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School board approves Elementary reading series

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Angela Turcol makes a reading series recommendation.

Angela Turcol makes a reading series recommendation.

The District 7 school board unanimously approved a new elementary reading series during the board’s May meeting for grades kindergarten through fourth grade after discussing Principal Angela Turcol’s recommendation.

The Wonders reading series, which is the same series elementary teachers recommended in February’s meeting, will expand on the school’s “Daily 5” reading structure. Turcol explained the Wonders series was the teacher’s final recommendation after months of meetings with representatives, consultants and Dr. Rice.

“This reading series will improve on what we are already doing,” Turcol told the board. “I’m going forward with the best recommendation I can make. You have to understand a new reading series won’t fix all of our problems, but we are making strides in the right direction and this series will help.”

The elementary school currently builds their own reading series, but board members explained they would feel more comfortable with a reading series that contains textbook materials, lecture materials and supplemental materials teachers can use on their Promethean boards. Fifth grade teachers opted to not implement the series in their grade level citing their happiness for their current series.

Board member Dave Griffel questioned if fifth grade would test the series if the board would choose to cover all elementary grade levels with the new series, but Principal Turcol disapproved saying it’s not the teacher’s recommendation and she feels the new series will be well implemented with fifth grade’s current reading units.

“We aren’t failing our students. Reading is a lot more than numbers on a page,” Turcol closed after board members concentrated on state reading test scores.

District rejects pair of FOIA requests

Superintendent Tieman reported the district rejected a pair of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests since the April meeting. Tieman said the first FOIA request was from SmartProcure dated April 17, 2015 requesting for purchase orders in a certain format, but District 7 did not have the purchase orders in the requested format so the district denied the request based on limited scope.

The second request was from Missouri Public Records dated April 22, 2015, requested for records pertaining to bullying records. Tieman explained the district’s bullying record contains confidential student information and student names, so the request was denied to ensure the privacy of students remains confidential.

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Both requests were denied after consulting with consul.

Building and Grounds committee explains district plan

Building and grounds Chairman Dave Griffel reported back to the entire school board after the committee met earlier this month on May 12. Griffel, Peyton Bernot and Bill Carter lead the committee, but Carter was absent from the meeting and Superintendent Joe Tieman and maintenance director Rob Graham were present for the meeting.

Griffel explained the committee discussed many maintenance projects including middle school/high school door security, high school roof, middle school/high school HVAC, middle school playground asphalt and high school parking lot pavement.

The committee agreed to prioritize athletic field improvements with the 1) softball field in the number one position. In order, the softball field needs concrete pads, dugouts, foul poles, backstop extended and bleachers. After softball, 2) the football field follows with installation of irrigation system leading the list. The football field also needs the field dressed, aeration and seeded, as well as dirt added to the playing field and practice field following the 2015 season.

Joe Tieman responds to Kasarda's statement.

Joe Tieman responds to Kasarda’s statement.

Lastly, 3) the baseball field is last on the list with a smaller project list than the other facilities. The committee explained the baseball fields needed sand/dirt added to the infield, the outfield and infield needs a field dress and the outfield and infields needs tiling.

Personnel

The board recommended to employ Stuart Ringer as middle school/high school business teacher. After unanimously approval, the board hired Ringer as a first year, non-tenure instructor.

The board approved early graduation requests for Erika Mabus, Connor McGrady and Keesha Sherman pending all graduation requirements are met at the end of the first semester in the 2015-2016 school year.

Lastly, the board approved to expel an “identified” middle school student for one year effective May 19. Expulsion will be mandated if the student does not attend safe schools during the year they are expelled from District 7.

Public Recognition

George Kasarda, a district parent, addressed the board with a handful of issues, mainly dealing with the softball athletic program. He said the softball team experienced problems with the transportation department and had issues getting to the games. “I’ve talked to the superintendent about this,” Kasarda said. “The times we can’t get to the games, the less time they get to play ball, the less time they get to excel in their sport and basically receive recognition from a potential scholarship opportunity to continue their education.”

