Thursday, May 23, 2013
Boys and girls lacrosse will now be offered in Community HIgh School District 99 as co-op, non-funded programs.
Downers Grove high schools will offer boys and girls lacrosse next year after Community High School District 99 agreed to add the teams to its spring sports lineup. District 99 board members voted unanimously Monday to add both boys and girls lacrosse as non-funded programs during the 2013-14 school year. The two teams will operate as co-op teams for students at both North and South high schools. Monday's vote was met with a loud applause from more than a dozen players and coaches in attendance, many of whom have been petitioning the district to add the program since last fall. "I just wanted thank you very much for taking us through the appropriate process and working with us for the past six months," said Jon Gargiulo, varsity head coach…
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Fourteen students from Downers Grove South and 10 from North were listed among the top 2 percent of their senior classes academically, district officials said.
Community High School District 99 in Downers Grove has announced 24 seniors—10 from North High School and 14 from South High School—who are part of the top two percent of their senior classes academically in 2013. “Being a member of the top two percent is a most distinguishing academic honor, as it acknowledges a consistently high level of academic performance across seven semesters of high school,” said District 99 Superintendent Dr. Mark McDonald in a press release. “In addition, these students have excelled in various extracurricular and athletic programs, making them incredibly well prepared for future success.” The top two percent of students, listed alphabetically, from North High School are: Mary Bedalov is the daughter of Lynn and …
Monday, May 20, 2013
Lester/Highland nurse Kathleen Kelly, who will retire at the end of the year, was recently recognized by the DuPage County chapter of the School Nurse Association.
The following article was submitted by Downers Grove Grade School District 58. Kathleen Kelly began her nursing career in a hospital setting, working in pediatric and neonatal intensive care and maternal child health—but her 23 years as a school nurse have provided her with an entirely unique set of challenges. “Once I was called upon to loosen a pet hermit crab’s ‘death grip’ from the palm of a tearful second-grader’s hand. As a mother of daughters, I wasn’t used to slimy pets! Warm water did the trick,” said Kelly, who works at Lester and Highland schools. “On another occasion, while gathering a sick student’s belongings to send him home, I was handed his pet tarantula, Rosie. This was a bit much for the arachnophobic person that I am, …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Van Dyke, a science teacher at O'Neill Middle School, was honored May 3 during the Downers Grove Elementary Education Association's annual retirement dinner.
The following article was submitted by Downers Grove Grade School District 58: On May 3 at its annual retirement dinner for staff, the Downers Grove Elementary Education Association recognized O'Neill Middle School science teacher Meg Van Dyke as its 2013 Teacher of the Year. Van Dyke, who holds a doctorate in educational technology, was praised for her dedication, passion and commitment to science education and inspiring her students. She has written numerous grants to purchase items for her department, formed student groups to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-related competitions and challenges, and organizes an Energy Day at the school each fall and a Chemistry Day each spring. She also sponsors the …
Monday, May 13, 2013
A long-time Downers Grove resident, the popular social studies teacher and tennis coach with a knack for bringing out the best in students died Friday at age 32.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Nancy Kupka and newcomer Rick Pavinato prevailed over Debbie Boyle and Mike Davenport, respectively, after a contentious vote Monday night.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
A long-time Downers Grove resident, the popular social studies teacher and tennis coach with a knack for bringing out the best in students died Friday at age 32.
The Downers Grove and Oak Lawn communities are reeling from the death of a popular teacher and tennis coach, who lost his battle with cancer Friday. Parents received an automated voicemail from Richards High School Principal John Hallberg informing them that social studies teacher and tennis coach Matt Gavin had passed away at age 32 on Friday morning. A Downers Grove resident, Gavin was raised in town, attending Hillcrest Elementary, O'Neill Middle and Downers Grove South High School. Listen to the automated message from the Richards High School principal by clicking on the video attached to this article. After the news broke late Friday afternoon, many parents and students left messages of sadness and grief on Richards’ Facebook page, …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
The magazine's 2013 report out this week recognizes several Illinois schools.
On mobile? You can see interactive map here. Newsweek has ranked North High School at No. 885 among high schools in the country, with a "Newsweek Score" of 3.06. For its rankings, Newsweek sent out a survey to more than 5,000 high schools in the U.S., with about 2,500 schools responding in 2013. You can see the details about CHS D99 North's ranking, and every other ranked high school by clicking on the markers in the interactive map above. The survey scores were then weighted and calculated using several criteria including on-time graduation and college acceptance rates. In addition, instead of averaging the number of courses offered, this year Newsweek considered the percentage of students enrolled in AP, IB or Advance International …
Connor O'Grady Fear was one of 8,000 students nationwide who earned the award, including 108 from Illinois.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced their 2013 Merit Scholar designees and $2,500 scholarship award-winners on Monday, including North High School senior Conner O’Grady Fear. Fear, of Downers Grove, who plans to study mechanical engineering in college, was named as one of about 8,000 students nationwide who earned the award, including 108 from Illinois. According to an NMSC press release, the winners are the finalists who are determined “to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies,” based on an appraisal of academic records, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, a recommendation and a finalist’s own essays. The total scholarship …
Give a shout-out to a teacher who has made a difference in your or your child's life.
Teachers are pretty awesome. After all, it takes a special kind of person to spend the majority of their waking week, often in vain attempt to civilize our respective little hellions. And while teachers may be the backbone of modern human civilization's perpetuation, the job is frequently a thankless one. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to spread some love to the teachers, past and present, who've made a mark on our lives. But we need your help. If you've ever had a teacher in the past or present who has inspired you, taught you something invaluable or has just been plain awesome, give them a shout-out down below. Thank you, teachers, for all you do! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are plenty of ways to keep up on …
Chrissy
1:50 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
Great sport, glad to see it coming to our schools. more ›