Education

Illinois Valley Community College has announced a half-day closure for staff development activities on Friday, March 7, and a full-day closure on Friday, March 14, for Spring Break. 

Candidates for the Lockport Township High School District 205 board will meet at Lockport East on March 4 for a candidates forum hosted by the LTHS 205 Foundation.

Katie Heiden on a top issue for District 308: If certain types of federal funding dissolves, how that will affect our programs and resources at district 308

Brandi Robinson: Improving reading and English proficiency, as well as state test scores in Oswego Community Unit School District 308 (or any district), requires a multi-faceted approach

Heather Martin: The district can improve reading scores by evaluating and strengthening the reading curricula across the district so that teachers have ample resources and support

Erika Sieh: I would like to see the district bring back the literacy specialists that had to be eliminated several years ago due to budget cuts

Cary School District 26 moves forward with building a new transportation center near Aldi after a years-long dispute with the village over the Maplewood property.

Preschool offerings are expanding in Dixon as Regional Office of Education No. 47 prepares to open two of four classrooms in April which, in all, will service up to 80 children at no cost to qualifying families.

Scott Heil: I think the current cell phone policy to keep them off or out of site aligns with my views as cell phones can be a distraction on many levels to the classroom and school environment

The university named 3,050 students to the honor’s list and 1,354 students to its high honor’s list.

Students must be 5 years old by Sept. 1 and a school district resident.

Matt Eber: In my opinion the top three issues facing the school now is the facilities, increasing proficiency of the students, and continuing to enhance the course offerings and opportunities for all our students

Selected students will serve as non-voting members on the United Way Board of Directors from June 2025 through May 2026, providing valuable youth perspective to the organization while developing professional skills and connections.

Shepherd Middle School in Ottawa announced its honor roll for the second trimester of the 2024-2025 school year.

Illinois Valley Community College’s jazz and wind ensembles will perform in separate concerts on Tuesday, March 4, and Thursday, March 6, in the Dr. Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre. 

The following students were selected by the Seneca High School teachers and staff as the January 2025 Students of the Month.

The Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustees Facilities Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in Board Room C307.  

The list honors students who received a semester grade-point average of 3.5 to 3.75 depending on the student’s college.

The candidates for the Joliet Junior College Board of Trustees will speak in front of the public at a candidate forum on Tuesday.

Rovel Pollock: Improving student achievement starts with recognizing strengths and celebrating progress while addressing areas for growth

The Oswego Community Unit School District 308 Board of Education invites students, staff, parents, and community members to participate in its annual student-focused spring forum.

Jefferson Elementary Principal Heather Wittenauer said Friday that the pre-kindergarten centers help make the transition to full-day kindergarten easier by teaching students preliminary skills needed to be a good student.

Candidates for Joliet Public Schools District 86's Board of School Inspectors spoke to the public Wednesday at a candidate forum at the Joliet Public Library.

Candidates for Yorkville 115 Board of Education fielded audience questions at Congregational United Church of Christ in Yorkville on Feb. 27. Eight questions revolved around the 2023 controversial decision by the board to remove “Just Mercy” from the classroom curriculum.

Ottawa High School announced its honor roll for the conclusion of the second quarter of the 2024-2025 school year.

16th US President Abraham Lincoln (R-Illinois) visited Morris on Thursday and Friday, first stopping in for a haircut with Dick Sohan Thursday before stopping in at Morris Elementary for a talk with third grade students.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced during his State of the State address Wednesday an initiative to improve student performance by limiting the use of cellphones in Illinois classrooms.

The Bureau Valley Schools Foundation has awarded more than $27,500 in grants to teachers throughout the district for the 2024-25 school year. The Foundation will host a drawdown March 15 to raise more funds for classrooms and students.

Tiskilwa Historical Society is inviting the community to a presentation by five Logan Junior High School students highlighting local history at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 10, at the Museum on Main, 110 E. Main St.

The Regional Office of Education No. 47 will open four new preschool classrooms in April. The YMCA Childcare Facility and Open Sesame will house the classrooms.

Candidates for the JTHS District 204 board met with members of the public at the Joliet Public Library Wednesday to answer a series of questions about their vision for the district if elected in April.

District 202 in Plainfield's new schedule will provide more equity in offerings across all four high schools additional opportunities to prepare for college and careers, more academic support for students and increased collaborative planning time for teachers.

The Grundy County Historical Society and Museum will be traveling to schools with Abraham Lincoln impersonator Randy Duncan for four programs with third grade students.

While some school districts struggle to get students involved in music, that is not the case for Challand, where over 60% of sixth, seventh and eighth graders are involved in the music department, according to band teacher Nicole Oberg.

Construction improvements totaling $100,000 at the Beecher Center and two other city-owned buildings were unanimously approved by the Yorkville City Council at their Feb. 26 meeting.

Morris Community High School's school nurse, Tracy Steffes, has won an Illinois State Board of Education Award of Special Recognition through the "Those Who Excel" program for her effort and service at the school.

Wyatt Widolff plans on attending Hillsdale College to run track and field and is considering majoring in either actuarial science or economics.

Some of the water piping underneath the feet of Yorkville residents is receiving its first makeover since before the Great Depression.

The Illinois State Board of Education is not telling schools to stop any diversity, equity and inclusion lessons or programs, the state’s education chief told a House committee this week

St. Bede Academy will celebrate its annual Giving Day campaign on March 21, in honor of St. Benedict.

A North American gray wolf will take center stage at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Mammal Madness event at Four Rivers Environmental Education Center on Saturday.

Kaylee Johnson plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

OSF HealthCare Saint Clare Medical Center in Princeton announced that applications are open for the 2025 health care scholarship awards.

Challand Middle School STEM teacher Logan Shearer said her class uses hands-on activities, projects and teamwork to explore the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in a fun and engaging manner.

Learn to safeguard your business from cyberattacks over lunch with a local technology expert, part of Illinois Valley Community College’s Continuing Education and Business Services Lunch and Learn session. 

As of 2024, according to the Illinois Report Card, 6.4 percent of teachers in the state were Black, with African American men making up less than half of that number

Joliet West High School English teacher Alyssa Greenwald has been selected as one of the 30 finalists for the 2025 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Illinois State Scholars are chosen based on a combination of exemplary ACT or SAT test scores and six semester class rank.

The La Salle-Peru High School theatre department will present “Mean Girls-High School Version,” from Friday March 14, through Sunday, March 16, at the high school auditorium, 541 Chartres St., La Salle.

Minooka Community High School District 111 is joining the Illinois State Board of Education in the 12th statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions.