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School Board approves return to in-classroom learning, authorizes prom to be held

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Andrea Williamson discusses the 2021 prom with the school board.

A year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced local schools to switch to remote learning, members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education took several actions Monday night to start the long journey toward normalcy, including approval of the administration’s plan for reinstating in-classroom learning.

The board also posted vacancies for teaching positions for an expanded summer school program that will enable students struggling after months of remote learning to catch up, and approved an extensively revamped high school course description handbook that will detail distance learning opportunities that will be available starting with the 2021-22 school year via a consortium of area school districts.

On a motion by Jenni Alepra, seconded by Bill Carter, the board voted unanimously to approve the administration’s plan to return to in-classroom learning in compliance with new guidelines issued last week by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Supt. Shane Owsley read from a letter being sent to the parents of CUSD 7 students outlining the district’s plan for resuming in-person learning.

With a decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases and an increase in the number of residents being vaccinated against the virus, schools are being permitted to return to in-person learning. Districts are required, however, to provide remote instruction for students “who are at an increased risk of severe illness, who have special health care needs, or who live with people who are at increased risk of severe illness.”

The State Board of Education guidelines permit school districts to offer at their discretion remote learning for students who do not have health issues, and they require districts to provide sufficient time and support for families to transition their current remote learners to in-person learners.

CUSD 7 will continue to offer in-person and remote learning for the remainder of the current school year. However, the administrative team is “strongly” recommending that parents or guardians of students who are struggling with classes and/or grades, and who do not fall into a high risk category, to have their students return to in-person learning for the remainder of the fourth academic quarter.

“While remote learning can work, nothing will ever replace in-person learning,” Owsley said.

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Barring an increase in COVID cases, the district will expect all students to attend in-person classes starting with the summer school program and the 2021-22 school year unless a student can provide medical documentation qualifying them for remote learning.

“As our COVID numbers decrease and the number of residents who have been vaccinated increase, it is our hope that our community and district can return to some semblance of normal,” Owsley said. “We will continue to follow the guidance of our local Health Department, Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education regarding safety protocols and procedures. We are not out of the woods yet but there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Board members also voted unanimously to post vacancies for summer school teaching positions for high school mathematics, high school English, high school science, high school social studies, high school physical education, middle school mathematics, middle school English and language arts, middle school science, middle school social studies, six elementary school teaching spots, and a summer school nurse.

The action paves the way for a dramatically expanded summer school program in anticipation of an expected influx of students needing to catch up in various subjects due to the unavoidable shortfalls of remote learning. In their administrative reports to the board, all three building principals noted that their staffs are currently identifying students they believe would benefit from attending summer school classes.

The board also posted vacancies for two summer school food service workers.

In another step toward normalcy, Owsley announced that recently revised IHSA guidelines now allow the school district to permit members of the public to attend athletic competitions in the high school gymnasium. The new guidelines limit attendance to 25 percent of the gym’s capacity. For the Gillespie High School gymnasium, that translates into a maximum of 187 spectators, according to Owsley. He said the district is reserving 50 spots for fans of visiting teams with the remaining seats available to supporters of the local team.

HIGH SCHOOL COURSE DESCRIPTION HANDBOOK

Following a lengthy presentation by High School Guidance Counselor Jill Strole, the board approved an extensively revamped high school course description handbook. The new handbook updates course offerings and includes material targeted at encouraging students to develop a four-year plan for courses they plan to take. Strole said the planning document is important because it encourages students to recognize courses for which prerequisites are required, as well as courses required for graduation and/or college admission. For example, a student planning to take an Advance Placement Government course as a senior will be required to take a Civics class earlier in their academic career.

“We’re trying to create a pathway for learning,” Strole said. “My hope is ninth-graders will think ahead because we have some really cool classes they may want to take” that require prerequisites.

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In addition to listing graduation requirements to help students plan their academic careers, Strole said she also included transcript requirements demanded by some area colleges that vary from state-mandated graduation requirements.

The revised handbook also includes offerings that will be offered starting with the 2021-22 school year via a recently approved distance learning program. The program will allow local students to access Advance Placement courses offered by other schools that are part of a consortium of schools. Among the courses local students will be able to access are Macro Economics, Government, Child Care Certification and Speech. Gillespie High School will be able to offer courses to students in other participating schools in PhotoShop and Illustrator, Computer Coding and Gaming and advanced art courses.

