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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Warren Smith left a shining legacy in Aurora
Thirteen years ago, I wrote the story of Aurora's Warren Smith, who was a retired Catholic school principal and also the retired Aurora Area Superintendent of Catholic Schools. The editor appropriately titled the story as 'A Good Shepherd of Catholic Education in Aurora.' Mr. Smith (he will always be Mr. to students and to teachers who worked under his leadership) passed away in December of 2023. There were no public tributes or media stories at the time of his passing, and he probably would have vetoed any such attempt. As I checked through old school records and talked with people who had worked with him, an amazing story of his life's work and dedication began to open up. The persistent theme of his many years of leadership became obvious: he presided over times of great change in our society, and particularly in Catholic education. In fact, the title of a Beacon-News story in 2018 was 'Change is the norm for Aurora's Catholic Schools.' Mr. Smith's career began as a social studies teacher at Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Aurora in 1963. His leadership qualities emerged and, at the age of 28, he became the principal of that school in 1967. As I talked with him for the 2018 story, he mentioned that he began noticing changes soon after assuming his leadership role. 'During the 1960s, and because of Vatican II, some conservative Catholics who didn't want change may have felt pushed out,' he said. 'In 1964, enrollment at our school stood at 800, but around 1970, it began a transition to two rooms per grade instead of three. 'Affordability started to become an issue, and a great decline in the number of teaching Sisters played a big part in the downturn,' he said. Lay teachers were needed to fill that void, and the expense of salaries became an important issue. Budgeting and funding for all of the Catholic schools became an important change starting in the 1970s, and a downward trend in enrollment began. Mr. Smith, along with other administrators and lay leaders, faced this as a new challenge. With a certain amount of bravery, they forged ahead with determination to keep Catholic schools alive and vibrant. Not having enough on his plate, and while continuing as school principal, he was appointed Aurora Area Superintendent of Catholic Schools in 1985, and continued in that role until 1997. His scope immediately increased to his being the leader of nine elementary schools and also Aurora Central Catholic High School. Change was the norm of those years—changes in the church and the Diocese of Rockford, along with legal, constitutional and economic issues and changes. Strong leadership was needed, and Mr. Smith was in the forefront. The most stellar achievement of the Aurora Catholic School System during his years as superintendent was probably the opening of the new Aurora Central Catholic campus on Edgelawn Drive in 1995. It was a multi-year project fraught with many hurdles, but many leaders and volunteers persevered through them all. The final hurdle came when the bishop of the Rockford Diocese wanted to have the project stopped, but that objection was overcome with difficulty. Some referred to the opening of the new campus as a miracle. The following message was one of many left following Mr. Smith's online obituary: 'Warren and Bob (Stewart, longtime principal of Aurora Central Catholic) pulled off and helped sustain a new miracle Catholic high school in the creation of ACC on its new site — along with the many other dedicated and passionate people intent on keeping the ACC school and tradition alive. That is a legacy that transcends time, just as Warren's many other accomplishments will do also.' Also in 1995, Mr. Smith left his role as elementary principal to devote full time and effort to his superintendent's role. I remember his telling me that his first office was an empty room in the new ACC building with a card table and a folding chair. But as he settled into his new routine, the same bishop of Rockford eliminated the job of Aurora Area Superintendent in 1997. Needing to continue working, he became the principal of St. Thomas School in Crystal Lake. He commuted to that position from Aurora, and retired in 2002. Along with his lovely wife Joyce, Mr. Smith continued to be very active back in his home parish at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Aurora, even serving as interim principal of its school in 2003-2004. Together the Smiths authored a book honoring the centennial celebration of the parish in 2009. Mr. Smith chaired several committees, and his advice was always sought for important projects and decisions. His leadership abilities and qualities were always evident, and he sometimes had to make unpopular decisions over the years, as do all effective leaders. At the same time, he was an unassuming and humble person. Throughout three generations of great, and sometimes difficult, changes in education, thousands of young people benefited from the steady and unwavering dedicated leadership of Mr. Warren D. Smith. Long live his memory.
Chicago Tribune
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Waubonsie Valley's Danyella Mporokoso is the 2024-25 Girls Basketball Player of the Year for Aurora, Elgin, Naperville
Waubonsie Valley junior Danyella Mporokoso plays basketball with a joyous enthusiasm that is matched only by her competitiveness. Watching the 5-foot-7 point guard in action is witnessing an athlete mastering her craft one play at a time, usually while putting on a clinic. As for the source of Mporokoso's enthusiasm, it's as simplistic as it is contagious. 'I just love the sport,' she said. 'I love playing basketball. 'When I'm on the court, that's when I'm at my happiest. It's just a privilege to be on the court, so I think that's where I get my excitement from, just the love for the sport.' Mporokoso, the 2024-25 Beacon-News/Courier-News/Naperville Sun Girls Basketball Player of the Year, has used that love to improve not only her game but also her teammates' games. She guided the Warriors (31-2) to a Class 4A supersectional for the second straight season as they set a program record for fewest losses. Mporokoso, who has increased her scoring every season, averaged 22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals. She ranks second on Waubonsie Valley's career scoring list with 1,972 points. Even more impressive is Mporokoso's impact on her teammates. The Warriors' other four starters increased their scoring this season as well. 'She's amazing,' Waubonsie Valley junior guard Maya Cobb said. 'She just creates a lot for our team, defensively too. 'Just seeing her play and getting buckets, steals, all that, honestly feeds us all energy, and also her drive for the game literally motivates all of us to do better and be better.' The greatest players make their teammates better. Mporokoso has done that despite being the top focus of every opposing defense's strategy. 'When she draws two or three defenders, I see her reads getting better,' Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love said. 'I see her making those excellent passes, those extra passes when she brings more defenders. 'She's amazing at being able to create space and get her shot, no matter if it's on the 3-point line or getting to the basket. But she's getting everyone involved.' That has increased the confidence of Mporokoso's teammates while decreasing other teams' abilities to defend the Warriors. The extra pressure doesn't bother her. 'She's used to being pressured,' Love said. 'We work on that a lot. We deny her in practice a lot so she can get used to that because other teams will do it. 'She usually puts the weight on her shoulders and will try to go out there and get it done. She plays at a high level year-round.' That has rubbed off on the Warriors. 'She makes everyone around her better,' Waubonsie Valley senior forward Lily Newton said. 'Her work ethic is contagious. We have a shootaround an hour before practice, and she's there two hours before, getting her own training. 'She makes everyone around her want to be better, not for her but for themselves. It's players like her that push teams to get to state.' The Warriors got there last year, finishing fourth and earning their first state trophy. Their bid for a repeat trip fell just short as they lost to Alton 67-62 in the supersectional on March 3 despite 32 points from Mporokoso, who has 16 Division I offers but intends to wait to make a commitment until the fall. Mporokoso has a shot at breaking Ashley Luke's program and DuPage County scoring record of 2,885 points, although she will probably have to average at least 28 points to do so. But such honors are not what drive Mporokoso. 'Statistically, I don't really know if I have specific goals, maybe more assists and rebounds, just to round out my game,' she said. 'I want to be successful as a team. It would be so nice to get back down to state. That's really my goal — go to state.' Love has watched Mporokoso set and achieve goals throughout her career and expects that to continue. 'We lose Lily, which is a big piece, so she (Mporokoso) may have to step up her scoring, or she may have to step up as more of a leader next year,' Love said. 'But whatever she needs to do, she'll do it.'
