Five Hillcrest High School art students will have their work on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago through July 4. Their work will be featured in the Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition.
Students Lydia Wooden, Talitha Allen, Mariah Bates, Loreal Bonds, and Naje Craft will have the honor of seeing their work on display at the museum.
Hillcrest art teacher Jamilah Adebesin-Mason had the opportunity to speak at the virtual Black Creativity Gala after being invited by museum president Chevy Humphrey to discuss her thoughts on encouraging young artists.
“I mentioned that I encourage students to be true to themselves, so they can speak through their artwork,” Adebesin-Mason said.
Adebesin-Mason said her students benefit from the professional experience of having to submit artwork for approval as well as having to frame and drop off their own work.
The Black Creativity Art Exhibition is the longest-running African-American Art Show, according to the museum.
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Southland College Prep students celebrate being ‘all in’
Southland College Prep Charter High School in Richton Park celebrated that every member of its class of 2021 has been accepted to college with a record number of merit-based scholarships this week with a virtual version of its traditional “All-IN” ceremony.
Blondean Y. Davis, CEO of the charter high school, said All 138 seniors Southland’s eighth graduating class have been accepted by colleges and universities, with $50 million in merit-based scholarships.
Members of Southland College Prep’s first eight graduating classes have been accepted by all eight Ivy League schools, all top 10 U.S. News & World Report national universities, including 48 of the top 50 ranked national universities and 8 of the top 10 ranked liberal arts colleges, according to a release from the school.
Southland road work season begins in earnest
The resurfacing project of Dixie Highway from Chicago Road in Chicago Heights through Flossmoor to 183rd Street in Homewood got underway this week and will require daily, intermittent lane closures, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
The $3.1 million project consists of resurfacing the 3.5-mile stretch of Dixie Highway and constructing new ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps. Access to residences and businesses within the work zone will be maintained throughout construction, which is expected to be completed in late October, IDOT said in a release.
More lane closures are expected to begin May 17 with projects in Frankfort and Matteson.
Patching of U.S. 45 in Frankfort, from Colorado Avenue to Stuenkel Road, will require intermittent, daytime lane closures, IDOT said, and is expected to be completed in late July.
And a resurfacing project of Lincoln Highway from Harlem Avenue to Cicero Avenue in Matteson is expected to be completed in late September.
The $2 million project will resurface the 2.8-mile stretch of Lincoln Highway and construct new ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps.
Motorists can expect delays, IDOT said.
High schools hire administrators for next year
School District 205 named former Thornton High School principal Tony Ratliff as the district’s director of College and Careers at the district’s administrative office and hired Todd Whitaker as the new principal at Thornton Township High School.
Ratliff, of Harvey, graduated from Thornton Township in 1980 and spent 23 years in the United States Marine Corps, where he served in the Persian Gulf War and was a drill instructor. Since his retirement in 2003 he has been with District 205 as a director of After School Tutoring activities, school counselor, assistant principal and principal.
Whitaker, the new principal at Thornton Township, has 20 years of experience in education, in various settings that range from alternative/regional safe schools, elementary/junior high, as well as high school.
“My goal for each has been the same, to become one of the top performing schools in the state and country,” he said in a release.
School District 230 hired an associate principal for Stagg High School in Palos Hills and a division chair at Sandburg High School in Orland Park.
Michelle Augustyniak will be Stagg High School’s new associate principal for Instruction, replacing Katie McMillan, who will be the district’s new assistant superintendent for Instructional Services. Janet Daniels will be Sandburg High School’s new division chair for English and Music, replacing Sarah Smith who will be the new associate principal for Instruction at Andrew High School as Abir Othman was promoted to principal for at Andrew.
Augustyniak will return to Stagg High School where she was division chair for PE, Health and Drivers Education from 2014 until 2020. Last year, she was Sandburg’s Director of Guidance. At the district level, she was summer school coordinator in 2018 and served in numerous leadership roles related to curriculum and instruction in the district.
Daniels joins District 230 from Homewood-Flossmoor High School, where she has been English Department chair since 2016 and as an English Teacher for 10 years before that.
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