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He continued by saying the Department of Education says equipment is not supposed to be loaded on the buses that are transporting athletes to events. “If you pack kids and equipment on the buses, you are actually in violation of the Illinois Department of Education busing restrictions,” Kasarda added. “I don’t want the school getting sued which is my tax money.”

Kasarda ended on the uncompleted softball field. “My concern is the softball field ending in a Title 9 violation,” he closed. “We are playing in a public park where I watched a board from the bleacher actually break underneath a father from another team. There’s a disparity between baseball and softball and I understand we are trying to get this field up and running, but I don’t want tax dollars paying for a lawsuit if someone would push forward with a lawsuit.”

He ended by saying his concerns focus around safety of the kids in the district, education of the kids and the tax dollars that support both the safety and education.

Before moving to the next item on the agenda, Superintendent Tieman responded to Kasarda’s statement and opened by asking head softball coach Michelle Smith if the district has been unable to transport the softball team to any regularly scheduled game in her 11 years of coaching. Smith responded with “no” and then Tieman continued by saying he will never make “fly by the seat of his pants decisions” to transport kids anywhere.

Tieman also said the transportation fund continues to run in the red and transporting kids to sporting events is not his primary focus. “Getting kids to school is my number one concern,” Tieman added. “Transporting kids to sporting events will not be funded from the transportation budget.”

In closing, Tieman reminded Kasarda that the district might have been in Title 9 violation when the softball program had a brand new field in Benld and the baseball field was in the same condition it is in currently. “I’m not sure if we were in Title 9 violation there, but what happens when we finish the softball field behind the elementary school,” he questioned. “There will be disparity between baseball and softball again.”

New Business

Superintendent Tieman reported that Gillespie High School received bronze status from US News and World Report for the fourth consecutive year. Gillespie was one school out of 177 high schools that received bronze status out of 677 eligible schools in Illinois. “This is shared by the entire staff,” Tieman added.

The board unanimously approved the student growth component of the teacher evaluation plan after Tieman explained the component is an added item for administration to evaluate teachers’ performance. The board also approved membership in the Illinois Elementary School Association and approved the meeting report from the building and grounds committee.

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Administrator Updates

High school principal Lori Emmons reported that Andrew Copeland was selected as United Community Bank’s student of the month for May and Nichole Miller was awarded student of the year. Emmons also said the graduation ceremony was well attended and both choir and band sounded great in their spring concerts.

Jill Rosentreter, middle school principal, said four middle school track athletes competed at the state level with Chance Reiniesch placing third in pole vault. Rosentreter said middle school finalized Star testing in May and the data will be reading for the June meeting.

Elementary principal Angela Turcol reported the elementary grades finished PARCC testing and each test ended with a student survey. She said the school year wrapped up on May 27 with play day and report card sent home. Lastly, she congratulated Jacob Bilbruck for receiving “Teacher of the Year” recognition from Madison Communications.

May Bills

The school board unanimously approved to pay the May bills:

Building Fund: $24,316.23
Transportation Fund: $2,961.17
Education Fund: $53,083.94

Grand total: $80,631.34

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Gillespie teen wins drive safe Chicago video contest

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Wins $2,000 Prize and Video She Created will Air on 160 TV Stations Nationwide

CHICAGO – Emily Bergen, 16, a student at Gillespie High School in Gillespie, has won the annual Drive Safe Chicago public service announcement contest.  Antonio Knott, 15, of Merrillville High School in Merrillville IN, placed second in the voting, and Noelani Elizalde, 17, also from Merrillville High School, was third. 

Sponsored by the National Road Safety Foundation in partnership with the Chicago Auto Show, teens from Illinois and surrounding states were invited to submit ideas for a 30-second PSA about sharing the road with other passenger vehicles, trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians.

