This piece was written during A Whole Lot of Food and Memoir Writing, an 826CHI workshop in partnership with Whole Foods Market.

Pad Thai is a big part of my family’s history. From the scorching hot southern parts of Thailand to here, in the Windy City.

Life was rough for my grandparents. They didn’t have much of anything. When they grew older, they sought out education, and moved to the U.S. Here they met, and got married. Then came my mother, aunt, and uncle.

When my mom was about my age, she would sit by my grandma whenever she cooked. My mom would observe every single spice and ingredient my grandma put in. Now that my mom’s older, I do the same.

I can hear my mom chopping fresh tofu in the kitchen. The rice noodles are in the frying pan with some garlic. The sizzling is almost like music to my ears. I know that something delicious is about to be made. As soon as the sweet tamarind aroma fills the air, I am almost falling off my chair. It’s an amazing sensation as I take the first bite. The lime and tamarind mixed together is like a colorful, eye-popping fireworks show. The noodles are fried until they’re golden and are bursting with flavor. As its steam rolls up my face, I think of Thailand. I think of my grandparents. The thought of it makes me feel safe and warm.

My mom inspires me to try new things with her cooking. I hope that someday I’ll be able to inspire someone, somewhere in the world with something I do well.

At times, 826CHI forms long-term relationships with classrooms and schools as part of its in-schools program, and it’s this the kind of partnership we’ve been pleased to foster with Schiller School, located in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green. 826CHI first got acquainted with Schiller’s students during the spring of 2008, when we had the pleasure of working with Ms. Turner’s 4th grade students on a weekly basis throughout the semester.

826CHI returned to Schiller in the fall, where staff and volunteers worked with 3rd and 4th grade students in Ms. Turner’s, Ms. Marro’s, and Ms. Parker’s classes each week. Projects have included a broad range of topics, including essays on favorite places, how-to paragraphs, gripping mysteries, exotic animal stories, and letters to President Obama. This spring, 826CHI also added a weekly in-schools activity with Mr. Meekins’ 5th grade students.

We can’t say enough how much we have enjoyed our time with Schiller’s students and teachers. In addition to 826CHI’s volunteer time in their classrooms, students have read at 826CHI’s events during Printers Row during the past two years, and we’ve been delighted to welcome them to 826CHI for a number of field trips, as well. The volunteers who have been committed to the Schiller in-schools projects have shared in this joy, most of them volunteering weekly, anywhere from a semester to the past year and a half. Just ask the kids who comes and they’ll rattle off the volunteer names with both pleasure and authority.

This June, as Schiller School closes its doors, we take a moment to say thank you to the many remarkable students and inspiring teachers who have shared their time, their writing, and themselves with 826CHI volunteers. To all at Schiller, we wish you all the best. A big thanks to principal Ms. Lurz and VP Mr. Billings! And students, as you set off to new schools, we hope you keep telling your stories and go on to create new and great ones. We look forward to hearing them.

At 5:30, as most of the after-school tutors and students head home and 826CHI begins to quiet down until the flurry of a workshop, Agent Lauren Braun is still sitting resolutely at our tables. Lauren isn’t sitting there because she has nowhere to go (you can practically see her house from The Boring Store), or because she is waiting for another one of the Clif Kid snack bars we pass out during snack time (though they are superdelicious and popular among both students and volunteers), or because her foot is caught in a trap (at least, we hope not–we really should check on that). Lauren is actually sitting there because she is going above and beyond the call of secret agent duty to help student Reina Delgado with some of her more challenging eleventh grade homework.

Agent Braun first snuck into 826CHI during the summer of 2007. As she explains, “I infiltrated 826CHI by staking it out for some time. I live so close that if I could scale the el tracks, I could swing directly into the front door on a zip line originating at my front door. I was meant to be a spy.”

It’s true! In the fall, Lauren joined the ranks of our intrepid tutors and quickly proved herself an expert. It’s no surprise, as she’s had a bit of experience: currently finishing up her dissertation, Lauren is a PhD Candidate in U.S. History at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she’s got eight years of teaching under her utility belt. Applying her instructional prowess and her nigh-infectious love of learning, Lauren continues to be an invaluable tutor.