“It’s really exciting,” Strole said.

High School Guidance Counselor Jill Strole introduced an extensively revamped high school course description handbook to the school board.

Earlier in the meeting, Owsley reported that equipment to facilitate the distance learning program will be installed later this month.

Responding to a question, Strole said the distance learning options may require some adjustment to class schedules that are already in place for students returning to school next year.

Strole said the handbook will be familiar to most students. However, she said there will be significant changes in offerings from some departments, including art, English, science and business & graphic communication.

DATE, LOCATION SET FOR 2021 PROM

Board members voted unanimously to authorize the 2021 Junior-Senior Prom to be held from 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday, May 1, in the Gillespie High School gymnasium—effectively rejecting a proposal to hold the prom at an off-campus outdoor venue. The measure is made more significant by the fact that last year’s prom was canceled due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

In a brief presentation to the board, Prom Sponsor Andrea Williamson said the prom committee had secured a commitment from the Staunton Country Club to host the 2021 prom. She said the venue was chosen, in part, because the Country Club agreed to shut down all other operations during the prom, devoting the facility’s resources exclusively to the prom. Under that scenario, the prom would be held outdoors in consideration of social distancing protocols. In the event of inclement weather, she said a pavilion would be available for prom-goers to use. The facility’s restrooms are accessible from outside. The bar area would be locked and closed. As part of the agreement, the Country Club would provide food and beverages.

“I agree there should be a prom this year,” Board President Mark Hayes said after listening to the presentation, “but I think it should be held in the gym. I think you will have more control.”

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“I’m totally fine with that,” Williamson said.

Responding to questions after the vote, Williamson and High School Principal Jill Rosentreter assured the board that accommodations would be made for parents of prom court members to attend the coronation of the prom queen and king. The number of people in the gymnasium at any one time will be limited to 187. Williamson said attendance at recent proms has averaged about 100 persons with a maximum of 120. Jennifer Brown said combined enrollment for this year’s junior and senior classes; if all eligible students attended and all of them brought dates from outside their classes, the total attendance would max out at 160.

In addition to students attending the prom, Rosentreter said their would be about 15 staff members attending as chaperones.

In the event the number of people attending precluded allowing prom court parents from entering the gym, Rosentreter said the coronation would be moved outside to allow parents to attend.

“We’re pretty flexible,” Rosentreter said.

The public will not be allowed to attend the traditional “promenade” as couples arrive for prom night. Instead, the walk-in will be live-streamed to Facebook and Youtube.

PERSONNEL

In separate actions, the board voted unanimously to re-employ 72 tenured certificated teachers and 12 non-tenured certificated teachers for the 2021-22 school year. The board also voted to re-employ Vanessa Barrett, elementary teacher, and Katie Prange, high school English teacher, for their fifth year and to place both on tenure for the upcoming school year.

In other personnel action, the board hired Jim Matesa as an assistant high school girls softball coach, and appointed Joe Kelly as a volunteer assistant high school girls softball coach.

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Board members also accepted the resignation of Nikki Brawner as middle school girls track coach and posted the position as vacant.

The board accepted “with regret” the resignation of long-time district custodian Herman Crainick and posted the position as vacant.

NFHS NETWORK

On Owsley’s recommendation, the board voted to become a part of the NFHS Network, a sports streaming service partnered with the National Federal of High School Sports Association. Under the plan, NFHS will install two Pixellot cameras—one in the high school gym and one at the high school football field. The cameras are motion activated and programed to follow the action of sporting events up and down the court or on the field.

Owsley said school staffers have live-streamed recent sporting events on Facebook and Youtube to permit fans and supporters to watch games while being precluded from in-person attendance because of COVID protocols. The NFHS system will require a $10 per month subscription fee for supporters to view, but Owsley said the quality of the livestream should be better and the subscription will give subscribers access to games played by other high school teams that are members of the network. Both Staunton High School and Carlinville High School are among area schools that are already part of the network.

The equipment will be installed free of charge to the district. Proceeds from subscription fees will be used to pay for the equipment over the first four years of the program. Starting with the fifth year, Owsley said the district will be entitled to receive a share of subscription fees paid by local viewers.

