Education

Students at the Grande Reserve Elementary School lined-up the hallways, cheering and high-fiving the Yorkville High School seniors as they marched throughout the school to applause.

Illinois Valley Community College will begin its Ed’Venture summer camp in June, offering over 40 camps for kids aged 5 to 17.

Kenley Wilson, who will begin studying biology this fall at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with aspirations of becoming an optometrist, has been awarded the bank’s $5,000 Student of the Year scholarship.

A transformation is coming to downtown Yorkville. The city hopes a newly state-awarded near $3 million grant helps spurs a revitalization of the ‘Hydraulic District’s’ businesses and recreational areas.

Joliet Public Schools District 86's Forest Park I.E. was recognized this week as a National School of Character for the second time by Character.org.

Peru Catholic School released its honor and high honor rolls for the fourth quarter of the 2024-25 school year.

Here are the students who achieved the honor roll for the second semester at Minooka Community High School.

Sauk Valley-area students have been named to the dean’s list.

Fifteen Peru Catholic School eighth grade students participated in a graduation ceremony held May 16, 2025, at St. Joseph’s Church.

Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C recognized its April 2025 Students of the Month at its monthly board meeting.

Woodland Elementary and Junior High schools in rural Streator announced the honor roll for the fourth quarter of the 2024-2025 school year.

The Will County Resource Recovery and Energy Division will host the Book Reuse and Recycling Event Friday through Sunday. More than 80,000 books found new homes last year.

Following significant opposition from community members and the Yorkville School District 115, the developers of the “Christie Property” townhome subdivision plan in Yorkville have withdrawn their plans.

The Illinois College & Career Pathway Endorsement Program allows students to earn a formal endorsement on their high school diploma or transcript by completing a series of structured requirements designed to prepare them for life after high school in their chosen career path.

Former Illinois Valley Community College President Alfred Wisgoski, who led Illinois Valley Community College through more than two decades, died Thursday, May 15, at the age of 93.

St. Bede Academy announced Thursday the launch of its 2025 fund-a-Need project -- “Refectory Revival - One Table, Many Stories” -- which is aimed at restoring and modernizing one of the most cherished and historic spaces on campus.

The dos and don’ts around electronic device use during the regular school day could become more stringent in Minooka School District 201 in the upcoming 2025-26 school year, based on a recent preliminary discussion.

Here is the honor roll for Morris Grade School.

The developers of Heartland Meadows West are requesting final plat approval from Yorkville for their proposal which now contains a total of 20-single family residential lots for the 55-and-older crowd. The site is in the Kendall Marketplace area.

German 1 got a one-year reprieve for the 2025-26 school year, after more supporters spoke out Tuesday at the Geneva District 304 school board meeting, imploring officials to keep that language among its course offerings.

Here's the list of students named to Newman's honor roll.

Wadsworth, 72, first became the pronouncer for the Lee County Spelling Bee in 1983. Over the years, he has declared 43 local champions and sent them to Washington to represent the local bee, which is now the Lee Ogle Whiteside Spelling Bee.  

The five were recognized as students of the month for April.

Yorkville’s 2026 Fourth of July fireworks display is gearing up to be unforgettable. To commemorate the nation’s 250th birthday next year, city staff are recommending a massive show featuring synchronized air drones, pyro elements and expanded fireworks.

The Plainfield Foundation for Excellence has awarded 22 District 202 teachers with grants that will allow them to take part in special professional growth programs this summer.

A professor’s 2024 campus-wide book discussion at Illinois Valley Community College inspired a community wide service project.

Resource teacher earns honors for her creativity and tireless dedication in helping students succeed.

Matt Baker originally thought he’d be a journalist, but a love for the classrooms of his youth was always in the back of his mind, so he changed his plans at the University of Illinois.

Nazareth Academy math teacher credits her father for inspiring career

Jamie Dunlap became a business teacher at Geneva High School because of a boring accounting instructor – and she took a circuitous road to get there.

La Salle-Peru High School's Nancy Kochis class is the only of its kind offered at L-P, covering a wide range of topics including fingerprinting, fiber analysis, arson, trace evidence analysis and blood spatter patterns.

Challand Middle School’s art program offers students a range of classes, from drawing to painting and printmaking to sculpture.

May 1 wasn’t just National Principal’s Day for Jefferson Elementary’s Melanie Bickley. She also received a surprise: She was named Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Lockport Township High School drafting and architecture teacher Jeff Brown looks back on his 29 years at LTHS in his final months before retirement.

Featuring educational activities in both English and Spanish, the booklets are being distributed to schools, libraries, and early childhood centers throughout Kendall and Grundy counties.

Across the Illinois Valley, proud families, faculty and friends celebrated the Class of 2025 as local high schools and colleges held graduation ceremonies this May

As Geneva District 304 officials grapple with the prospect of sunsetting its German language classes due to declining enrollment, supporters lobbied against letting the program die.

With the funding for their senior citizen programs at-risk, the city of Yorkville is doing what they can to ensure the Senior Services Association and the Community Nutrition Network stay at their Beecher Center home.

Dixon High School's Class of 2025 received diplomas Sunday, May 25, 2025.

Minooka Community High School has announced its inductees for the Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

The DeKalb County Retired Teachers Association will hold a meeting for retired DeKalb County teachers on June 10 at the Lincoln Inn in DeKalb.

Morris Elementary Superintendent Dr. Shannon Dudek has been named the 2025 Superintendent of Distinction by his colleagues in the Three Rivers Region by the Illinois Association of School Administrators, according to a Thursday news release.

Trinity Catholic Academy announced its high honor and honor roll students for the fourth quarter of the 2024-25 school year.

Minooka Community High School has announced Taya Gummerson as the valedictorian and Samantha Hulick as the salutatorian for the Class of 2025.

Marquette Academy held its annual commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in the school's Bader Gymnasium in Ottawa.

Founded in 1965 as part of the national community action movement, Tri-County Opportunities Council has played a role in fighting poverty and empowering individuals and families to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Yorkville High School is being honored for its computer science, engineering, and biomedical programs for its students. The school received recognition for having more than a quarter of its students enrolled in Project Lead The Way pathway courses

Illinois Valley Community College graduates Odin Klotz of Peru and Garret Zinke of Mendota have each been awarded full-tuition scholarships to Northern Illinois University by donors William and Dian Taylor of Winnetka.

The Dixon School Board selected its next vice president Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

Scholarships and student achievement awards have been given to students in the Rock Falls High School Class of 2025.