It just so happen that Agent Braun is also incredibly FUN. As much as she loves cold, hard, historical facts and well-written essays, Lauren also delights in the creative and the silly and encourages our students to do the same. Her workshops are a prime example. Lauren has taught everything from high school essay writing to the epically awful “How to Write Badly” (a sweeping display of reverse psychology which resulted in lots of good reminders on how to actually write well and no shortage of giggles).

And of course, we really must mention again the countless hours that Lauren puts into volunteering at 826CHI to help student Reina Delgado. You may remember Reina (a.k.a. “one of the hardest working students we’ve ever met”) from past articles, or perhaps you’ve seen her doing homework at 826CHI. If you have seen her, you have very likely also seen Lauren, as Agent Braun consistently gives many, many, MANY hours to helping Reina tackle her homework, and getting her excited about her impending college options. And for that, among many other things, we are seriously humbled and grateful.

A bit about Agent Lauren Braun, in her own words:

What do you do when you are not helping out at 826CHI?

When I am not at 826, which is not that often, I am studying/writing/reading/teaching history. My research looks at our friends in the Rural World. In the Mississippi Delta. Yet, grad school in urban Chicago? I know. It makes sense…I promise. Additionally, I am finishing my dissertation this summer….YESSSSSSSSSS! When I am not doing history-related things, I am: painting my nails, picking out outfits, reading jezebel.com, attempting to get my cats, Mason and Dixon, to sit with me, or tending to my orchids.

What is your secret talent?

My secret talent that you may not know about, but have definitely witnessed, is my nail-painting skillz. I have a collection of 89 nail polishes. I am very good. It is an enjoyable, and rather low-cost, hobby. Colorful too!

What is your secret life ambition?

My secret life ambition is to learn how to sail, live around the world, and be able to take naps whenever I please. Basically, I seek to become a member of the late 19th century aristocracy, it seems.

What is your favorite aspect of 826CHI?

The people. The staff, the volunteers, and the kids–I have volunteered at many different organizations and this place attracts some amazingly interesting, funny, creative, cool, kind, hilarious, smart, curious, and entirely awesome people.

And finally, what’s next for you, Agent Braun?

I am going on to earn my PhD. and continue to teach. If you happen to know about a tenure-track job, please send me a note by carrier pigeon (my preferred communication method). Thank you.

No, Agent Braun, thank YOU. For all that you do for all of us at 826CHI, WE SALUTE YOU!

This month we raise our hats to Special Agent Paul Lask: quiet hero, secret rockstar, and all-around incredible volunteer. Agent Lask is hard evidence that the power of word-of-mouth is incredible in the volunteer world. Back in the fall of 2006, Paul heard about a little place called 826CHI from a few of his friends, including Meghan Keys. (You may remember Agent Keys as our Spy of the Month–May 2008.) Meghan was excited to spread the word about our programming among…well, the entire world, and boy are we glad she did. She got rockin’ volunteer and workshop teacher Brian Moss involved, and he put Meghan in touch with his bandmate Paul. Paul thought a tutoring and writing center for kids sounded like a pretty cool deal and decided to check out this 826CHI place everyone kept talking about–and we have felt pretty lucky for this ever since.

Agent Lask came to 826 as no stranger to getting kids excited about the arts. A long-time musician, Paul has also spent several summers working at a rock camp for students, teaching them about instruments, music, songwriting, and how to RAWK, in general. We’re fairly sure they’ve all adored him as much as we have. We’ve been lucky enough to see some of Paul’s music-teaching action at 826CHI workshops, but the area in which he has become an invaluable staple is our In-Schools program.

At times, 826CHI forms long-term relationships with the classrooms and schools. This is the kind of partnership we’ve been excited to foster with Schiller School in Cabrini-Green. 826CHI first got acquainted with Schiller’s students during the spring of 2008, when we had the pleasure of working with Ms. Turner’s 4th grade students on a weekly basis throughout the semester. We’ve been in weekly attendance at Schiller ever since, expanding into more classrooms and even adding another morning of the week. Paul has been there for all of it.

One of the coolest things we could hope for is to have students look up expectantly at their desk when they hear 826CHI volunteers are there to work with them on writing activities in their classroom for a few hours. And one of the most heart-warming things we get to hear at Schiller each week is, “Hey, Paul! Can I work with you?”

