News & Notes: May 14

Police officers, residents honored for actions

Officers Manojlo Verzich and Brian Bialecki of the Oak Creek Police Department have been honored with medals of valor and lifesaving awards for their roles in an April incident in which a man shot his mother with an AK-47 rifle.

The awards were among those presented May 11 at the department's fifth annual awards ceremony.

Verzich and Bialecki, along with Officer Andrew Thorne, helped safely remove the woman, who had a severed artery, from her home in the 8600 block of South Fenway Court. Verzich helped control her bleeding until a rescue squad arrived.

Thorne also received a medal of valor.

Resident Joshua Knight received a citation for providing information that led police to a large marijuana-growing operation in his Oak Creek neighborhood last May. About 2,000 plants were confiscated, and five people were charged in connection with the operation.

Resident Kevin Suprenant also received a citation for helping a woman and toddler who had just been held at gunpoint and forced into a bathroom in their home. Suprenant helped communicate with the woman, who spoke little English, and relayed information to police once they arrived on the scene.

Elevator to be installed at Cedar Hills

An elevator will be installed this summer at Cedar Hills Elementary, 2225 W. Sycamore Ave., with the help of federal stimulus money.

The Oak Creek-Franklin School Board on May 11 approved the elevator installation, which will cost about $170,000.

Cedar Hills is the only district elementary school that does not have an elevator. Students with disabilities need the elevator, Superintendent Sara Larsen said, as the school layout requires them to move up and down stairs on a regular basis.

The elevator will be installed this summer.

Project Lead the Way certification presented

Oak Creek High School is now officially certified as a Project Lead the Way school.

The school was presented with a banner indicating the certification at a School Board meeting May 11.

Being certified will provide students taking PLTW courses with the opportunity to earn college credits through exams, beginning this year.