This unique public golfing establishment is set deep in the woods of a beautiful forest preserve. The championship course snakes through a wooded backdrop, accessible and fun for newer players while playing to an imposing 7,262/142 slope from the tips. The course is extremely well-bunkered, and water is in play on ten holes. Highlights include the 8th, with a beautiful approach shot over a crystal lake to a shallow green, the 11th, a par-5 with a fairway bracketed left and right by water, and the diabolical finishing hole, which has to be seen to be believed. A full pro shop, grill, practice area and driving range complete the facility.
One of Forest Ridge School District 142's four schools, G. Kerkstra focuses on a portion of the district's first- through fifth-grade student population. It was the district's second school to open, in 1962.
Located at 149th Street and Laramie Avenue, Kerkstra educates 402 students; 33 of those participate in the district's special education co-ops.
The school prides itself on an environment that promotes respectful, open, friendly and caring attitudes in its well-rounded students. Students are also eligible for the STAR program (Students' Talents and Abilities are Recognized). The program is designed to identify students who have mastered areas of the regular curriculum. Those students then are encouraged to participate in small group classes, special activities and projects.
Staff members also engage students in character education programs throughout the year. For more information on Kerkstra, visit the school's website.
More than 300 students from northern Tinley Park and southwestern Oak Forest attend the Fierke Education Center, tucked in a residential Oak Forest neighborhood. The center contains a public pre-Kindergarten, as well as an elementary school.
The school was named after former Superintendent Walter F. Fierke, who headed the District 146 from 1941 to 1972.
Morton Gingerwood Elementary houses the first- and second-grade students of Arbor Park District 145. Thirty faculty members help educate and manage the 308 students.
The students are split among five first-grade classes and six second-grade classes. The Morton Gingerwood Owls are educated with the mission of "educational excellence with kindness." Under the guidance and leadership of Principal Jane Kinshaw, the school aims to build a basic foundation for the intellectual, physical, social and emotional growth of students, according to its website.