A few words from Agent Lask, himself:

What is a secret talent of yours that hasn’t come up during In-Schools?

I can walk on my hands pretty well. It runs in the family. I learned from Uncle Roger who could walk around the block that way.

That’s fascinating. Could you do anything else while walking on your hands? Play a song on the guitar? Make a sandwich with your feet?

I could maybe converse a little.

Fair enough. So let’s talk about the In-Schools program. You’re very involved in this, in particular. What is it you like about working with In-Schools?

I really love working with the kids with Schiller. It’s good to see the environment of the school and what’s really going on there, and to converse with other teachers and the students and get a feel for their actual lives.

Can you tell us about one of your favorite moments in volunteering with 826CHI?

Reading at Printers Row last summer was one of my favorites. One of the students I’d been working with at Schiller read his story and it was great seeing him up there in front of all those people with the Chicago Tribune backdrop behind him and other writers there watching him. It was really moving seeing the kids read with confidence and pride in their work. That moment was a definite high for me.

You, Paul are a definite high for us. For your incredible dedication and your consistently humbling skills with students, we thank you from the bottom of our covert hearts.

Agent Lask, rockstar, we salute you!

We’re not sure if it’s because of The Music Man, or what, but librarians often get a bum rap for being sort of stodgy. Really, we all know that’s not true. Think way back to your first librarian. Not the one who gave you the stink eye because of that longstanding fine (even after you paid it). Not the one who harped on you to stop giggling in middle school and reminded you that your library time was “not a social hour.” No, no. Think back to that very FIRST one, the one who placed Corduroy or Caps for Sale in your hands and whispered conspiratorially, “You’re going to like this one.” Now THAT was a librarian, and there was nothing stodgy about her. In fact, after reading the copy of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs she handed you, you were actually pretty sure you were in love with her. We know how you feel. That’s how we feel about our favorite librarian, 826 volunteer Agent Kara Thorstenson.

Agent Thorstenson first came to 826CHI in November of 2006 because she’d heard rumors through McSweeney’s that we were into kids and writing or something like that, and being a children’s librarian with natural espionage tendencies, she thought we might have some things in common. She was right—we hit it off right away, and we’ve been enamored with Kara ever since.

Agent Thorstenson is a spy-brarian of many talents. During her 826CHI tenure, Kara has become a fixture in The Boring Store, interrogating countless customers and enticing many new students and shoppers-turned-volunteers to learn more about 826. Kara has one of the best laughs we’ve ever heard, and when she’s in The Boring Store, we hear it a lot. We also hear the laughter of a lot of the customers, as Agent Thorstenson is quite hilarious.

When not cracking-wise in the Boring Store, Agent Thorstenson is also an expert workshop leader. She’s been a teacher’s assistant for our NaNoWriMo class and a secret agent dossier workshop. Kara also designed and lead such workshops as “Podcasts about Pod People” (think “War of the Worlds” but kids instead of Orson Welles), an epically engaging summer Story Hour for some of our youngest spies, and–most recently–a workshop called “Fairy Tales Gone Crazy”, in which students discussed fractured fairy tales, read a few for inspiration, and then wrote their own, with extremely varying and entertaining results. Kara has a way of bringing the best out of students by talking to them like adults and getting them excited about their projects, and we’re fairly sure the students who get to see her every day at school must really love going to see Miss T.

We feel it only proper to mention that during her time at 826CHI, Agent Thorstenson has also become somewhat of an events guru. An annual competitor in the Moustache-A-Thon, a Scrabble for Cheaters competitor, and the Ryan Seacrest of the 826CHI Holiday Party (except cooler–this year we gave her a megaphone!), it just doesn’t feel like an 826 event if Kara is absent. Currently, Agent Thorstenson’s efforts are focused on prom, as she is one of the masterminds behind 826CHI PROM 2009: ROBOT ARMAGEDDON. We can only imagine what she’ll come up with, and we hope you’ll come check it out with us on April 25th.

