February 2009 – Page 2

ISB Hosts the CEESA Middle School Math Counts Competition

February 9, 2009February 9, 2009billkralovec

Middle School Mathematics Teacher Lekisha Jackson is shown above assisting Nathalie and Alex moments before the team competition. This weekend we hosted the CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association) Math Counts competition. Math Counts is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting math excellence among middle school math students. Seven schools with 54 “mathletes” competed in written and oral tests, with both individual and team categories. The students were billeted with ISB families and besides the mathematics, they enjoyed getting to know the cultural side of Belgrade and socialized with our students at a big dance on Saturday.

The event was dominated by Korean students. The top 10 students in the individual competition were all Korean students. ISB grade 8 student Rick was the top non-Korean in the competition, finishing one question short of the top 10 in 11th place. Winning the competition was Tae Suk Joung from AIS Budapest, with Victor Moon and Duk Sung Ahn from AAS Moscow finishing second and third respectively.

ISB Team Members Irem, Andrej, Rick, and Carl

In the team competition, the Anglo American School of Moscow took the top two spots with AIS Budapest finishing in third place. The gold medal AAS Moscow team consisted of Duck Sung Ahn, Victor Moon, Ji Tae Park, and Gi Cheol Shin. Also participating in the competition were AIS Zagreb (Croatia), the American School of Paris (France), the Anglo-American School of Sofia (Bulgaria), and the Tirana International School of Albania.

I would like to thank Tim Moynihan, Will Clowney, Igor Saljic, Aleksander Nikolic and Marija Vuckovic for their outstanding efforts in organizing the event. A lot of work goes into behind the scenes when hosting a successful event of this magnitude. A special mention goes to our Math Counts Coach and math teacher Ms. Lekisha Jackson. She spent countless hours preparing the students and the community for the event. Her dedication and organization paid off as our students learned much from the event and performed extremely well. Ms. Jackson has been a special addition to our staff this year and we all appreciate her teaching! Thank you Lekisha!!!

The dance on Saturday evening was also special. I would like to thank Mr. Sean Hayes and the STUCO students for the fine organization of the dance. Our students made our guests feel at home and they enjoyed themselves in a responsible manner. Thanks to Mr. Vrbaski, Ms. Tharalsen, Mrs. Medenica, Mrs. Jovanovic, and Mr. Hayes for chaperoning the dance. The out of the classroom relationships our teachers form with the students is one of the best characteristics of ISB. I would also like to thank our ISB families that hosted students. I only heard positive comments from the parents on the comportment of the students.

In summary, Math Counts accomplished its mission of encouraging math excellence. We look forward to next year’s competition.

ISB Students Enjoyed Saturdays Dance — ISB Students Enjoyed Saturday's Dance

Trip to the USA

February 8, 2009February 8, 2009billkralovec

I want to write about the my trip home to Michigan last week and reflect on the passing of my mother. This is more for posterity sake.

It began with a phone call to my mother two weeks ago. She was a patient at the big, regional hospital in Marquette, Michigan. My dad took my mom to her usual hair appointment on Friday. He then went to help out at the church and when he returned, my mother could not get up from bed. He called 911 and eventually she was transferred from the Iron County Hospital to Marquette. She was there for several days. I talked to her on the phone once and she sounded okay, complaining of pain in her back and legs. My father said there was not much the doctors could do for her and they were looking at transferring her to a nursing home in Iron River. He said the situation was grave so I immediately made plans to fly to Michigan.

My mother was a diabetic for over 20 years. Diabetes runs in her family as many members have it. She received a kidney transplant from her brother over 10 years ago. Diabetes in the long term harms the body’s circulation, eyesight, and other vital organs. Mom was an active person and never smoke or drank. It was sad to see the debiliatating effects of the disease on her.

She kept asking my Dad what day it was and when the boys were going to come home. I live in Serbia and my brother Andy, (on the far left in the photo above) lives in Ecuador. I arrived in my hometown of Caspian, Michigan last Friday evening. On Saturday morning, we got a call from the nursing home where my mom was staying. She told the nurse that she wanted to see us before she passed away.

I went up there with my daughter Ocean. My mom recognized me and called my name. She asked for her glasses so she could see her only granddaughter. Ocean sat on the bed next to her. During the day, we stayed in her room and Dad and I helped her stay comfortable. She asked us to move her because her back, shoulders, and legs were sore. Andy arrived in the afternoon and the nurses moved her to a private room.

Her three sons, husband, and sister were with her when she passed. I held her hand and hugged her in her final moments. We all said goodbye and told her that we loved her. I promised to take care of the her grandchildren and especially to teach Ocean to be a good basketball player. My mother died around 5:00 PM Saturday.

The next few days were sad. It was good that my two brothers, Dad, and I were together to get the funeral organized. We went to the funeral home together to help write her obituary and plan the funeral. We made a large bulletin board of photos as a memory to her.

My mother suffered greatly her final couple of years. There were many trips to doctors and hospital stays. My father spent much time helping her out.

The funeral was really nice. Most of our relatives on her side of the family came as well as people from our small town of Caspian. On the way out of the church, the choir played the West Iron County High School fight song, a fitting tribute to a sporting woman who gave so much to school’s basketball program.

Nadia, Ocean, and I had to fly back the next day. We left Owen and Oliver back in Belgrade. The emails, letters, and words of sympathy from our family and friends, both here in Belgrade and the USA was overwhelming and greatly appreciated. She had a full life and passed away knowing that she had a postive impact on the lives of so many people. We will miss her.

