District 88 celebrates the beginning of the 2013-14 school year

Welcome to the 2013-14 school year, District 88 families and friends!

On the first day of school Aug. 21, District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton, Addison Trail Principal Adam Cibulka and Willowbrook Principal Dan Krause rode a school bus with students to celebrate the beginning of the school year.

Other highlights from the first day of school and the beginning of the 2013-14 school year include:

Addison Trail

  • About 98 percent of students attended the first day of school.
  • The Buildings and Grounds staff had all the rooms cleaned and the floors waxed two weeks before the beginning of school. The roof over the east gym, gymnastics gym and art room was repaired during the summer, and the parking lot was seal coated and lined before the start of school.
  • The Legacy Wall was completed in the Commons area to display the colleges to which members of the class of 2013 were accepted before graduation, as well as careers those students plan to pursue.
  • A new display case devoted to Addison Trail West Suburban Conference All-Academic athletes has been developed in the athletic lobby, as well as a digital Wall of Fame that displays Addison Trail athletic teams and All-Conference athletes.
  • Principal Adam Cibulka rode the afternoon bus home with students to get feedback on their first day of school and suggestions for improvement.
  • Fall athletics season has begun. Boys golf took fourth place at the St. Ignatius Invite on Aug. 19. Addison Trail’s first football game will be Aug. 30 at Glenbard South, and the first home football game will be Sept. 13 against Downers Grove South. Girls golf, cross country, girls tennis and girls volleyball have begun their seasons as well.

Willowbrook

  • About 98 percent of students attended the first day of school. The staff welcomed students and displayed the 2013-14 Warrior Pride T-shirt.
  • The Willowbrook Drum Line welcomed students by playing in the hallways before school.
  • Principal Dan Krause rode the bus to school in the morning and met with students throughout the day to discuss how school was starting and to gather student feedback.
  • The Buildings and Grounds staff had all the rooms cleaned and the floors waxed before the start of school.
  • Banners that celebrate the top schools in America honors Willowbrook has earned individually and as a district with Addison Trail were displayed in the school.
  • Fall athletics season has begun. Boys and girls golf have participated in preliminary tournaments as they prepare for the Conference season. Willowbrook's first football game will be Aug. 30 at Glenbard East, and the first home football game will be Sept. 20 against York. All other fall sports are practicing in anticipation of their season beginning.

District 88 Transition Program (a program that helps cognitively disabled students ages 19 to 21 learn life skills, obtain job training in a community setting and transition to life after District 88)

  • The Transition Program will open its Perks & Possibilities Café at 9 a.m. Aug. 26. This is the fourth year the café will be open. Students in the Transition Program help set up the café, and several students stay for job training. The café is open from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday and is in the Addison Library.
  • The Transition Program is proud to welcome 19 students this year.
  • This year, Transition Program students will experience community-based learning opportunities such as going to Brookfield Zoo, museums, theater performances and other venues to develop life skills. They also will enjoy guest speakers, including the Addison Fire Protection District, Crime Prevention Officer Danielle Peterson with the Addison Police Department and a visit with Addison Mayor Rich Veenstra to learn about services offered in their community.
  • Three students graduated from the Transition Program this past spring, and one has gone on to earn competitive employment at Culver's. Other students have gone on to continue to use their life skills through placement in group homes, supportive living and residential placement in their local community.
  • The Transition Program will sponsor a canned food drive in October, where canned foods will be collected from the community. In November, Transition students will take those canned goods and volunteer to stock them at a food pantry at the Humanitarian Service Project.