Here’s bit more about Agent Thorstenson, in her own words:

What do you do when you’re not at 826CHI?
When I’m not at 826, I can usually be found in the bustling metropolis of Lincolnwood, IL, where I earn a living as a children’s librarian at a great little primary school called Todd Hall. My days are spent reading picture books out loud, doing crafty projects and activities, helping little kids research, do interviews and desktop publish, working with all the teachers in the school and attending many meetings. It’s great!

I love to read (I am a librarian, after all), I like to listen to music from my computer or being performed live, and I like to attend events and visit attractions all around this great city, like plays, museums, art galleries, and street fairs. I like to make crafts like paper flowers and commemorative plates. I also enjoy the nightlife.

What is a secret talent (or talents) of yours we may not know about?
My former roommate told me that I am extremely good at cutting things out of magazines. I am also a crack geographer and have won the odd geography bee in my day.

Tell us more about the food-themed competitions you and your friends hold. (Admittedly, we asked this just because they fascinate us. In a perfect world, these ideas will inspire further culinary faux-competitions amongst the 826 community.)
There are currently three annual food competitions amongst my friends and I, and we have been discussing a fourth for many years. The original, and the foundation upon which all others were based is the Chili Cook-off, held annually on Superbowl Sunday. The Chili Cook-off began in 2002 in Iowa City, Iowa, where the majority of my friends and I attended college. The rules are strict and unscientific. Chili judging is done by a panel, but the chilies are submitted anonymously. Chilies are judged based on spiciness, flavor, presentation, and several other criteria. One chili per round is chiliminated until only one remains, and it’s cook is crowned the Pope of Chili Towne for that year. I was lucky enough to have been the Pope of Chili Towne for the year 2008, winning with a dark horse vegetarian chili containing meatless meat and Portobello mushrooms.

Finally, Halloween time brings The Dip Off, which began probably four years ago, but which we skipped in 2008 just because nobody was able and willing to get it together in time (sometimes that happens). The Dip Off is judged by all participants and attendees. Every participant submits a dip with dipping items, and then their dips are given a 1-5 score by everyone in attendance. The votes are tallied and the winners are announced. I won the 2007 Dip Off in a landslide with a buffalo chicken dip. The winner of the Dip Off is crowned the Big Dipper.

Master interrogator, workshop visionary, events guru, and Big Dipper, Agent Thorstenson truly does it all. We feel incredibly fortunate to have her share her talents at 826CHI, and we are so excited for the many great things she’ll bring to 826 and it’s students in the future. Put very simply: We love you madly, madly Madam Librarian, Agent Thorstenson!

You know that aunt you always wanted to have? The cool, savvy one who is as good with a sly joke as she is a dance move? Yeah, we know her too. She is in fact our Aunt Alice. As in Agent Alice Stevens, one of our most illustrious special agents and volunteers.

When Alice walked into 826CHI about a year ago, we thought, “sweet, intelligent woman.” Little did we know how cunning and devious she truly was. In her own words, the process went something like this:

“My infiltration of 826 was swift and professional. I was able to make friends with one of those grade school brats who always hang around the place. From there it was easy. I charmed the kid’s mom into giving me the 826 website address. I applied online like everyone else, figuring out all the cool things to say and making it look like I was really creative. The 826 leaders took the bait. I penetrated the organization and picked up all kinds of inside info tutoring in the after school program. From there I was able to move into more subversive activities like helping with the 826CHI Prom and publishing a cookbook with all the proceeds going to 826. (What did I need with money? I was a successful sleuth.) Of course, now that I have thoroughly infiltrated the organization, I have decided to retire as a spy and just be a happy helper at 826.”

Though Agent Stevens completely blindsided us with her conniving volunteer agenda, we have to admit, it’s certainly worked out in our favor. Alice has set the bar at new heights during tutoring. Students flock to her. Agent Stevens is one of those people who makes you want to do well and encourages you to laugh while you’re doing it. Crowning achievements include getting some of our very quiet young ladies to strut their stuff during last spring’s tutoring Talent Show with a rockin’ rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle” (complete with costumes of star crowns and magic star wands co-created by Agent Stevens) and wrapping some of the younger 826CHI “rowdy boys” around her little finger after their homework is finished. As Alice explains, “All I have to do is say ‘Trouble—wanna play,’ and they are down on the floor pushing the dome, rolling the dice. Tamed as titmice.”

