Antonio Gasse was the winner of the Northside Parent-Teacher Council raffle prize from the Forest Park Review. The award winner had the opportunity to share “What I Love about Forest Park” in a published article in the hometown paper. The PTC hosted their annual Pancake Dinner fundraiser at Grant-White School in February. Several businesses and civic organizations donated creative raffle prizes. The Review was thrilled to share an opportunity with a young writer.
Hello, these are my thoughts on Forest Park (from a kid’s perspective):
First and most important, we have a very safe environment. It is very useful to not have to worry about going places without parental supervision. We know so many people who look after us, and some of us (including me) know at least one person who lives on every block. While we do have some cold-hearted people, for the most part you can trust that someone has got your back.
Second, you may not notice, but we have many quality resources near home. We have great local grocery stores like Ed’s Way that supply basic needs, but if you need more, there are stores like Tony’s, Costco, etc. that are within a 10-minute drive. Another example is hardware — Schauer Hardware supplies anything you might need right away, but if you wanted, you could go to a Menard’s or Home Depot which are right in the area.
A third example would be places to get good books. We have the Forest Park Public library with lots of books to look through, but if you are looking for other resources, there are more places like Berwyn, North Riverside or Oak Park close by.
Lastly, we have so many cool amenities in town. The park district has many things to choose from to keep us busy like tennis courts, a soccer field, a skate park, the best swimming pool around and more!
Then there are the solo amenities like the dog park or Ferrara Pan — our very own candy factory, right in town!
As you can see, Forest Park is a great place to be!
Antonio Gasse is a third-grader at Field Stevenson School. He enjoys math and other things that stretch his brain.
