Three alumni from Oak Park and River Forest High School were honored last week at a school assembly during which they received the school’s Tradition of Excellence alumni award and sat for brief interviews with Student Council officers.
This year’s honorees were Stephanie “Sparkle” Edwards, a platinum recording artist who has been recognized as an advocate for abused women and girls, Northwestern University History professor and author Kate Mazur, and restaurant owner Jourdan Higgs.
Edwards, known as Sparkle, graduated from OPRF in 1986. She was a cheerleader at OPRF, co-captain her senior year. She wore her OPRF letter jacket to the awards assembly. She began singing gospel music at the age of 4. An older brother founded an OPRF gospel music group. As a young performer Sparkle began working with R Kelly, who is now in federal prison for convictions on child pornography and sexual abuse charges in two trials.
Sparkle’s platinum song Be Careful, was a duet with R. Kelly. It debuted in 1998.
In 2008 Edwards testified against Kelly in a 2008 Cook County trial in which Kelly was acquitted. That case centered on a video Kelly had recorded with an underage girl, since identified as Rashona Landfair, who grew up in Oak Park and was the niece of Edwards. Landfair declined to testify at that trial but this year has published a book about her experiences with the title of Who’s Watching Shorty.
At the 2008 trial, according to published reports, Edwards identified Landfair as the girl in the sex video that was at the center of the case. Edwards told the students who interviewed her that she felt an obligation to stand up for her niece and other victims of R. Kelly. She has gone on to become an advocate for abused women and girls.
“The advocacy came to me in just that moment,” Edwards said at the OPRF assembly. “I would be the girl who would step in front of someone throwing a punch. I would take a punch or punch back.”
Even in high school Edwards had a presence about her.
“She was a prima donna, she was a loudmouth, but sweet,” said her friend and fellow cheerleader Denine Garrett who attended the assembly with Sharon Stewart, another close friend of Edwards.
In 2024 Edwards received the Courage award from the Ford Foundation for Social Justice for her advocacy work.
Masur, graduated from OPRF in 1989. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Ph.D. in American Culture from the University of Michigan she has taught American history at Northwestern since 2005. Masur is probably best known for her 2021 book. Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History.
Masur told Wednesday Journal that growing up in Oak Park and attending OPRF sparked her academic interest in issues of race.
“When I got the email that they were honoring me with this I felt like it was one of the best things that’s happened to me because I feel like growing up in Oak Park and going to this high school was super important for me not just academically, partially academically, but also socially and in terms of the issues I’m interested in,” Masur said. “It made a huge difference in my life.”
Masur was the captain of a state championship swim team at OPRF during her senior year. She placed 12th in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle at the 1989 state meet earning points that helped OPRF win its first state championship in girls swimming. As a sophomore Masur swam on the 200-yard medley relay team that finished sixth in the state.
“Kate has always been impressive,” said OPRF Math teacher Joyce Gaida who was on the OPRF swim team with Masur. “She was captain, my sophomore and junior years, so her junior and senior years. Just led with such character and poise and was always challenging us to do our best and really helped kind of build an inclusive team, from All Americans down to our JV squad, really helped unite us together in a common goal.”
Higgs graduated from OPRF in 2004. Once he moved off campus as a junior at Northern Illinois University he developed an interest in cooking and starting watching cooking orientated television shows such as Watched Diners, Drive-Inn and Dives, Hell’s Kitchen and other shows.
“I started cooking my third year in college, just by watching stuff on TV and then just kind of started making things on my own,” Higgs said.
Upon graduating he got a corporate job with Chase Bank and then worked for Verizon for 11 years doing customer service and employee training work. But he continued to cook on the side developing his skills and started his own catering company.
Once the Covid pandemic hit Higgs and a friend decided that they would pool their savings and start a restaurant even though he had never even worked in a restaurant. They each put in $60,000 and in 2021 opened Provare, an Italian Creole fusion restaurant located at 1523 W. Chicago Ave.
“It’s been great since we opened,” Higgs said.
Provare has been so successful that Higgs and his partner last year opened another Provare in Houston.
During the assembly Higgs was asked what advice he has for current OPRF students.
“Bet on yourself” Higgs said.