When Alice is not entertaining our students—or helping them entertain the rest of is—she is busy getting the kids excited about writing. Last April, Alice ran a series of projects in honor of National Poetry Month, and even our youngest students discovered that poetry was both fascinating and fun.

When not making tutoring incredible, Agent Stevens has spent time sneaking around our events. That picture of her with the tiara? While we’re tempted to say that this is Alice’s regular tutoring garb, the picture was actually taken at the most recent 826 Prom. It was during Prom that we learned a crucial fact about Alice: the woman can DANCE. Do not challenge her to a rock and roll dance competition. You’ll get creamed.

After many years as a technical writer for computer systems and a Web writer and manager, Agent Stevens has now turned her attention to writing the “Aunt Alice” books she always dreamed of writing. The first of the series, Aunt Alice’s Goodies, was just released to rave reviews. As is her style, it’s a seriously sweet book (think: crazydelicious cookies), and one that also benefits 826CHI because, well, Alice is awesome. Here’s a blurb about this new addition to the literary scene:

This sweets cookbook bucks the trend of the gourmet and diet-obsessed styles of cooking instead offering simple, everyday recipes from the 1950s and 1960s. The book includes old-fashioned hard fudge, mayonnaise cake, prize-winning pies, hippie crunchy granola, and scrumptious Christmas cookies to die for.

The book is available on Amazon.com and in The Boring Store, and we heartily suggest you pick up a copy, especially if you like super dense brownies that may well make you sigh with utter bliss.

The book is really the icing on the cake of greatness that Agent Stevens has been baking with us for the past year. She keeps us smiling, and keeps us learning (even the rowdy boys!), and, very simply, we adore her.

Agent Stevens, for all that you do and all that you are to everyone at 826CHI, we salute you!

Special Agent Bailey Brittin has been at 826CHI for some time now. She volunteered for us for a while, then took on the role of superintern, and has for some time continued to volunteer for us in a way where you might still assume she was a superintern. It’s tricky, we know. To the untrained eye, one might not be able to tell the difference. But to her fellow spies, it is clear that Bailey is simply a tireless and remarkable person who believes wholeheartedly in the work of 826 and is willing to give literally hundreds (but for real—HUNDREDS!) of hours to support our programs and students.

In fact, we’re fairly certain that there hasn’t been a program or event at 826 that Bailey hasn’t worked with and made just a little bit better with her talents. Agent Brittin has been a long-standing help in in-schools, where her background in secondary education has been a great benefit to students. (Her biting humor also makes her incredibly popular with high school students.) Bailey is also a staple at field trips, and to date, she has bound about 5,276 books for our young writers to show to Admiral Moody. She is a regular face at tutoring (where she is a bit of a rock-star among our middle schoolers for introducing them to the Twilight series), and has been a great support at countless workshops. Bailey has bravely faced new adventures with us, including the now-cautionary tale of “the day we ate too much sea salt during the high school workshop,” and “that time she waited two hours for us at the post office.” And, of course, Bailey has befriended many a new spy through her expert operations in the Boring Store, where you can often visit her on Sundays.

But it’s not just her program and spy supply prowess that makes us lucky to have Agent Brittin around. It’s her overall just-kind-of-totally-GREATness. Bailey organizes our supply shelves without us asking. She offers to stay for tutoring if it looks like we could use another person. She brings us pumpkin chocolate chip cookies just because they are delicious and she is fantastic. She volunteers her family for events and then actually gets them to enthusiastically participate. And she does it all so generously; we simply don’t know what to do with ourselves.

Before too long, we’ll have to give up Agent Brittin to a high school, where she’ll be one of the coolest English teachers ever. When that day comes, we’ll miss seeing her as often as we do, but also be rather glad so many students get to learn from her. In the meantime, Agent Brittin, we are so truly grateful for all the time you give to 826, and we hope you know how much we adore you.

Agent Dani Hoyler is kind of a big deal. Recently, Dani was bestowed the title of “Best Bartender in Chicago” by Metromix, and now, Agent Hoyler is being inducted into the prestigious ranks of Spy of the Month. Talk about an award glutton.