Three finalists were selected and each worked with an Emmy Award-winning producer to transform their PSA submissions into 30-second TV public service announcements.  The public was then able to vote for their favorite online.  More than 1,400 online votes were cast.

The winner received $2,000 and will be featured on nationally-syndicated Teen Kids News, reaching more than 160 TV stations across the country. The first runner-up got $1,000 and the second runner-up won $500.  All three finalists’ teachers received $100 gift cards.

Bergen’s winning PSA shows a young driver starting her car and pressing a “share the road” button.  As she drives, an AI voice warns her of a bicyclist, a pedestrian and children in a school zone. The voice then reminds her, “Cars don’t come with devices like me, which is why you need to know how to share the road.”

“The carnage on our roads can be reduced if drivers remain aware of others who share the road,” said Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes safe driving. “We think the creative ideas about sharing the road from our Drive Safe Chicago winner and runners-up convey that message effectively.”

“Although today’s new cars are safer than ever, with technological advances that are proven to help avoid crashes,” said Chicago Auto Show Chairwoman Kelly Webb Roberts, “drivers must still be aware of others they are sharing the road with, whether it’s a car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrians.”

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The National Road Safety Foundation says driver error accounts for 94 percent of all fatal crashes, with speeding and driver distraction among the leading factors.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 40,990 people died on U.S. roads and highways in 2023, with hundreds of thousands of injuries and an estimated annual cost of more than $340 billion.

View Bergen’s winning video below:

Bergen’s video is also featured center on the National Road Safety Foundation’s website with the runners-up videos to the right and to the left: https://m.shortstack.page/NLxMqT

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L&C announces fall 2024 honors lists

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Lewis and Clark Community College

Students earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher out of a possible 4.0 are named to the President’s List. Those students earning a grade point average between 3.25 and 3.74 are recognized each semester on the Dean’s List.

Further requirements are listed in the college’s online catalog at http://catalog.lc.edu. All questions should be directed to the Enrollment Center at (618) 468-2222. Below is an excerpt containing students residing in Macoupin County.

President’s List

BENLD – Ryleigh L. Phillips; Zander E. Rieffer; Emily R. Schoen; Tristen B. Wargo;

BRIGHTON – Brandon M. Adams; Ike D. Austin; Lainie L. Behrends; Reagan Beilsmith; Ian C. Brantley; Tina M. Brass; Lane Cox; Madison P. Fenstermaker; Hunter D. Gillis; Hailey Gula; Alexis R. Harrop; Gavin Humm; Thomas D. Kunz; Nicholas O. McGee; Audrey A. Perkins; Ava J. Pulley; Alyssa J. Schuchman; Addison Strohbeck; Sydney A. Valdes; Abby Van Doren; Piper L. Voorhees; Madelyn E. Zarges;

BUNKER HILL – Alex Betts; Grant J. Burch; Kayleigh K. Butler; Abigayle L. Collins; Denise Deias; Braden T. Fulton; Dillon M. Guess; Maya R. Henfling; Hannah J. Herrmann; Madalynn Hilyard; Madelyn Landreth; William Manar; Kaylee L. Richert; Andrew Sanner; Abby N. Spraggs; Noah A. Thyer;

CARLINVILLE – Jack E. Beard; Matthew J. Eldred; Jack Goby; Stephanie K. Harding; Gabriel R. Henson; Alexsis A. Kalaher; Weston E. Kuykendall; Lillian McCurley; Emerald Ondrey; Joanna M. Roemer; Jessica N. Strubbe; Karleina J. Tipps; Samuel L. Wilson;

GILLESPIE – Lauren E. Bertagnolli; Ean L. Davis; Lanie G. Doty; Kennedy G. Helmkamp;

MEDORA – Aubrey M. Reno; Anneliese M. Shatley; Haleigh Sinclair;