In addition, the district can generate revenue via advertising sales on the live-stream. That option, Owsley said, could dovetail with the school district’s marketing classes, thereby providing learning experience for students. He said the school also can initiate play-by-play commentary over the live-streamed video.

While ultimately voting for the measure, Carter worried about residents, especially older residents, who “just now figured out how to use Facebook and now will have to pay for a subscription.”

Board member Were Schmidt, however, pointed out the subscription fee is comparable to what an individual would pay for admission to attend games in person.

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In other action, the board approved a schedule for regular meeting dates for the current calendar year calling for the board to meet in closed session at 6 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month with an open session beginning at 7 p.m.

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First class of athletes inducted into CUSD 7 Athletic Wall of Fame

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Gillespie Community School District recently held its firstt inaugural class of its “Athletic Wall of Fame” on October 1, 2023. The inductees were invited to participate in the Homecoming Parade and then a “meet and greet” at the high school football game.

Here is a list of the inductees and a brief biography of their accomplishments.

Sam Anderson graduated from Benld in 1952. He participated in football, baseball, basketball, and track for 4 years earning all-conference in three sports and All-State in football and basketball. He was a St. Louis Browns professional baseball tryout and played basketball at St Louis University for one year and Eastern Illinois University football for two years. He scored over 1300 career points in high school basketball.

Keith Parker graduated from Gillespie in 1940. He participated in football, basketball, and track and earned nine varsity letters. He played football at University of Missouri and National Champion Purdue University for one year each. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. He was a football and basketball official for 41 years and inducted into Granite City Hall of Fame, Missouri Football Hall of Fame, NFHS Hall of Fame, and Greater St Louis Hall of Fame.

Lisa (Ribes) Roberts was a graduate of Gillespie HS in 1996. She participated in multiple sports including four yrs in track. She holds the school record in 1600 and 3200 meters. She ran track at SIUE for 4 years and is a professional Tri-Athlete and 6x Iron Man Champion. She has participated in over 100 triathlons around the world and holds multiple Iron Man course records.

Jim Hlafka graduated from Gillespie in 1952. He earned all-conference in basketball. He played basketball at St Louis University and Eastern Illinois University for one year each. He coached Bunker Hill High School basketball for 43 years and ranks 13th in IHSA career wins with a record of 754-347. Hlafka was also inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame.

Gordon Hartweger graduated from Gillespie in 1957. He participated in basketball, baseball, and track for four years earning all-conference honors in basketball. He played basketball at St Louis University for 4 years earning MVP and Captain. He was the assistant basketball coach at St Louis University for 5 years and played in the NIT National Finals.

Jerry Grandone graduated from Gillespie in 1960. He participated in basketball, track, and football earning all-conference in basketball and track. After Gillespie, he played basketball and track at Eastern Illinois University for 4 years. He held hurdle records, MVP, and track captain at Eastern Illinois, basketball captain at Eastern Illinois, and earned seven varsity letters at Eastern Illinois. Grandone coached basketball in Coal City and Gillespie, was the track coach at Coal City five years, and in Gillespie for 38 years.

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Rick Bertagnolli graduated from Gillespie in 1978. He participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track earning all-conference in football and baseball. He played baseball at Lewis and Clark and SIUE for two years each and was the MVP and Captain at Lewis and Clark. Bertagnolli was a men’s Olympic Festival softball and Major fastpitch softball for five years and earned the IHSA Softball Coach of the Year. Bertagnolli coached softball at Wabash Valley Jr College, University of South Carolina-Spartanburg and California University of Pennsylvania for 20 years winning the Div. II National Champion twice and also receiving the Conference, Regional and National Softball Coach of the Year.

Bob Boston graduated from Gillespie in 1966. He participated in football and basketball for four years each. He is the all-time school basketball scoring leader with approximately 2000 points and also threw for over 2000 career passing yards. He earned all-conference football and basketball, and honorable mention little All-State football and basketball. He played basketball and football at University of Missouri for 2 years each and received over seven university scholarship offers from St Louis University, Air Force, Memphis State, LSU, Northwestern, Holy Cross, Princeton and Dartmouth.