Agent Hoyler’s Spy skills are off the charts. Dani snuck in under the radar when she started working at the Boring Store during the summer of 2007. Within a very short amount of time, she had infiltrated 826CHI’s morning fieldtrips, fundraisers, and social events. At times, she has even done all of these things in a single day.

In addition to being an all-round excellent spy and volunteer, Agent Hoyler is a lady of seemingly unending talents. Despite her purportedly mediocre driving skills, Dani is a preternaturally gifted parallel parker. She also gives people cakes–cakes!–no apparent reason, but always with the added touch of having them elaborately decorated with sardonic messages. Also, we hear that Agent Hoyler is also a reformed madrigal singer, but so far, this is the one talent she has not shared.

The talents Agent Hoyler has shared, however, have been stunning. While in The Boring Store, Dani has assembled roughly 8,756,302 cardboard boxes–even constructing an enviable box fort on one occasion. She has cut out approximately 40,981 disguise moustaches and she has charmed countless guests and customers. The warmth and humor she brings to the store go over equally well with the countless students Dani continues to work with during field trips.

We simply can’t say enough about Agent Hoyler, so we’re going to let her speak for herself:

What is your personal theme song?
“The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats. Because, well, we can dance if we want to.

Who are you frequently mistaken for in public?
Sadly, I am often mistaken for Steven Segal–we have very similar ponytails. Sadly, my martial arts skills are much lacking. With my newfound fame, however, I’m hoping not to be mistaken for anyone, but rather to be stopped on the street and recognized constantly. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

What has been one of your favorite moments at 826?
My favorite student-related memory occurred about six months ago when we were doing a Small Group Bookmaking with a class of 5th graders. I had five energetic boys! You could tell that four of the boys were the class clown types, very goofy and talkative. The other one was the quiet type who sits in the back and stares out the window.

It has always been my belief that the kids should have an equal share in the creation of the story. Generally, there is one child who has all the ideas and makes all the other children go along with how the sequence of events unfolds. I think that what we do in the Small Group Bookmaking field trips are a great way to ensure that everyone has a say.

It took some prodding, but the quiet little boy finally started engaging in the story. Soon he was chirping in nearly as much as the other children. It was great to see him come out of his shell like that. I knew when he thanked me and told me that it had been the best day ever, he actually meant it.
What’s your favorites line to use in The Boring Store?
I actually try to stealthily attack each and every spy who attempts to infiltrate The Boring Store (and 826CHI) with the USB missile launcher. It is a very good conversation starter. Otherwise, I just yell “Hello, spy!” at everyone and anyone who walks into the store–even our very lovely mail-lady.

[It’s true. She does.]

What is your favorite part of being at 826CHI?
Besides writing songs about the Pats?! There are two things I love about 826. First, it is an amazing community. The people who are involved with 826CHI are great. They are funny and clever and goofy in a refreshing way. I think 826 attracts my kind of person, and I’m amazed that through 826CHI, I have reconnected with people I had been out of touch with for almost and/or over a decade. Otherwise, I really love doing the storytelling and bookmaking field trips. It’s nice to feel that, even if momentarily, you’ve had a part in constructively shaping the way a child feels about reading, writing, and ultimately being creative. Yeah, I know that sounds corny, but isn’t that why everyone does it?

Agent Hoyler, you continue to amaze us along with all the students you help at 826CHI and all the strangers you pelt with foam missiles in The Boring Store. From the bottoms of our grateful spy hearts, we salute you!

‘Tis the season for competition. It’s in Chicago’s blood. The blood of its baby bear and sock-mascotted baseball players, the blood of its presidential politician and its in the blood of tile-wielding Scrabble lovers. It is tournament time. 826CHI is proud to announce our fine fall event: SCRABBLE for CHEATERS.

It’s a SCRABBLE tournament with a dishonest twist for an honest cause.

Teams consisting of two players (so you can have someone to blame in the improbable event you lose) compete in a fierce Scrabble tournament where the traditional use of brain power mixes with the alluring use of officially sanctioned cheats. Depending on how much money a team raises for 826CHI, that team will be able to buy cheats for the tournament from our cheat chest and use them against their competition!

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WHO: Tournament is open to any and all player pairs willing to lay their tiles on the line.

