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2022 was an eventful year, a challenging year, a year of firsts.
The first woman was elected as chair of the DuPage County Board, and other people of color joined her on a board that remains fully controlled by Democrats after years of Republican domination. It was the year when schools got back to normal after two years of COVID-19 protocols. Two local school districts succeeded in getting referendums approved, and Downers Grove officials broke ground on a long-awaited Civic Center.
Controversies surrounding a book and event focused on the LGBTQ+ community exposed some radical cultural differences among community members. The inclusion of the book “Gender Queer” in the libraries at Downers Grove North and South high schools sparked intense debate. Later in the year, the Downer Grove Public Library was at the center of attention when it announced plans – later canceled – to host a drag queen bingo event.
Here’s a look at the top stories of 2022 in the Suburban Life coverage area.
Democrats in DuPage
Deb Conroy was sworn in as county board chair Dec. 5, a feat accomplished by no other woman before her. Conroy acknowledged the milestone in her inauguration speech but pledged to make history on multiple fronts, not just because she happens “to be the first woman elected to lead the county board.”
In addition to Conroy’s victory, Democrats took full control of DuPage County following success in the November election.
“We will make history because together we can and will make significant lasting change that impacts people’s lives and lifts up our residents,” Conroy said in front of a crowded auditorium in Wheaton.
Democrats now have an unparalleled opportunity to push their agenda after decades of Republican leadership. County government entered a new political era two years ago when Democrats won the board majority for the first time since the Great Depression.
Voters in last month’s election handed Democrats all the levers of power in DuPage. Democrats maintained their board majority, capturing 11 of 18 available seats, and Conroy, a decadelong state lawmaker, won the top executive post.
She replaces Dan Cronin, an Elmhurst Republican who decided not to seek a fourth term.
Conroy will preside over one of the most diverse county boards in modern times. Michael Childress was sworn in as the first Black man elected to the county board. And two Asian American women – Lucy Chang Evans and Yeena Yoo – began their first board terms.
“Gender Queer” stays
A decision in June to keep “Gender Queer: A Memoir” on the library shelves at Downers Grove North and South high schools ended a controversy in Community High School District 99.
The school board voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of Superintendent Hank Thiele and an ad hoc committee to keep the book in the libraries despite protests and objections from some parents.
“Gender Queer: A Memoir,” written by Maia Kobabe, who is nonbinary, is a 239-page graphic novel designed to help others who are struggling with gender identity to feel less alone. The book also explores questions around pronouns and hormone-blocking therapies.
The book has been banned in Florida and Virginia school districts and challenged at schools in Rhode Island, New Jersey, Ohio, Washington and Texas.
The formal objection process in District 99 started in November 2021 when an instructional materials challenge was filed by 15 parents.
Drag queen bingo canceled
The Downers Grove Public Library in October canceled a drag queen bingo event because of threats made against the library.
“Unfortunately, in this case, it is not possible to provide a safe place for everyone due to the threats made,” the library said in a statement.
Bingo games and a short lip-sync performance were planned as part of the event, which the library said was to be geared toward seventh through 12th graders. Tyler Reviglio, who goes by the stage name Aurora Divine, was to host the event, which was set for Oct. 11. The date of the game night coincided with National Coming Out Day.
Opponents said the event was not appropriate for teens and should not be held at the library, which is supported by taxpayer dollars. Some said the event was designed to groom children to adopt an LGBTQ+ lifestyle.
Downers Grove police increased patrols around the library after threats against the facility and staff, officials said. One Facebook post urged people to “bring weapons” to the library, according to police reports. The comment about weapons was reported to police. It had been written by an Idaho man who formerly lived in northwest Illinois, according to documents acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The library later said it received a letter that initially was sent to the DuPage County offices in Wheaton that included a bullet, according to Downers Grove police.
The handwritten return address on the envelope said, “Your Friends at MAGA,” and a Confederate flag sticker was affixed to the back of the envelope. The contents of the letter were brief and said, “More to come for Downers Grove library.
Downers Grove library award
Not longer after the drag queen bingo controversy diminished, the Downers Grove Public Library got some good news when it was ranked among the top public libraries in the nation.
The library was honored with its first five-star rating from Library Journal, a national publication, which has been ranking libraries for 15 years.
Library Journal reviews public library data reported to the government – visits, checkouts, program attendance, e-material circulation, public computer use and Wi-Fi sessions per capita – and ranks the best-performing libraries within budget categories. The Downers Grove Public Library has been named one of the top 10 libraries in the country within its budget bracket.
A total of 5,359 U.S. public libraries were rated nationwide, with only 85 (1.5%) receiving the highest five-star rating, according to a news release.
It is the second time in the Library Journal’s 15-year history of ratings that the Downers Grove Public Library has been recognized, the first being in 2020 when the facility earned a four-star rating.