Nadia gets into our rental car in Caspian.

It was also my first time in Michigan in February for many years. It was very cold (-27 C on the day we left) with heaps of snow.

The cycle of life continues - Oceans growing up fast! — The cycle of life continues - Ocean's growing up fast!

Yvonne Kralovec Obituary

February 3, 2009February 7, 2009billkralovec

Yvonne Kralovec, 68, of Caspian, Michigan, died peacefully on Saturday January 31, 2009 at the Iron River Care Center in Iron River, MI. It was an end to a long battle with diabetes. She was surrounded by her loving husband and sons, who flew from around the world to be at her side.

She was born on October 16, 1940 at the Stambaugh Hospital, the daughter of Arthur Alexander Heikkila and Silvia Wirtaanen. Arthur was a first generation Finnish-American immigrant and worked in the iron mines in the local area. After the mines closed, Arthur became a private contractor and built many homes and structures in Iron County. She used to tell us stories of growing up in the small town of Caspian with her six siblings and grandmother. They did not have indoor plumbing and used to take a sauna in leiu of baths. She used to get the cow from the pasture located on the slopes of Caspian hill. She had nine brothers and sisters, three died at birth. Silvia died from diabetes at age 51. Arthur remarried after the death of his wife, and eventually passed away from spinal cancer.

Yvonne was a 1958 graduate of Stambaugh High School. She worked at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan in the medical records department for six months. She then got a job in Iron River as a receptionist for two doctors. She married Charles Kralovec on December 29, 1962 at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church and the couple made their home at 508 Baltic Avenue in Caspian. Yvonne converted to Catholicism being raised a Finnish Lutheran. Charlie was her brother Daniel’s basketball coach at the Caspian School and that is how they met.

My parents wedding day in 1962. — My parent's wedding day in 1962.

They tried for many years to have children, as both wanted a large family. This was before fertility treatments. They adopted two sons through Catholic Social Services, receiving Bill in 1967 and Jim in 1968. In 1972 they were blessed with a pregnancy and the birth of a third son, Andy.

Yvonne loved sports! She was an avid fan of all the Michigan and Detroit sport teams. She listened or watched every Tiger baseball team for decades. She was a fine athlete, although ahead of her time as women in the 1950’s and 60’s were not encouraged to do sports. Yvonne won many bowling tournaments in the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin. Her greatest series was 614 (224 high game) in a mixed doubles tourney in 1969. She won three honor counts (600 total pins for three games) in her career and finished with an average of 70 and a highest ever game of 238. She was an outstanding infielder in fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball. Twice her teams (Gil’s Mileage & Dina Mia Kitchens) won Upper Peninsula titles and were runners-up in the State of Michigan.

Her biggest sporting legacy however is coaching basketball. She coached girls’ basketball for 42 years. She coached at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. She helped found the West Iron County High School girls’ basketball team in 1974. Later, her son Jim coached the girls team for years. She influenced the lives of thousands of young women through coaching. She had a gentle heart with the kids and really knew the game of basketball. Her teams regularly won tourneys and games.

She is survived by her husband Charles, three sons, William (Nadia) Kralovec of Belgrade, Serbia, James (Michelle) Kralovec of Iron Mountain, Michigan, and Andrew Kralovec of Quito, Ecuador. Also surviving are a brother Daniel Heikkila of Green Bay, Wisconsin; two sisters Ione (James) Condon of Crystal Falls, MI, and Darlene (Bernie) Williams of Oneida, Wisconsin. There are also six grandchildren, Scott Youngren, Tony, Beau, Owen, Oliver, and Ocean Kralovec and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by brothers Carl Maki, Wallace Heikkila, and a sister, Viola Nowicki.

Visitation will be today from 9 – 11:00 AM at the Saint Cecilia Church in Caspian. Funeral service will be also today at 11:00 AM at the St. Cecilia Church with Rev. Daniel Moll to offer the Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will be in the Stambaugh Cemetary in Iron River.

The family is asking memorial contributions made to the American Diabetes Association. Condolences can be expressed to the family on line at the Jacobs Funeral Home web site or here on my blog.

We will miss my mother! Although she had a stubborn, feisty personaility, underneath she had a warm heart. She was a dedicated wife and mother to us. She would attend every game or activity we had and her life revolved around her children and grand children. I developed my love of sports and an active lifestyle from her as well as the value of hard work. The last few years she really suffered from the long term effects of diabetes. I am happy that she is now free of the pain and that we were all there as she passed. Thanks for everything Mom, we love you.

Tribute Game to Yvonne Kralovec

February 3, 2009February 3, 2009billkralovec

It was a special West Iron County High School girls’ basketball game tonight. My father, Charles is pictured above with my brother Andy and daughter Ocean. He is the public address announcer for the school’s football, basketball, and track n’ field games. Tonight, the Wykons (West Iron County High School nickname) were taking on Kingsford High School and my Dad was at his usual post as the announcer.

There was a moment of silence before the game for my mother. Yvonne Kralovec started the girls’ basketball program at the school. The first team debuted in 1974. My mother coached girls’ basketball for a total of 42 years. She mostly worked with the younger students, ranging from grades 4 – 10. In her later years, she was the official scorekeeper for the games. It was nice to see her niece, Kim Heikkila, scoring tonight’s game. It was also a warm touch that all of the Wykon players when they were announced came over and shook my Dad’s hand. My mom coached all of the girls on the team at one time. I think it was also appropriate that her grand daughter, Ocean was at the game. She wanted to keep running out on the floor. Many of our friends came up to us to offer their condolences.