Great 8 in District 88: Eight achievements of the 2012-13 school year
It has been an amazing school year at District 88 and, on behalf of the District 88 Board of Education, I would like to thank you for your support.
As we close the 2012-13 school year, it’s a time to reflect on the successes we’ve accomplished. We are always striving to move forward and improve, but I would like to take a moment to focus on eight successes we’ve achieved this year as a district.
1) Welcoming a new Superintendent: July 1 will mark the one-year anniversary of Dr. Scott Helton as District 88’s Superintendent. After 11 years as Principal of Addison Trail, Helton stepped into the role of Superintendent and has done a tremendous job. He has continued to focus on our mission of working for the continuous improvement of student achievement. He also has maintained our goal of closing the achievement gap among student groups and providing students with a rigorous curriculum and support to ensure they’re building successful futures. Through his leadership and the hard work of our staff, students, parents/guardians and community members, Addison Trail and Willowbrook have once again been named as Top Schools in America by the Washington Post and as America’s Best High Schools by Newsweek.
2) Two new members join the District 88 team: This past fall, we hired Dr. Aaron Lenaghan as the district’s new Director of Technology, Teaching and Learning. Lenaghan has been a wonderful addition to the District 88 team. He worked with our technology team and Director of Community Relations to implement a new website, distributed refurbished computers out into the communities of Addison, Villa Park and Lombard for students to use outside of school and worked with our staff technology coaches to ensure our teachers have the necessary knowledge to bring 21st-century learning into our classrooms. On July 1, Ed Hoster will join the district as our new Chief Financial Officer. Hoster has a wealth of experience at other school districts in the area of finance, and we’re confident he will maintain our financial stability. We’re thrilled to have him join our team.
3) Board members continue to serve District 88: As President of the District 88 Board of Education, I’m honored to continue serving the students and stakeholders of the district. And I’m happy to say Jay Irvin will continue as Board Vice President, and Thomas Edmier will continue as a Board member. We were sworn in on May 2. It just goes to show what a wonderful district we have, and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the district’s success.
4) Aligning to the new Common Core State Standards: Illinois, along with nearly all states in the U.S., has implemented new standards by which to assess students, called the Common Core State Standards. This year, our staff members worked with the Leadership and Learning Center, a company that creates positive change in schools by bridging the critical gap between research and effective application of best practices, to make sure our teachers have the support they need to implement the new standards to ensure our students flourish academically.
5) Ensuring positive transitions to and from District 88: We continue to work with our feeder school districts, as well as local colleges/universities, to maintain a successful transition to and from District 88 for our students. Two examples of that work are a joint board meeting we had with districts 4, 45 and 48 and a new program called First Year Experience (FYE) that DeVry University will provide to our students starting this fall. Through FYE, students graduating in 2014 will be eligible to take up to four introductory college courses during their senior year as a District 88 student – for a total of 15 possible college credits, which is equivalent to one traditional college semester. For more information about that program, go to http://tinyurl.com/nywcw2q.
6) Mock crisis drill: At District 88, the safety and health of students and staff is the No. 1 priority. As part of that commitment to safety, the district, in coordination with local officials and agencies, conducted a mock crisis/active-shooter drill March 1 at Addison Trail. The drill featured a full demonstration of an active-shooter scenario to help ensure District 88 is equipped to maintain the safety of students and staff during an emergency.
7) Foundations: The Partnership for Inspired Education (PIE) Foundation (a 501(c)(3) charitable organization serving public school students in districts 4, 45, 48 and 88) hosted its annual fundraiser Dec. 2, 2012, at Drury Lane. The event raised about $13,000, and proceeds will benefit students in those school districts. The 2013 event will take place Dec. 8, and you can buy tickets at www.piefoundation.org. The District 88 Foundation is a member of the PIE Foundation and raised more than $5,500 during the Dennis Doyle 3-on-3 Classic District 88 Foundation Basketball Tournament on March 9. To make a donation to the PIE Foundation or the District 88 Foundation, go to www.piefoundation.org/donations.html.
8) District 88 Feed My Starving Children Senior Service Project: On May 18, the class of 2013 from Addison Trail and Willowbrook set a new precedent in District 88 by leaving a legacy through the District 88 Feed My Starving Children Senior Service Project. The students supported Feed My Starving Children by raising $22,000 to pack meals May 18 at Willowbrook. The meals will help feed malnourished children throughout the world. In all, 436 volunteers packed 5O4 boxes equivalent to 1O8,864 meals, which is enough food to nourish the minds, souls and bodies of 298 children, feeding each child a meal a day for an entire year. Giving back is part of the culture at District 88, and the class of 2013 has set a model of philanthropy for future classes to follow, as that class has left its mark not only on District 88, but on the community and the world.
Thank you again for a wonderful school year, and we look forward to another great year in 2013-14!