News Releases
 March Volunteers of the Month:
Hilda Rodriquez and Norma Bombela,
Virginia Lake PTA Bilingual Committee
Hilda Rodriquez and Norma Bombela were nominated together as “Volunteers of the Month” because of their service to Virginia Lake School through their involvement in the PTA Bilingual Committee as well as for their help in bilingual classrooms at the school.
“They set an example for our Hispanic community at Virginia Lake,” their nominators said. “Both women have been instrumental with helping to assess the needs of our Hispanic families, taking on leadership roles, acting as spokespeople for the committee, and encouraging other families to become involved.” Both women also have done a great deal of the planning and organizing for the school’s annual multicultural festival, and they’ve both prepared traditional food from Mexico to share at the festival.
Hilda and her husband Juan have three daughters: Karla, an eighth grader at Winston Campus; Karina, a fourth grader at Virginia Lake; and Jacqueline, a second grader at Hunting Ridge. Hilda first became involved with the school and the PTA five years ago, when Karla was a student at Virginia Lake. In addition to working with the Bilingual Committee, Hilda helps out in bilingual classrooms at the school. “I like to do it for the kids,” she explains. “They feel happy when someone from the same culture comes to the school and helps them. They feel proud.” Hilda is originally from Mexico City and has lived in the United States for eight years. She attended high school and college in Mexico City. She was a registered nurse, and before coming to the U.S., she worked in hospitals for eight years. In her leisure time, she enjoys her daughters’ sports activities and reading.
Norma is originally from Cuernavaca, Morelos (in central Mexico near Mexico City), where she attended high school. She has lived in the U.S. for nine years, and she and her husband Cristobal now live in Arlington Heights. Norma has three children: Edgar, a ninth grader at Palatine High School; Sylvia, a fifth grader at Virginia Lake; and Ivan, a kindergarten student in the deaf and hard of hearing program at Elizabeth Blackwell School in Schaumburg. Norma is learning sign language along with Ivan. She enjoys volunteering at Virginia Lake for three reasons: “I like that children can learn more about their culture, it shows them that they are not alone and that their parents support them, and it helps them to reach their goals,” she explains. She has been involved at the school for eight-and-one-half years. In her free time, Norma loves to cook—especially trying different kinds of recipes.
“The Virginia Lake bilingual teachers sing their praises for their help in the classrooms,” their nominators said. “They also help with translations and recruit Spanish-speaking volunteers for events. Both of these ladies deserve to be acknowledged for their heartfelt commitment to Virginia Lake.”
Hilda and Norma will be recognized at the March 9, 2005, Board of Education meeting, to be held at Lake Louise School, at 7 p.m.
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