Multi-Sensory ‘Katie's Corner' Opens at Park School

By Victoria Scott

Jerry and Micki Springer look on as their daughter, Katie Springer Yenkin, cuts the ribbon for the multi-sensory classroom at Park School named in her honor. Ms. Yenkin is a full-time volunteer at the school. Her parents donated money to equip the classroom.

With its swirling lights, mirrored ceiling and musical vibrations, the new room at Park School has a carnival atmosphere.

But behind its attractive trappings is a serious purpose. The room called Katie's Corner is a carefully designed therapeutic environment intended to help the school's students, with their wide range of disabilities, adjust their level of arousal so they can more easily participate in class.

Named for Katie Springer Yenkin, who has been a full-time volunteer at the school since February 2005, Katie's Corner is the gift of Ms. Yenkin's parents, TV host Jerry Springer and his wife, Micki.

At a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the room on March 15, Ms. Yenkin's long-time friend and Park School teacher, Brenda Engelman, described how Ms. Yenkin's "love of the students shines through every day." She thanked the family for their "gifts of dedication, compassion and financial generosity."

In his turn Mr. Springer said he felt "awkward having recognition in the presence of all of you who give every day." He said, "99.9 percent of what life is is a gift ... and we have nothing to do with it," and concluded his short speech with, "We simply say every day to God, ‘Thank you.'"

Addressing both the audience and the Springer family, Park School Principal Dr. Sharon Clousing spoke emotionally of the day "the numbers [construction estimates] came in. I could not believe the zeroes on the number," she said. "You were very gracious and said, ‘It's okay. Let's go ahead."

The Springers, who have also donated money to Park School in the past, gave $233,000 for the development and purchase of state-of-the-art equipment for Katie's Corner, says Elena Garfield, an occupational therapist at the school.

Ms. Yenkin's own visual and hearing impairments incline the family's interest toward sensory aids, Ms. Garfield says.

Planning for the multi-sensory room began last year. The whole school voted on which of several potential projects to undertake, says Ms. Garfield. Jodi Miller, former occupational therapist at Park, prepared the proposal that Dr. Clousing presented to Mr. Springer last June.

The plan was to build the multi-sensory room over the summer, says Ms. Peculis. She says she is glad construction was postponed. "We couldn't have done it in the summer, without faculty input," she says.

The new room was created from rescued rather than stolen space, using a stage at one end of the gym. Lacking a ramp for wheelchair-bound students, the stage had been almost unusable. Even musical groups preferred to perform on the gym floor, where deaf and hearing-impaired children can feel the vibrations.

Now a new ramp zigzags up to the former stage, making both Katie's Corner and the sensory-motor gym next door accessible.

All of the 70-some students at Park School, who range in age from 3 to 21, face learning and/or physical challenges. Programs at the school – and special services such as physical and occupational therapy – are designed to help students participate as fully as possible in their education and, after graduation, in the community.

The equipment in Katie's Corner was chosen to "wake or perk up students so they can participate in class," says Ms. Garfield – or, "for the highly aroused, to help them focus." The school staff worked with TFH (USA) Ltd., a Pennsylvania-based company that develops and sells adaptive toys and other products for special-needs children, to outfit the room.

The whole school received an orientation to Katie's Corner on March 6, says Ms. Garfield. After that, faculty began bringing groups of three or four, allowing students to try whatever they wanted in the safe, supervised environment.

"It's been fascinating. We never could've guessed" the choices they would make, says Ms. Garfield. "Not everyone likes everything," Ms. Peculis adds. The therapists have begun individual evaluations to determine how the multi-sensory room can best be used in conjunction with children's Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and how best to integrate the room into Park's curriculum.

The various sensory paraphernalia can help with motor skills, speech and interactivity. While always overseen by a staff member, activities are intended to be student-directed. Children can control each apparatus in ways appropriate to their needs – with hand switches, by foot pressure, by the volume of their voice or through body movement, for example.

With the room lights dimmed and the equipment turned on, Katie's Corner pulses and flows with color and light. From fiber optic light strands to a tactile wall with brushes to scratch and chains to rattle, to a hammock-like "leaf chair" that sways gently while cradling even the most fragile occupant, to a "pod chair" canopied with skeins of lights, the place says "fun."

