Gurnee
Residency; free physicals: Woodland School District 50 will hold its annual proof-of-residency event from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 11 and 12 at the Woodland Middle School gymnasium, 7000 Washington St. The purpose of the event is to confirm that all students attending are District 50 residents. Parents will be given school, class and bus information. Families will have the opportunity to pay fees, deposit funds in lunch accounts, obtain information about PTA including membership, learn about the Woodland Educational Foundation, obtain forms for fee waivers and free or reduced lunch applications. For students entering sixth grade, student ID pictures will be taken. Information about the district’s new breakfast program that will begin Sept. 8 in grades 1-8 and Sept. 9 for kindergarten will be available. A licensed physician from PromptMed Urgent Care will be present at the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day and will provide free student physicals (please bring immunization records if you have them) to the first 30 students each day who sign up and provide free and reduced lunch status letters from last year. In addition, Spirit Wear will be available for purchase and there will be a very limited number of school supply packs available on a first-come, first-serve basis, as well as Book Socks. Credit cards will be accepted for both purchases. Details, call 847-596-5600 or email [email protected].
Fundraiser: The Woodland Educational Foundation held its annual golf outing in July at Geneva National Golf Club in Lake Geneva, Wis. The event raised more than $23,000. The Woodland Educational Foundation would like to thank the sponsors for their generosity and support.
Libertyville
Promotion: Teacher Megan Russell is being promoted to Highland Middle School Dean of Students this fall, moving into her first administrative position with School District 70. Russell, who has a master’s degree in school leadership from Concordia University in Chicago, joined District 70 as an art instructor four years ago. She has a bachelor’s degree in art education from the University of Illinois. Before coming to District 70, Russell was an art teacher at Woodland Middle School for three years. Russell replaced Meagan Dwyer, who had a background in special education, when she resigned to become director of Special Services with Wauconda Unit District 118. Russell showed her leadership skills during her first year at Highland by creating a student art show with Cook Park Library downtown. The project was an instant success and quickly spread to neighboring Hawthorn School District 73 with the Aspen Drive Library in Vernon Hills. She also brought to the school Pinwheels For Peace, where students created their own pinwheels and then displayed them on the lawn in front of the school in a national movement for peace. As Dean of Students, Russell will work with and support students and staff, and provide a sense of visibility with administration. With Russell’s promotion, veteran elementary art teacher Cindi Sartain will move over to Highland to teach in the fall. That, in turn, will have part-time Adler Park art teacher Kathryn Bernard, who also was working for Oak Grove District 68 in Green Oaks, take over as a full-time teacher to teach art at Copeland Manor and Rockland schools this fall.
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Mundelein
Awards: The Mundelein High School Dance Team earned several top awards at the Universal Dance Association Camp held in Milwaukee in July. Among the top prizes was the Leadership Award which recognizes outstanding leadership as judged by fellow competitors at the camp. The varsity team took first place for their home routine while the junior varsity team placed second for their home routine. Among other awards were: Varsity, Gatorade “full out” award, most ribbons award (drill down, team average); Varsity and Junior Varsity, Superior Award, all blue ribbons award; Junior Varsity, Super Spirit Award. Varsity team members are Alana Dickens, Kylie Hecht, Joselle Escobar, Lexi Brown, Kenzie Toland, Courtney Wuss, Gracie Danciu, Emily Olson, Sabrina Lee, Kate Chuma, Erica Peterson, Kelly VanderPloeg, Libby Chuma and Vivian Lee. Junior Varsity team members are Claire Whitemarsh, Kate Salyards, Briana Ventrella, Katelyn Ponce, Beth Aquino, Lindsay Dickens, Sommer Ray, Allison Nick, Anu Harris and Lexi Kasamis. Melissa Schaefer is the varsity coach while Carol Lemerand coaches the junior varsity.
Selection: School District 120 was recently selected as a partner in the Schuler Scholar Program. This program will give Schuler program participants an advantage as they move through their high school and college careers. Launched in 2001 by Jack Schuler and his daughter, Tanya Schuler Sharman, the Schuler Scholar Program was originally conceived as a vehicle for the Schuler Family Foundation to provide college scholarship assistance to bright, motivated high school students. These awards would make it possible for them to attend selective, private colleges and universities. Students at partnership high schools in the Chicago area would be chosen to receive mentoring and college counseling in high school and a scholarship award for college. Following a rigorous application process, 20-30 high-achieving incoming freshmen will be accepted into the program. From that point on they will be encouraged and mentored by an on-site director, scholar coach and college/career counselor. They will also have AmeriCorps tutors available to them. The Schuler Scholar Program invests about $8,900 each year per student for programming during high school to get them well-prepared for college. It also provides $1,000 college scholarships each year along with leadership and personal development activities and summer college classes and visits. As students progress through the four-year program they must continue to demonstrate high achievement. Other area high schools that are partners with the Schuler Scholar Program include Highland Park, Warren Township, Maine East, Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep, Zion-Benton Township, Waukegan and North Chicago.
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