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Video earns Ridgewood High School grad scholarship
Wladyslaw Tylka won a scholarship for an architectural video project he completed on the new Ridgewood High School fieldhouse. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media
Updated: November 5, 2012 6:17AM
NORRIDGE — By moving out of his comfort zone, a Norridge resident earned a some financial help for college.
Walter Tylka, a 2012 Ridgewood High School graduate, earned a scholarship for his video analysis of the architectural high points of the school’s new field house.
He was one of 10 students receiving an award for college from DLA Architects, an Itasca-based firm overseeing renovations at the school that serves Norridge and Harwood Heights.
Tylka is studying finance and accounting at DePaul University at Chicago.
Though he is more comfortable writing and analyzing, Tylka thought he could create a winning video about the field house.
“I examined how they designed the school field house, and figured I could express that in a way that could earn me a scholarship,” he said. “The actual project appealed to me.”
Ridgewood’s field house has earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification, Superintendent Robert Lupo said.
LEED certification denotes a building was built using strategies aimed at human and environmental health issues, such as sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which monitors compliance.
Among the field house’s features are a green roof and a system to collect and recycle rain water. Lupo said the district is considering opening the field house to residents.
Tylka said the facility’s airiness caught his attention.
“It has quite a bit of features that helps students with different activities,” he said of the design. “And it brings in a lot of natural light.
“That’s the big point,” he added.
Tylka hadn’t intended on applying for the scholarship.
“I usually tend to stay away from video submissions,” he said. “They’re very time-consuming.
“But I thought the design of the field house would be a great topic.”
Tylka also has advice for seniors searching for scholarships. He suggested checking local offerings as well as the major ones.
“My senior year I applied for as many scholarships as I could,” he said.
Many of those were online, but he also received a packet of applications from one of his English teachers and collected leads from Student Services.
“Every little bit helps,” he said.