WHERE: As China has yet to finance the building of our official Scrabble-adium (that is to look like a hornet’s nest precariously placed on an ice-cream cone), the competition will take place at 826CHI & The Boring Store at 1331 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

WHEN: Saturday, October 18, 2008. High Noon.

WHY: For the children. For prizes that defy words in your vocabulary. For the chance to become CHICAGO’S CHEATING CHAMP and have a trophy to back up the title!

HOW: E-mail cheaters@826chi.org with your (1) team name, (2) player names, (3) team fundraising goal by September 21st. Sign up now! We only have space for 32 teams. The registration fee is $30/team.

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After a team has signed up, anyone and everyone can come back to our website and pledge their support for the team(s) of their choice. By donating money to the team, the pledger increases the opportunities for the team to buy certain cheats. It is therefore advantageous for team members to raise as much money as possible. During the tournament, teams will use their cheats against opposing teams.

If you’d like to be an event sponsor, or for any other information, please contact Patrick Shaffner at 773-772-8108 or patrick@826chi.org.

UNOFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES
Each team must have 2 players.
Each team must have a team name.
Each team must dress like a team on the day of the tournament.
Each team must arrive by 11:30 a.m. on the day of the tournament.
Each cheat purchased may be used only once. Cheats will be officially bought/issued on tournament day.
Turns are timed at 2 minutes. Games are over at 1 hour.
Cheating is encouraged.

THE CHEAT CHEST
$25: THE SWAP: Trade out a letter
$50: THE NON-CON: buy a vowel
$100: THE BLANK: Flip a letter over and make it blank
$150: THE AUGMENT: Add 10 points to any letter to increase its value
$200: THE ALSORANS: Add Q, Z, or X to any word
$250: THE KOSHKA: play a word in any non-English language
$300: THE CONFER: Consult the dictionary for one turn
$400: THE SPURN: Reject an opponent’s word for no reason
$500: THE WEBSTER: Invent a word (must have definition)

Neither 826CHI nor this fundraiser is sponsored by or affiliated with Hasbro, the makers of the SCRABBLE®-brand, tile-based word game.

This month, we give a much-deserved salute to Agent Justin Skolnick, who came to us a year and a half ago and instantly became our resident Computer Guru. A spy to be reckoned with, Agent Skolnick lists his special talents as “stealth and dexterity” and is fluent in many of the classical languages: HTML, PHP, and what he calls “some JavaScript” (if you know Agent Skolnick and his self-effacing ways, you’ll know this actually means he knows it inside and out).

Truth be told, we really have no idea what any of this means. What we do know is that Justin makes some really beautiful things appear on our computer screens through his magical touch. Ever used our online form to sign up for a field trip or a workshop? That’s Justin at work. Filled out our volunteer form? Yep, Justin again. Checked out our blog, donated to our programs, or browsed the handsome faces of the Moustache-A-Thons? Justin. Justin. Justin.

In fact, at the very moment you are reading this paragraph, Justin is likely hard at work, patiently fulfilling one of the countless “Justin could you add/change/put up/switch…?” requests that we fire at him on a regular basis. Agent Skolnick rightly noted the fact, “I have a talent for patient listening,” on his volunteer application; and in his time with us, he has certainly proven it in kind. He has also (perhaps in an effort to quell our unending questions) cast a number of spells over the Internet so that we are actually able to make changes on our own, and Justin continues to work on a semi-secret master-plan to revamp the 826CHI website—more details on this mission to come as intelligence becomes available.

But—though we can’t believe he ever found the time—Agent Skolnick isn’t just our “Web Guy.” He has also been an asset and a joy for student programs such as tutoring and field trips. He has gone out of his way to spread the word of 826CHI a number of times—such as by participating in the very Moustache-A-Thon for which he designed the Web page. He also continues to offer the 826CHI staff genuine and touching praise and support, which, gee whiz, is just kind of embarrassing, considering all he does for 826CHI himself.

With Justin’s Renaissance-man qualities, it follows that Agent Skolnick has just embarked upon a journey through grad school at the University of Chicago, where he’ll be spending the next three years learning all things theological. From there, we’re not sure where he’ll go, but we are confident that it will be toward great things, and we hope it will continue to lead him back to us in small ways.

For all that you have done and continue to do—Agent Skolnick, we salute you!