One favorite station, say the therapists, is the bubble tube, a bubble-filled cylinder with lights whose colors the children can change. Another popular stop is "musical squares," a wall panel with lights and sound activated by a touch or a tap on a floor pad. Players can program the touch pads to play musical notes, animal sounds – or even their own voices.
In her speech at the dedication, Katie Yenkin indicated the room was all she had hoped for. "I love these kids," she said. "The fact that a room that could help them in so many ways has my name on it is a huge honor.

Green Office Tips

By Mayre Press

Dear Eco Gal:

Today I threw out a huge garbage bag of shredded documents because our community's recycling program does not include businesses. Although our office has only four employees, people are not conscious of how much they waste. ... People feel uncomfortable with the prospect of not being "allowed" to use paper, as it is the only way they can stay organized. How can we replace organization systems that are unhealthy for the planet with healthy systems that are more convenient/productive for businesses?
--M.A., sales assistant

Dear M.A.:

You've brought up several issues related to how businesses can be greener in their everyday practices. First let's deal with the disposal of shredded documents. Each municipality sets policies about recycling collection - some include commercial entities, while others do not. If your town has a recycling drop-off location, shredded paper might be accepted. Many firms contract with a private hauler for refuse collection, and often those haulers collect recycling, too.

Business owners shred documents to protect proprietary information and financial data. Working to reduce the use of paper for certain office tasks will not eliminate the need to shred documents but can reduce it greatly.

It is difficult to advise how to stay organized electronically without specifics on what your office does and how it functions. Generally it is wise to take baby steps when implementing changes in the workplace. Use e-mail for memos instead of paper, and flag e-mails for follow-up (most messaging software has this feature) rather than printing out messages.

Make electronic backups instead of printing and filing paper copies of documents. Use scrap paper to print drafts; check spelling and proofread documents on-screen. Send faxes electronically when feasible and use sticky notes rather than cover sheets for paper faxes. Subscribe to electronic versions of newsletters and trade publications when possible.

Once your office is accustomed to using less paper, start practicing closed-loop recycling. Make a policy to buy office supplies made with recycled content such as legal pads and stationery; hanging, colored and manila file folders; sticky notes and mailing envelopes.

Other workplace items made from recycled materials include trash bags, napkins, toilet tissue, hand towels, toner and ink-jet cartridges, office recycling containers and carpeting. Encourage colleagues to use mugs for coffee or other beverages, and keep a small collection of colorful mugs for visitors.

How to reduce junk mail was the subject of a previous column. If your business or organization does mailings, strive to keep mailing lists up-to-date. Improve printing estimates to avoid over-ordering printed materials and print on recycled paper using soy-based ink.

So how does this "green behavior" contribute to your company's bottom line? You may not see a difference initially. As more office materials are recycled, waste disposal costs will shrink. Energy-efficient practices will lead to lower utility bills. Fewer and better-targeted mailings will yield reduced postage and delivery costs.

When your stationery is printed on recycled paper, be sure to include a recycling symbol watermark. Add a line of text to newsletters and brochures to indicate that recycled paper and non-toxic ink were used. Your green practices will be noticed and earn goodwill. You cannot put a price on that.

Excepts of the book "Greeniology" by Tanya Ha, posted on PlanetArk.com, and Eric Corey Freed's item on iGreenBuild.com were used as resources for this column.

'The Other Side of the Bridge'

A Book Review By Sue Brooke

"The Other Side of the Bridge," by Mary Lawson, is a gripping novel set in the same part of northern Ontario as her previous novel, "Crow Lake." The plot involves two families and two stories, a generation apart.

Arthur and his brother, Jake, live on a farm in the 1930s. Money is scarce, and their father works sunup to sundown. Arthur, the older sibling, has chores every day. Responsible and hard-working, he likes being outside with his dad. Jake, on the other hand, is content to remain the baby, exempt from farm work. Better looking and more intelligent than Arthur, Jake is defended by his mother, who maintains that he has better things to do with his life than farm work.

In the family's next generation later, Ian's father, the only doctor for the community. He is on call day and night. Even when he goes fishing, a bell can summon him immediately to shore.

Formerly a nurse, Ian's mother was unable to endure the loneliness and dark days of this northern province and has run off with a high school teacher, leaving Ian and his dad alone.

Though Ian's father finds another nurse, Ian has to fill in in emergencies. The town seems to expect Ian to take over his father's practice some day, as his father did his grandfather's.

But it is the 1960s. Times are changing, and Ian wants to escape tiny Struan and see the world. His best friend, Pete, lives on the nearby Indian reservation, and both of them plan to go to college.

