Naperville welcomes returning Olympian
Naperville Mayor George Pradel shows Spring Brook Elementary students the key to the city he recently gave Olympic silver medalist Molly Schaus. The U.S. women's hockey goalie returned to her hometown for the weekend to visit family, friends and fans.
Olympic silver medalist Molly Schaus visits Spring Brook Elementary in Naperville, where she graduated in 1999. The U.S. women's hockey goalie high-fived students including Megan Perucca, second from right, and encouraged them to follow their dreams.
Hundreds of Spring Brook Elementary students waved American flags to greet alumna Molly Schaus, who recently won an Olympic silver medal as a goalie for the U.S. women's hockey team. Schaus lived in Naperville from second grade through freshman year of high school.
Olympic silver medalist Molly Schaus, a goalie for the U.S. women's hockey team in Vancouver, told students at Spring Brook Elementary School in Naperville she was in fourth grade when she set a goal of becoming an Olympian.
As a third-grader at Naperville's Spring Brook Elementary, Molly Schaus started playing hockey.
As a fourth-grader at Spring Brook, Schaus set a goal of becoming an Olympian.
As an alumna of Spring Brook, Schaus returned to her school Monday with an Olympic silver medal around her neck.
Spring Brook students greeted the U.S. women's hockey team goalie with a banner and an enlarged yearbook photo of her from fifth grade.
As she walked inside the gym, she was welcomed by several hundred students waving American flags and chanting her name.
Schaus was wrapping up a weekend in her hometown that included receiving the key to the city from Mayor George Pradel, who also had declared April 3 as Molly Schaus Day.
The Olympian lived in Naperville from second grade through freshman year of high school and graduated from Spring Brook in 1999.
"You never know, one of you may be on stage in 10 years and getting a key to the city," Schaus told students Monday. "It's a pretty special thing."
Pradel showed students the key he said opens the hearts of Naperville residents.
"She sat right down here in your school a few years ago and she was just as tall as you are now," Pradel told them. "And now she's taller but she's also taller in another respect in that she's gained the title of the silver medal from the Olympics."
Schaus took questions from students, telling them she has been practicing for three to four hours a day nearly every day for the past year.
Asked how she felt at the Vancouver Olympics, she said, "It's 10 years of hard work and sacrifice and there you are walking into the opening ceremonies with 200 American athletes in front of 80,000 people all going nuts. It's an amazing feeling and you feel everything at once."
Schaus also gave students some encouragement to pursue their own talents.
"My advice to you guys is to find something you love - whether it's sports, it's school, it's music, it's theater, whatever you guys like," she said. "Follow that passion, make a dream and follow it because you never know what can happen and just have fun with it."
Physical education teacher Jenny Jansen taught Schaus in third through fifth grades and was well aware of her desire to be an Olympian even then. She called Schaus a tomboy who was not only talented at sports but also had a good attitude.
"It's awesome," Jansen said of Schaus' return. "It's so exciting for the kids to see someone can grow up and do this."
After the rally, Schaus stuck around to take photos with students and teachers.
"It's really cool. I got to hold the medal and I think it's really cool I got to high-five her and get that close and that she went to the same school as me," fourth-grader Dakota Francis said.
Schaus wasn't the only Olympian to visit Spring Brook in recent weeks. Another alumnus, gold medal-winning figure skater Evan Lysacek, talked to students March 26.
"It's amazing we had two Olympians come to our school," fourth-grader Alexandra Van Cleave said. "It's like 1 million to one that they both get medals."
Schaus also planned a quick visit Monday to another alma mater, Gregory Middle School, before flying home to Massachusetts. She plans to travel more with her family this spring and will be visiting the White House with her teammates. Then it's back to hockey camps and training for her final season at Boston College.
In the meantime, she was happy to make a stop in Naperville to see friends, family and fans.
"Ever since I got here it's just been more people welcoming me home and it's a really special feeling," she said. "It's hard to put into words how much it means to see all the support."
Molly Schaus in a game against the Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Stars on January 3, 2010.
US Olympic ice hockey silver medalist Molly Schaus returned to her hometown of Naperville, Illinois last weekend. Her travels culminated in a visit on Monday to Spring Brook Elementary School, where as a fourth-grader she set the goal of some day being an Olympian. Schaus's dream was fulfilled this year during the Vancouver Winter Olympics, when she played for the US women's ice hockey team and won a silver medal. 

As she addressed and answered questions from students and teachers at the grade school, Schaus explained the large amount of work she had to invest to achieve her goals. The ''Chicago Daily Herald'' reports that "she has been practicing for three to four hours a day nearly every day for the past year." She told the students to "make a dream and follow it because you never know what can happen and just have fun with it."

The nostalgic visit to her elementary school followed a weekend of other appearances in Naperville, including a celebration last Saturday at Rosebud's Italian Specialties and Pizzeria. Saturday had been declared Molly Schaus Day by Naperville Mayor A. George Pradel, who also gave Schaus a key to the city. 

Schaus has not been the only Olympic alumnus to return to the school; figure skater and gold medalist Evan Lysacek returned to his Naperville hometown and spoke to the students at Spring Brook on March 26. "It's amazing we had two Olympians come to our school. It's like 1 million to one that they both get medals," remarked fourth-grader Alexandra Van Cleave.

Schaus lived in Naperville until moving to Massachusetts during her sophomore year in high school, having attended Gregory Middle School for junior high and Benet Academy during her freshman year of high school. After speaking at Spring Brook on Monday, she visited Gregory later that day and then went home to Massachusetts. She is expected to visit the White House with the rest of her team later this year. She will also start preparing for her final season at Boston College.