About the Conference

The Hsin-Chu High School Alumni Association of North America will hold its bi-annual conference in Chicago on August 19-20, 2006. To make the occasion more enjoyable to all alumni and their family, we selected the Marriott SpringHill Suite Hotel as the conference hotel. The hotel offers free parking for people who want to drive to the hotel. For out-of-town alumni who plan to fly in to Chicago, the hotel offers 24-hour free shuttle to and from Chicago O'Hare airport. The hotel is within walking distance to the CTA Blue Line Cumberland train station, so that you and your family can easily go to Chicago for sightseeing, shopping and other activities.

Each hotel room has two double beds with minibar, refrigerator and microwave oven. The room rate includes buffet breakfast for the entire family (not to exceed five persons). There is also a nice indoor swimming pool. We negotiated a special rate of $94 per room night plus tax. Chicago in the summer is full of fun and excitement for both adults and kids. Please bring your family and enjoy Chicago!

Reunion Meetings

All alumni are welcome to hold reunion meetings in conjunction with the bi-annual conference. That is why we chose a hotel near the airport with free shuttle bus service so that people can come and go by themselves. This will simplify the logistics. Friday evening - the night before the conference - each group can get together for dinner and use this opportunity to have their separate reunion meetings. Inside the hotel there is an excellent Outback Steak House. Therefore different alumni subgroups can get together around different tables to have their mini reunions.

Conference Program

Saturday and Sunday morning are reserved for the alumni association's business meetings. The association's constitution will be discussed and voted on. Each local chapter will also be invited to present their chapter in a slide show. Your suggestions on the conference agenda are welcome. Send them to hchs@ksi.edu. If you suggest something, please be prepared to help us implement it.

Breakfast, Coffee Breaks, Lunch and Banquet

The hotel offers a buffet breakfast. Each guest room includes complimentary breakfast for the entire family (not to exceed five persons). During coffee breaks coffee and tea will be served at the back of the conference room. On Saturday we will form a car pool to take conference attendees and their families to a nearby Chinese buffet restaurant for lunch. From the hotel, go south on Canfield, left to S. Foster to New China Buffet on the left side near the intersection with N. Harlem. For the Saturday evening banquet, we will also form a car pool to take conference attendees and their families to another nearby Chinese restaurant for a sitdown dinner. Detailed information on the location of the banquet restuarant will be provided later.

After-Conference Tours

We plan to organize two separate after-conference tours so that different sub-groups can sign up for the tours as a continuation of their mini-reunion. The hotel is ideally located within walking distance of the CTA system, so that people can walk to the CTA Cumberland station to take the Blue Line to downtown Chicago. The tours are organized so that people can go together as a group, but each person will pay his/her expenses directly to buy train tickets, admission tickets, lunch or dinner. The conference will not collect any fee. Poeple are also encouranged to visit Chicago's many attractions by themselves.

About the Hotel

The SpringHill Suites Chicago O'Hare features thirteen meeting rooms with over six thousand square feet of space. Audio-visual equipment, full catering services and wireless Internet access are available in meeting space with wireless service also available in public areas of the hotel. Complimentary twenty-four hour transportation is provided upon request to and from O'Hare International Airport.

SpringHill Suites is Marriott's moderately priced all-suites lodging designed for the guest who wants spacious and functional accommodations with the extras of a full-service hotel. Studio suites are up to twenty-five percent larger than traditional hotel rooms and feature separate living and sleeping areas. The living room is furnished with a large well-lit work desk and ergonomic chair, lounge chair and ottoman, sofa sleeper, television, two-line dataport telephone plus pantry area equipped with coffee maker, microwave, small refrigerator and sink. The bedroom has either one king bed or two double beds, single line telephone and television. Amenities include cable television with free HBO and pay movie channels, free high speed Internet access, hairdryer, iron and board and voicemail. We offer a convenient fax service, free local telephone calls, free parking for registered guests, exercise room and heated indoor pool. Our complimentary Suite Seasons hot, healthy and fresh breakfast buffet features a seasonal menu including beverages, breads and cereal, eggs, fruit, hot oatmeal, sausage, waffles and much more. Enjoy the breakfast in the hotel or take it to go!

Conference Registration

Since we have a very tight budget, everyone attending the conference, including invited speakers and guests, are required to register. You are encouraged to sponsor a speaker and/or quest by paying his/her registration fee. The registration fee of $80 dollars includes the lunch and banquet on Saturday and all coffee breaks on Saturday and Sunday. Please register before April 25, 2006 to avoid the late fee of $10 dollars. To register, please fax the registration form to HCHS06 at 847-679-3166 with your credit card information, or mail it with a personal check to the address on the registration form.

Hotel Registation

Please contact the Marriott SpringHill Suites Chicago O'Hare directly to reserve rooms. Please mention the group name - Hsin-Chu High School - when you make reservation, to get the special rate of $94 plus tax per night. The hotel's address is: 8101 West Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. Their phone number is 773-867-0000. You can call the same number to request shuttle bus pickup from Chicago O'Hare Airport.

To Volunteer

We need you to volunteer and help organize the conference. The following are the areas we need help:

  • conference program committee
  • banquet program committee
  • mini-reunions coordinator
  • car pool coordinator (must be local person)
  • after-conference tour planning committee (must be local person)
  • fund raising committee (to get sponsors for invited guests and speakers)

    To volunteer, send e-mail to: hchs@ksi.edu. Thank you.