Ian is also enthralled with the young mother on a neighboring farm. She and her husband, Arthur, have three small children. Though he cannot talk to her, Ian enjoys just looking. Drawn by her peaceful, warm household, he decides to work on their farm for the summer. Much to his surprise, he finds he likes the rhythm of farm work.

In this sometimes-gritty novel life is harsh and apt to change in an instant. Snakes eat live frogs. Loggers come into town on the weekends to drink and fight, sometimes ending up as emergencies at the doctor's house. Tractors turn over, trapping the drivers underneath.

The novel also charms the reader with descriptions of a life where there is little news from the world outside and what news there is arrives a week late; where neighbors help each other, doors are always open and the countryside, its lakes just waiting to be fished, is beautiful.

But in this wonderful novel, even good people are not always perfect.

The Next Generation at Noyes.

"The Next Generation," an art exhibition showcasing the creativity of five recent graduates of the School of the Art Institute, is currently on display on the first floor of Evanston's Noyes Cultural Arts Center.

The five featured artists are Nancy Bernardo, Katie Fizdale, So Young Jang, Jae Won Jeong and Ji-Hye Shin. A free opening reception will be held 3-5 p.m. on March 25, at the Gallery.

"The Next Generation" runs through May 7. On March 23, a concurrent art exhibition will open on the second floor of the Noyes Gallery. This exhibition will combine the work of two groups. Advanced students from the Evanston Art Center figurative sculpture classes held at their Noyes sculpture studio will display their work. In addition, members of the Figurative Art League will exhibit their paintings and drawings. The opening reception for this combined art exhibition will also be held 3-5 p.m. on March 25.

The Noyes Art Gallery is at 927 Noyes St., Evanston; admission is always free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Group tours are available. Call 847-448-8260.

Photo by Chris Cascarano

Housing Options' Annual Benefit A Success

Housing Options' 15th annual benefit, "Home Is Where the Heart Is," netted more than $65,000 which will assist the agency in providing housing and services to adults with chronic mental illnesses.

More than 250 guests spent the first part of the evening browsing and bidding on silent auction items donated by local merchants and individuals, enjoying a buffet of hors d'oeuvres, and listening to the musical styling of pianist John Buccheri. Later in the evening, Board President Peter Michaels announced that Housing Options' sixth building will open this spring 2007 and will be home to 18 adults with mental illnesses.

Housing Options' annually provides housing and services to more than 60 adults annually recovering from chronic mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression. Housing Options participants live in fully-furnished affordable apartments and receive support from a team of social workers, case managers, psychiatrists and a nurse.

'Wild Hogs'

A Film Review By Brian Murphy

"Wild Hogs" is "City Slickers" on motorcycles – if "City Slickers" were deprived of fine ensemble acting, devoid of a palpable bond between its male leads and reduced to lowbrow, slapstick humor to elicit a few cheap laughs. It is the waste that is created when producers serve a shallow script, with proven box office superstars and a formulaic (see "idiotic") plot.

Box-office moneymakers Tim Allen (as Doug, the aging dentist), John Travolta (as Woody, the aging playboy whose wife has just left him), Martin Lawrence (Bobby, the henpecked husband), and respected actor William H. Macy (Dudley, the geeky tech guy) form middle-aged, suburbanite motorcycle "gang" Wild Hogs.

A combination of nagging wives, disrespectful sons, empty bank accounts and midlife crises light a fire under the sagging behinds of our protagonists, prompting them to embark on a cross-country road trip.

One of the few things uninspired director Walt Becker ("Van Wilder") gets right is the soundtrack, featuring classic rock anthems ("Slow Ride," "Who Do You Love") and hard rock/metal gems from AC/DC and White Zombie. Unfortunately, his persistent use of Teddy Castellucci's nauseating score is maddening.

Is Doug sad? Why, yes – just listen to the sad violin. Thanks, Teddy.

Aside from Mr. Macy, the cast is underwhelming. Mr. Lawrence's character is a pushover, Tim Allen looks like he showed up to collect his paycheck, and Mr. Travolta should be ashamed. For Mr. Travolta's sake, I hope Quentin Tarantino never catches a glimpse of his cringe-worthy dance to Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative." Mr. Tarantino might think twice before trying to jumpstart Vinnie Barbarino's career a second time.

By the time the Wild Hogs run afoul of a real motorcycle gang, led by Ray Liotta, no one is unsure whether the heroes will cure their ills, long for their families, find a new love and save the day.