The 1964 Gillespie football team was the last inductee with an 8-0-2 record. They were the last unbeaten football team with wins over Feitshans (Springfield SE), Hillsboro, Mt Olive, Pittsfield, Jerseyville, Carlinville, Nokomis and Dupo, and ties to Southwestern and Staunton. The team was coached by Bill Parmentier and Andy Easton.

Another class will be inducted in the fall of 2024. Wall of Fame nomination forms can be found on the Gillespie Community School District website.

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School board moves to buy more new buses

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Jerry Balzraine and Neil Balzraine present a check to Superintendent Shane Owsley from the Italian American Club of Benld. The check provided each Ben-Gil Elementary classroom with $25 dollars ($1,271 total).

In a relatively brief meeting Monday night, members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education voted unanimously to enter into a lease-purchase arrangement to acquire three new school buses for the district’s Transportation Department. Two of the 77-passenger Bluebird buses are equipped with underbelly luggage compartments, Supt. Shane Owsley told the board, which will be useful for transporting equipment with athletic teams and other groups to “away” events.

The action is congruent with the district’s plan to update the bus fleet, with a goal of having no buses in service that are more than eight to 10 years old. The cost of the new lease-purchase arrangement amounts to $101,630 per year for five years. The district acquired three new buses last year under a similar arrangement.

In other action Monday, the board accepted bids to sell two surplus real estate parcels and voted to sell about 5,100 shares of Principal stock owned by the district.

Board members voted unanimously to accept a bid of $2,100 from Peter Vallerius for Lot 171, Block 10 of Martin’s Subdivision, Gillespie, and to accept a bid of $1,814 from Richard Roth for Lot 1, Block 10, Henderson Place, Gillespie. The lots were two of 21 parcels declared as surplus and offered for sale during the board’s July meeting.

With one dissenting vote, the board approved the sale of Principal stock owned by the district. The district’s auditors reportedly recommended disposing of the stock because state law precludes school districts from playing the stock market with public funds. The auditors, however, acknowledged CUSD 7 could legitimately retain the Principal stock because the shares were a gift to the district some years ago.

“They said having these stocks was appropriate?” asked board member Dennis Tiburzi, who cast the sole vote against selling the shares.

“That’s correct,” Board President Mark Hayes replied.

FISCAL 2024 BUDGET

The board voted unanimously to place on file for public inspection a tentative Fiscal 2024 district budget, with an eye toward formally adopting the budget at the board’s regular September meeting on Monday, Sept. 25. Monday night’s meeting was held a week earlier than normally scheduled to ensure the budget would be available for public review for the legally required minimum of 30 days before adoption.

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A budget hearing, during which Supt. Owsley will review details of the new budget, will be conducted at 6 p.m., Monday, Sept. 25, prior to the board formally voting on whether or not to adopt the budget later during the regular meeting.

Last year’s budget called for expenditures of $16.3 million during the fiscal year. Owsley reminded the board that the new budget is subject to modifications up until the time it is adopted in September.

PERSONNEL

Following an hour-long executive session, the board voted to accept the resignation of Donnie Allen as assistant high school track and field coach, post the assistant’s position as vacant, and hire Allen as the high school track and field head coach. Allen will step into a vacancy created by the recent resignation of Jay Weber, who accepted a position as track and field coach at Blackburn College, Carlinville.

In other personnel action, the board accepted the resignation of Kyle Lamore as middle school Scholar Bowl sponsor and to post the position as vacant.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT

On a motion by Weye Schmidt, seconded by Tiburzi, the board voted to approve Supt. Owsley’s recommendation to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Mount Olive and Staunton school districts to pool transportation resources to increase efficiency and reduce the cost of transportation special education students to and from participating facilities. The schools are members of the South Macoupin Association for Special Education (SMASE).

“It didn’t make sense for all of us to send buses to the same schools every day,” Owsley said. The agreement allows the CUSD7 to use its buses to transport students from other districts to special education classes and to allow other districts to transport students from CUSD7 for the same purpose.

Owsley said CUSD7 buses will be used to transport students to and from Carlinville and Mount Olive.

In other action, the board approved an Employee Information Service Administrator and Teacher Salary/Benefits Report and voted to approve a District Consolidated District Plan. Both were routine actions taken by the board on an annual basis.