District 58 referendum wins
The November election brought good news to Downers Grove Grade School District 58. Plans to significantly update its facilities will move forward in 2023 after voters approved a $179 million bond referendum.
Almost 70% of voters approved the referendum.
“While the community has discussed District 58′s facilities for decades, the current strategic plan, which began development in fall 2017, created a clear plan toward addressing our facility needs,” Superintendent Kevin Russell said in a statement. “For those community members who did not support the referendum, please know that we hear you and appreciate your voice. District 58 will continue to expend funds in a fiscally responsible manner while respecting taxpayers.”
The referendum approval will allow the district to begin school building maintenance projects as well as the installation of secured entrances, air conditioning, air quality/ventilation improvements and the middle school expansion, including the addition of sixth graders, according to a District 58 news release.
Plans call for replacing roofing as well as plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems; updating classrooms, science labs and libraries; and improving energy efficiency and increase accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Victory for District 66 referendum
District 58 was not the only Downers Grove school district to have referendum success in November.
Voters in Center Cass School District 66 also approved a referendum, but the results were in doubt for days after the election. In the end, 29 votes decided the limiting rate referendum.
In the days after the Nov. 8 election, supporters of the referendum watched the results sway back and forth. For a time, it looked as though the referendum would lose by nine votes. But as the days after the election passed and the final votes were counted, it became apparent the referendum would win.
Ultimately, 2,951 “yes” voters were cast while 2,922 “no” votes were tallied, according to the DuPage County Clerk’s Office.
The favorable results brought an overwhelming sense of relief to district administrators.
Because of the timing of the election, the school district will not see referendum funds until the summer, Superintendent Andrew Wise said. However, knowing those funds are coming means the district can begin reinstating activities that were cut earlier this year, Wise said.
The rollout of returning activities is expected to come in waves, with all extracurriculars returning in some capacity by the end of the school year, Wise said. Students have returned to a full school day as opposed to the shortened day, and in-season extracurriculars also resumed.
In addition to bringing back activities that previously were cut, the district plans to use the funds to establish better fiscal health, fix and maintain facilities, add support staff according to Illinois State Board of Education recommendations and further develop learning communities that will better prepare students for their lives beyond District 66.
New Downers Grove South principal
Community High School District 99 in January named a new principal for Downers Grove South High School for the 2022-23 school year.
The Board of Education in January approved hiring Arwen Pokorny-Lyp, who started her school leadership role in District 99 on July 1. Pokorny-Lyp is the first female principal in the school’s 57-year history.
Since 2007, Pokorny-Lyp has worked at Hinsdale South High School, serving as principal since 2017. Prior to that, she was assistant principal for curriculum and instruction, leading the teaching and learning initiatives at the school.
Pokorny-Lyp started her career in education at Joliet Township High School District 204 as a social studies teacher.
Pokorny-Lyp replaced Ed Schwartz, who retired at the end of the 2021-22 school year.
Downers Grove Civic Center
After decades of plans and proposals, Downers Grove finally broke ground in September on a new civic center that will put partnership at the forefront of the village.
The new center, which will sit at the west side of the village complex, will be home to village hall, the police department and administrative offices for Downers Grove Grade School District 58. Work is expected to be completed by early 2024 with a $60 million budget, officials said.
The new facility is expected to have environmentally sustainable features such as solar panels and rain collection and will be in compliance with Americans with Disability Act standards. The plan doesn’t just address the interior of the building. Exterior features will include public plazas, walkways and native landscaping.
The village complex was identified as a priority action item during the 2021-23 Long Range Plan. The most recent delay to the development was the pandemic, which halted the project right after the board decided to move forward with the plan.
Between that vote and the next vote, some board turnover occurred and it was unclear whether the project would move forward. Village Commissioner Greg Hose said new council members could see the importance of pushing the project ahead. A meeting that could have resulted in yet another halted project instead kicked off the first in decades.
A return to school
After two years of remote learning and COVID-19 protocols, 2022 ushered in an academic year that looked to be the closest thing to a normal year for students. Remote learning nearly vanished and so too did mandatory masking policies and other safety measures.
School districts continued to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health department guidelines to inform approaches that now look more like common flu protocols than the extensive pandemic protocols that students have come to know.
Most districts no longer mandate masking and let students and their families decide whether they, individually, should attend school with a mask. Additionally, while neither Community High School District 99 nor Downers Grove Grade School District 58 continued to report COVID-19 numbers publicly, they decided to track cases individually and advise students who feel sick to stay home.
Remote learning continued in some districts, but was accessible only for those who are absent because of COVID-19. District 99 Superintendent Hank Thiele said students respond differently to being COVID-19-positive, and whether a student will attend classes remotely will be judged on an individual basis in his district.