District 88 state-level Those Who Excel Awards serve as a tribute to the late Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton's legacy

Pictured is District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton, who passed away on Dec. 10. District 88 will host a memorial to honor, remember and celebrate Dr. Helton's life and legacy. The service will air at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28, and details can be viewed at https://www.dupage88.net/site/public/files/?item=5588.

Pictured is District 88 Interim Superintendent Dr. Jean Barbanente.

As a school district administrator, there is no greater highlight than having the opportunity to recognize the achievements of our stakeholders. The Illinois State Board of Education Those Who Excel Awards program is a tremendous way to honor those successes, and we are proud to have received two state-level Those Who Excel Awards in 2019 and two in 2020.

During the Jan. 11 District 88 Board of Education meeting, we came together to celebrate those outstanding accomplishments. As we continue to mourn the loss of Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton, it was touching to watch and listen as this recognition event became a tribute to Dr. Helton. The passion, dedication and enthusiasm Dr. Helton exuded each and every day to cultivate student success, staff engagement and community partnerships was incredibly apparent as the Those Who Excel recipients shared how these awards wouldn’t be possible without his efforts and support – and that is truly Dr. Helton’s legacy, which will live on for years to come.

2019-20 awards:

  1. Former District 88 Board of Education member Sharon Kucik received an Award of Merit (the second-highest award level) in the category of Board Member. Kucik served on the Board from 2007 to 2019 and was Board Secretary from 2011 to 2019. She was honored for her tremendous commitment to the Board through her service on numerous Board Committees, as well as her work on the Building The Future referendum project, leading as Chairperson of the District 88 Foundation and being a member of the Willowbrook Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and the Willowbrook Distinguished Alumni/Distinguished Service Recognition Program Committee.

  2. Members of the DuPage High School District 88 Learning Community School Safety Team (which is comprised of the Village of Addison, the Village of Villa Park, the Addison Police Department, the Addison Fire Protection District, the Villa Park Police Department, the Villa Park Fire Department, the DuPage Regional Office of Education, state representatives and senators, Peg Agnos and Jen Figurelli from the Legislative Education Network of DuPage (LEND), Addison Trail social worker Jorge de Leon and Willowbrook social worker Erik Engel) received an Award of Excellence (the highest award level) for their work in creating and participating in several safety activities and programs. Those events include a School Safety Forum that took place in March 2018 (where about 400 student leaders from 28 Chicago-area high schools came together at Willowbrook for a day of conversation and planning regarding school safety) and a Safety and Security Tabletop Exercise that took place in April 2018. They also were honored for implementing ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) Training in District 88 in August 2018 and for earning a grant from the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for the School Violence Prevention Program.

2020-21 awards:

  1. Willowbrook Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department Head Mary Barney earned an Award of Meritorious Service (the second-highest award level) in the category of Classroom Teacher. Barney joined Willowbrook in 2012 and teaches online consumer management, business law, public speaking and communication technology. She has 25 years of teaching experience and was recognized for her creativity and drive to implement dual-credit and certification programs to provide students with college and career opportunities.

  2. The District 88 and Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University) Asynchronous Math Team earned an Award of Meritorious Service (the second-highest award level) in the Team category. This partnership between District 88 and Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University) provides two asynchronous math courses (an Asynchronous Calculus 3 Model and an Asynchronous College Algebra class) for students at Addison Trail and Willowbrook. Those courses give pupils the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school and are provided at no cost through the use of Title I funds.

Upcoming events
I also would like to share the following details about four upcoming events.

  • On Jan. 21, we will host a Transition/Reopening Committee meeting for Spanish-speaking parents/guardians. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. To register, please complete the form at https://forms.gle/6RBSHe52opMTZFBi9 by noon on Jan. 18.

  • We will continue to meet with parents/guardians as part of our Transition/Reopening Committee. The next meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 26. To register, please complete the form at https://forms.gle/vSMX4dprcbD5c5CY8 by noon on Jan. 21.

  • We will continue to meet with students as part of our Return to School Student Advisory Committee. The next meeting will begin at 5 p.m. on Jan. 27. To register, please complete the form at https://forms.gle/ezvQ3qnAR1Z4kdGJ9 by noon on Jan. 22.

  • District 88 Memorial for Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton: We will host a memorial to honor, remember and celebrate the life and legacy of Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton. The service will air at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28, and details can be viewed at https://www.dupage88.net/site/public/files/?item=5588.

My door is always open, and I welcome you to contact me at any time at jbarbanente@dupage88.net or 630-530-3980. Thank you for your continued support of District 88.


With District 88 Pride,

Dr. Jean Barbanente
District 88 Interim Superintendent