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ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

During an administrative reports segment, Owsley and building principals reported on an Administrative Academy Legal Updates Professional Development session they attended on Aug. 10. Owsley said the presentation included more than 200 slides on new Illinois laws affecting education, including new legislation aimed at combating bullying in schools.

The new law nails down definitions of what constitutes bullying, and gives teachers and administrators 24 hours to contact the parents of students involved when they are notified of bullying.

“That means that if you get a report over the weekend, you have to contact parents before Monday,” Owsley said. “Teaching is not just reading, writing, and arithmetic anymore.”

Administrators also reported on a workshop led by Damon West, a motivational speaker and best-selling author. Now a college professor and sought-after speaker, West was a 20-year-old starting quarterback at the University of North Texas. After a career-ending injury, West became involved with drugs, including methamphetamine. In 2009, he was sentenced to 65 years in prison for his role as the Uptown Burglar, responsible for a series of burglaries that netted more than $1 million in stolen goods. In prison, he met an inmate who told him being in prison was like being submersed in boiling water. It can make you soft and weak like a carrot or it could turn you hard and distant like a boiled egg. The alternative, the inmate told him, was to become a “coffee bean.” The boiling water doesn’t change the coffee bean but the coffee bean transforms the water to coffee.

Paroled after seven years, West became an advocate for “becoming a coffee bean”—using the challenges life hands to an individual to change the environment around them in a positive way.

Owsley said he received a copy of West’s book, The Coffee Bean, for Christmas last year. He read it and determined to get West as a presenter for CUSD7 teaching staff.

“He is very well known and he comes with a price,” Owsley said. “I reached out to the Regional Office of Education and they were able to help us make it happen.”

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CUSD 7 News

School Board hires elementary teachers for current school year

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Gillespie CUSD 7 school board hired Sydney Owsley (left) and Jessica Yeager (right) as first-year, non-tenured elementary teachers.

With the start of the school year looming next week, members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education took action Thursday night to fill last-minute staff vacancies. Meeting in special session, the board met for 40 minutes in executive session before taking action in open action to complete staffing needs for the 2023-24 school year.

On a motion by Bill Carter, seconded by Weye Schmidt, board members voted unanimously to hire Jessica Yeager of Carlinville as a first-year, non-tenured elementary teacher for the 2023-24 academic year.  Board members also voted unanimously to hire Sydney Owsley (no relation to Supt. Shane Owsley) of East Alton as a first-year, non-tenured elementary teacher. Both hires are pending verification of certification requirements and background checks.

Last week, also during a special meeting, the board accepted the resignations of BenGil Elementary teachers Jay Weber and Allison McElroy, and posted one elementary teacher position that had not been previously posted. Blackburn College, Carlinville, announced this week that Weber has been hired as the college’s cross-country and track and field coach.

Supt. Owsley said the newly hired teachers are not direct replacements for the two teachers who resigned due to internal reassignment of some staff members. Yeager, previously employed as a teacher at the North Mac School District in the Virden/Girard area, will teach Kindergarten at BenGil Elementary School. Owsley will begin as a first-grade teacher.

The CUSD 7 assignment is Owsley’s first teaching position, after receiving her bachelor’s degree in spring 2022 from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She is a graduate of Roxana High School, where she was an athletic standout in tennis.

Yeager earned her bachelor’s degree from SIU-Edwardsville and a master’s degree from Western Illinois University in Macomb.

The board also voted unanimously Thursday night to hire Alexis Lupkey, a Gillespie High School graduate, as a paraprofessional, and to hire Lexie Bussmann as paraprofessional one-on-one aide. Both hires are pending verification of certification and routine background checks. In a separate action, on a motion by Amanda Ross, seconded by Schmidt, the board also hired Bussmann as an assistant volleyball coach.

In other action, the board hired Mike Smith as a full-time, full-route bus driver, and accepted “with regret” the resignation of Kevin Gray as a volunteer assistant golf coach. Smith, a half-route driver for the district, has already undergone the required employee background check.

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The 2023-24 school year officially starts Monday with two days of teacher training sessions. Wednesday, Aug. 16, is the first day for students to attend classes.

The next regular meeting for the board is Monday, Aug. 21 – one week earlier than most monthly board meetings.

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