SHIPMAN – Alyssa L. Beck; Gracie B. Darr; Addison A. Jeffers; Tyson Kahl; Josiah A. Schuette; Bailee A. Sorgea;

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SOUTH ROXANA – Lyndsey M. Johansen; Caden O. Lara; Savanah M. Stogsdill;

STAUNTON – Julie A. Aloisi; Samantha R. Anderson; Zane P. Anderson; Shane Baker; Lilly M. Bandy; Grace Bekeske; Gianna Bianco; Carson G. Buffington; Kiersten L. Carlson; Karla J. Castillo; Izabella Claussen; Lillian Dothager; Olivia M. Favre; Eli J. Henke; Alexis A. Hester; Samantha D. Hoffman; Harold I. Irvin, III; Dylan Jarden; Korryn O. Keehner; Nicholas L. Raphael; Alexis P. Schaaf; Brady Seelbach; Carli L. Skinner; Cole Sternickle; Tyler J. Thompson; Lilly Trettenero; Lillyan S. Troeckler;

Dean’s List

BENLD – Ridge A. Braundmeier; Kaitlynn E. Conner; Elizabeth M. King; Alyssa S. McCollum; Marria D. Middleton; Alyssa F. Schuette;

BRIGHTON – Garrett R. Beuttel; Troy J. Brooks; Emily Y. Cambron; Jacob G. Carpenter; Lucy Childress; Olivia Cody; Logan T. Crane; Tristyn N. Ditterline; Kaylin G. Gerard; Cooper J. Hagen; Ashlyn K. Hall; Evan Hanold; Samuel J. Harshbarger; Amelia R. Hines-Pattan; Ella J. Kadell; Daylin M. King; Kayla A. Lemarr; Tucker Mayhew; Elizabeth L. Milford; Stacey M. Mynatt; Blythe E. Roloff; Jordan R. Short; Shiann Vinson; Grace A. Wylde;

BUNKER HILL – Cole T. Burch; Hanna N. Heeren; Madelynne K. Heflin; Taylor Miklavic; Katelyn J. Miller; Abigail G. Scott;

CARLINVILLE – Boedy E. Baker; Emily A. Barbre; Zachary Chapman; Ella R. Clevenger; Alana N. Dixon; Alison J. Dixon; Nathan Dyer; Addison Eldred; Saralynn I. Joiner; Henry S. Kalaher; William G. Meyer; Chloe A. Payne; Amy L. Pocklington; Jack Rives; Lanna P. Vanderpoel; Ella C. Wise; Braley M. Wiser;

GILLESPIE – Reese E. Bussmann; Regan E. Bussmann; Addie M. Hayes; Karter Mix; Adrianne B. Niemeyer; Grace J. Vandoren; Shannon L. Wright;

MOUNT OLIVE – Libbie M. Nowell;

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PIASA – Anna C. Fink;

SHIPMAN – Kaden G. Cottingham; Rocky Darr; Kathryn M. Mueller; Sayuri Owada; Rocky J. Rose;

STAUNTON – Rylee K. Baugh; David S. Dann; Belle M. Darte; Jacob A. Dillon; Vivienne Dothager; Sean T. Fleming; Kennedy L. Legendre; Zander MacHota; Savannah M. Missey; Nicholas Monahan; Nicole M. Narup; Kelley Perrine; Christopher S. Pritchett; Alivia Royer; Katie N. Schalk; Lakesi Settles; Priya E. Siegfried; Justin A. Smith; Kylie A. Tomso; Whitney Weller;

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Gillespie to host blood drive on Feb. 17

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Gillespie Community will host a Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Monday, February 17 at 900 Broadway, inside Gillespie Methodist Church Gym.

To donate, please contact Brenda Lowe at (217) 710-1336 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 60020 to locate the drive. You may also call ImpactLife to schedule at 800-747-5401. Appointments are requested.

Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate.  For questions about eligibility, please call ImpactLife at (800) 747 5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before 12/23/24 are eligible to give at this drive.

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