A new fund has been established to allow West Chicago youth to participate in a hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) class at the West Chicago City Museum.
The William and Evelyne Memorial Fund will allow 50 area youth to enroll in “The Science of Steam” at no cost. Kids aged 7-14 will work in small groups to create a working model of a steam engine. The class will also explore the importance of steam technology and the westward expansion of the railroad to the history of West Chicago. Historic photographs and objects will help bring this important time period to life.
The class will be offered eight times this summer: June 9 and 10, July 1, and August 4, 2016. Morning sessions run 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., and afternoon sessions are 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. In an effort to encourage girls to participate, the Museum is offering two “Girls Only” sessions, June 10, 2016 for the morning session and August 4, 2016 during the afternoon session. All other sessions are open to both boys and girls.
William and Evelyne Margolis grew up as friends in Chicago. As a teen, Evelyne’s family moved to West Chicago to start a Sporting Good and Jacket business. William’s family soon followed. Both first-generation Americans of Russian and Lithuanian descent, they later would marry and raise their families here. Both Mr. and Mrs. Margolis were active in the community. Bill worked as an insurance agent and did many things for the community. Evelyne served as a councilperson for Winfield Township and volunteered her time for the schools and town. William and Evelyne sought to provide their children with the best possible educational opportunities. It is in their memories that the family offers this fund to the City Museum for summer 2016 so that kids may enroll in “The Science of Steam” for free.
To register for this free class, please contact the City Museum by calling (630) 231-3376 or email Maggie Capettini, Education Coordinator, at MuseumEd@westchicago.org.
