District 88 names Addison Bank & Trust as May Business Partner

During its May 18 meeting, the District 88 Board of Education, along with the administration, named Addison Bank & Trust as a Business Partner. The Business Partner program recognizes companies, organizations and individuals for their support in building futures for District 88 students and helping to accomplish the district’s mission and vision.

Addison Bank & Trust is a prime example of a company working with the district to achieve its goals. During the meeting, the district recognized Fabiana Bertoncello, Addison Bank & Trust Branch Manager, for her incredible support of District 88.

Bertoncello and the bank are always willing to collaborate with District 88 and go above and beyond for our students and families. The following are just some examples of the bank’s incredible involvement and generosity. 

1. Addison Bank & Trust is part of District 88’s Heritage Spanish Career Fluency Program, which provides an opportunity for students to develop their skills in professional settings and introduces them to a variety of career paths, while enhancing their biliteracy. This is accomplished through a job-shadow component, where participants visit worksites –  including Addison Bank & Trust – once a week during second semester of the school year. The goal is to encourage pupils to use their Spanish as much as possible, so they can learn about different fields and how to use their Spanish professionally to give them a competitive edge. The bank provided an opportunity for students to learn about careers in banking beyond what they typically envision, exploring areas such as retail banking, mortgage lending and wealth/investment planning. A highlight was hearing directly from bilingual professionals about how their ability to speak Spanish plays a critical role in serving and educating the community.
   
   
2. Whenever we request that messages highlighting successes and district news be posted on the electronic marquee outside the bank, Bertoncello takes the time to promote our students and events to help share the information and keep residents informed.
   
   
3. Most recently, Bertoncello just joined our new Youth Apprenticeship/Internship Course, which will launch this fall. This is a one-semester experience for seniors to earn credit while gaining real-world, hands-on experience during the school day. Students attend class one day a week to build professional skills and check in, and they then complete internship hours the rest of the week. Through this program, participants complete a minimum of 60 hours focused on career exploration, job shadowing, mentorship and workplace skill development. 

As you can see, Addison Bank & Trust is a tremendous Business Partner, and we’re proud to honor Bertoncello and the bank in recognition of their efforts. We truly thank them for all they have done and continue to do for our students, families and the community. 

• To watch the presentation, click on the video above.
  
  
• To view a photo gallery, see the images below. Click on the images to view photo captions.
  
  
• District 88 is always looking to develop more partnerships, and those who are interested can find information at www.dupage88.net/BusinessPartnerships.