The only thing staler than the actors is the running gag of homophobic jokes. John C. McGinley has trashed his brilliant work on NBC's "Scrubs" with his appearance here as a gay, borderline-psychotic policeman.

Mr. Macy almost saves the film with his dorky but likeable Dudley. Along with a hilarious cameo by Kyle Gass (of Tenacious D fame) as an overzealous carnival-karaoke singer, he helps trim some of the fat from the otherwise-inedible "Hogs."

I hope my mom does not read this – she thought the film was a riot.
1 hr. 39 min. Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and some violence.

'I Think I Love My Wife'

A Film Review By Joe Linstroth

Armed with a microphone, the masterful stand-up comedian Chris Rock can wring laughs from a funeral gathering. In spite of his immense talent, however, Mr. Rock has had difficulty translating his sharp eye and scathing tongue to the big screen.The trend continues with his new film, "I Think I Love My Wife," a drab, formulaic comedy that features only flashes of the comedian we know and love. Directed and co-written (along with Louis C.K.) by Mr. Rock, "I Think I Love My Wife" is based on the 1972 French film by Eric Rohmer, "Chloe in the Afternoon."

In the updated American version, Chris Rock plays Richard Cooper, an investment banker with two adorable children, a gorgeous house in the New York suburbs, and a beautiful, responsible wife named Brenda (Gina Torres).

It seems like Richard has it all. But the awkward voice over, which sounds like the comedian is reading his stand-up material to a roomful of seminarians, tells us otherwise. Richard is bored out of his skull. He's sick of comparing wall sconces and going out to dinner with other married couples and talking about their kids. Worst of all, he and Brenda have stopped having sex. Every time he makes a move, she is ready with an excuse, telling him her face hurts or it's not his birthday. Like a good husband, he mostly shuts up and smiles.
Richard is thrown a curve ball when an old friend's ex-girlfriend (Kerry Washington) shows up at his office in a skimpy skirt. Presumably Nikki Tru (even her name is naughty) just wants a job reference, but the two hit it off. She's gorgeous, she's single, and she likes to have fun.

The two flirt over lunches and he helps her move out of her ex-boyfriend's place. While they are not having sex, the relationship is definitely sliding down the slope toward infidelity. His secretaries glare in disapproval. His colleague, George (Steve Buscemi), tells him to get out before his conscience cannot take it anymore. Indeed, Richard is starting to lie to Brenda and feel guilty, and he is not even getting any action.

As expected with anything from Chris Rock, the film comments on race. Richard and Brenda spell the words "black" and "white" in front of their children like pet owners spell "park" and "walk" in front of their dogs. They talk about the difficulty of finding other black children to play with in the suburbs. But for the most part, he focuses on a formulaic relationship comedy over sharp observations about race.

"I Think I Love My Wife" is the second film Mr. Rock has written and directed. Though much better than 2003's "Head of State," this effort makes it clear that film is not the best medium for his comedy.

Mr. Rock's abilities as an actor are limited. He has trouble pulling off a subdued, buttoned-down banker, especially when we know his onstage performances to be anything but subdued. He occasionally slips back into his stand-up persona to drive home a point in the voiceover or to throw a fit when Brenda cooks chicken one-too-many times, making us wish he would just stop the sulking, grab a microphone, and replace the deer-in-headlights look with the familiar frown and smirk.

1hr. 30min. Rated R for language, drug use, and adult situations.

'Start Over' - Jay Einhorn

A CD Review By Brian Murphy

Jay Einhorn describes his album, "Start Over," as a "folk-pop-rock-country-blues-classical-afro fusion," but I think his music can be best described as that of a man free to explore his thoughts through words and his acoustic guitar.

Einhorn's introspective, minimalist approach, one of gentle guitar noodling and Burl Ives-reminiscent intonation, creates a mellow atmosphere where crises of the past have given way to a wistful yet hardened view.

Einhorn finds inspiration in the poems of Emily Dickinson in "Market Price," while life experience serves as a muse for "Enough to Drink" and "Start Over." The unabashed honesty and straightforward storytelling of each track of "Start Over" elevate this artist to modern-day folk-hero status. His grasp of several musical genres makes him as accessible at a coffee house as at Bill's Blues Bar during open-mike brunch.

Fans of former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay's solo efforts should particularly appreciate Jay Einhorn's "Start Over." Though stylistically similar, the two artists differ in that Hay's prefers simple lyrics, while Einhorn delves into the complicated poetry of a man who has spent a lifetime searching for the answers, and is finally ready to speak.