the great work that happens at Willowbrook with our stakeholders through inviting residents and alumni to participate in events and stay engaged with the school. On Jan. 29, we hosted our annual Pack the Place night during the boys basketball game against our sister school, Addison Trail. About 2,000 people filled our gym, and members of the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2016 were introduced and were joined by previous Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.

We also partnered with the District 88 Foundation to have an alumni area upstairs in the balcony, where alumni were able to network and reconnect with their alma mater. It’s always tremendous to have alumni back in our halls, and we look forward to hosting more events to continue reaching out to our graduates! To stay up to date with happenings at Willowbrook, be sure to register in our alumni database at www.dupage88.net/wbalumni.

On Jan. 29, Willowbrook partnered with the District 88 Foundation to host an alumni area during the school's annual Pack the Place event. Alumni were able to network and reconnect with their alma mater. Left: Pictured is Nick Kokoraleis, class of 1983. Right: Pictured are (from left) Michael Lev, Michael Schmidt and Aaron Nolen, all from the class of 2014.