Llyod Bachrach

Thank you to the Brookdale PTA for bringing Lloyd Bachrach to Brookdale School. Lloyd was born in 1962 with a congenital bone deficiency which left his legs unusually small. Due to the severity of his disability, some doctors suggested there would be little or no hope for a normal life. Lloyd’s parents thought better. They took Lloyd home, nurtured and encouraged him. At a young age his parents enrolled him in some sports programs — first swimming, then little league baseball. He excelled and this helped develop a positive self esteem. At age thirteen, Lloyd was faced with the challenge of wearing artificial limbs, and in high school and college Lloyd became a champion gymnast who competed against able bodied athletes. In 1996 he competed on the USA Paralympic sit volleyball squad. He is an avid downhill mono-skier and a certified SCUBA diver. To learn more about Lloyd and his powerful message about overcoming adversity, please visit his website!

Magic Tree House Adventure at Brookdale

Jack and Annie from the Magic Tree House entertained the Kindergarten, first, second and third grade students of Brookdale.  In addition, several other second graders from around the district joined in the fun! Thank you to Anderson Books for choosing our school for the adventure!

‘Superstar’ SNL alum promotes children’s book at Brookdale

Brookdale Elementary had the pleasure of hosting actress and author Molly Shannon on September 28, 2011. The entire student body along with faculty enjoyed a group reading of Shannon's new book, Tilly the Trickster! After reading her book, Molly Shannon took time to answer questions, sign copies of her book, and pose for pictures with students and staff.  Thank you to Anderson Books for choosing Brookdale School as Ms. Shannon's first ever school appearance!

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The following article appeared in the TribLocal Naperville

When Molly Shannon walked into a room of Naperville elementary school students Wednesday, she was greeted by hundreds of little voices shouting “Superstar.” Shannon stopped at Indian Prairie District 204’s Brookdale Elementary School on the city’s northwest side for a group book reading and question-and-answer session with 530 students, most born after the actress’ stint on “Saturday Night Live” ended. “She’s inspiring,” said student Jaelynn Booker, who looked up Shannon’s work on YouTube. “She’s really good at making people laugh.” Best known a performer on “Saturday Night Live” from 1995 to 2000, Shannon is remembered for characters such as nervous school girl Mary Katherine Gallagher, fit and sassy Sally O’Malley and her impression of Monica Lewinsky. Shannon also starred in movies such as “Superstar” and “Never Been Kissed.” Her story, “Tilly the Trickster,” is written about a young girl who likes to play tricks at school and at home – and eventually finds herself the one being tricked. Eight fifth-graders were specially picked to greet Shannon upon her entrance to the school. Although none had read the book prior to Wednesday, many said they watched clips of Shannon’s performances on YouTube. Spencer Collins said he planned to read the book after Shannon’s appearance because his teacher recommends outside reading. “I want to read it because I’m a bit of a trickster myself,” said Julia Lankisch. Writing a children’s book was always a dream, Shannon said, but she wanted to wait until she had children of her own. So, while her children Stella, 7, and Nolan, 6, were at school, she began to work on the book. The inspiration for the story came from a combination of the stories she made up to tell her children at bedtime and her father, Jim Shannon, who was quite the trickster, she said. “I made up this story about a big Irish family – the Maloney family – and they had tons of kids,” Shannon said. “But my kids’ favorite part of that story was when the brother and sister would play tricks on each other, so I thought it would be good for a book.” Shannon said she wrote the story after the NBC television show “Kath and Kim” ended – largely because she wanted to work on a project all her own. The writing took a couple drafts and about six months, she said. “It was a slow process,” Shannon said. Shannon said the story was written not only to appeal to children, but also for the parents that love to read to their kids. “As a parent, I don’t like books that are exhausting or too wordy,” Shannon said. “I wanted the story to be fun and easy to read for the parent; I wrote it in a way that I thought would be fun to perform aloud.” Shannon said she’d love to write another children’s book, but for now is focused on Tilly and her story. “This is me dipping my toe into (children’s books),” she said. bdoyle@tribune.com

Authors Visit Brookdale

On September 15th, Brookdale Elementary had the previledge of welcoming authors Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.  Both Mr. Epstein and Mrs. Jacobson talked to our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students about their careers and their newest book, the Familiars #2 Secret of the Crown.  A big THANK YOU to Anderson's Bookshop for allowing our school the opportunity to host two of Brookdale's favorite authors!  Anderson's will be hosting an afternoon with Mr. Epstein and Mrs. Jacobson on Saturday, September 17th at 2:00pm in downtown Naperville.  Be sure to bring your family and friends to enjoy their presentation!

Walk To School Day - Get Movin' Fundraiser