Leadership Matters January 2014

Matters J ANUARY 2 0 1 4 I ASA MONTHLY NEWSLET TER Leadership IASA monthly newsletter wins Bronze Medal in national contest

In this month’s issue

Additional Items

News in Brief P. 34

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Getting to know your IASA Region Presidents P. 35 Moon Scholarship deadline is January 10 P. 42

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ISDLAF+ Update for December P. 42

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IASA Calendar P. 45

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Stewart named Illinois Superintendent of the Year P. 4

Overview of new Illinois laws P. 7

Holiday Season of Sharing

Cover Photo: IASA President Dr. Steve Webb presents Dr. Kelly Stewart with the 2014 Illinois Superintendent of the Year award at the Joint Annual Conference in November.

21st Century Leadership Academy aims to transform educators … and education P. 8

Season of Sharing Photo Layouts P. 10

2648 Beechler Court Springfield, IL 62703-7305 217.753.2213 800 Woodfield Road, Ste. F109 Schaumburg, IL 60173-4717 847.466.5075

IASA Newsletter Editor Michael Chamness mchamness@iasaedu.org

Assistant Editor Mary Ellen Buch mbuch@iasaedu.org

1200 West Main Street Marion, IL 62959-1138 618.364.0501

Volume 2, Issue 1

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Pension legal battle looms, but schools provide good news … and lots of it

We put out a simple request for districts to submit photos and information. We were expecting a few responses. We got more than 200 photo submissions. Obviously, we could not use that many photos, but every district that responded is represented by at least one photo -- and the good work of thousands of volunteers illustrates once again how vital schools are to our communities. The holidays and 2014 look much brighter to many people in need thanks to the efforts of school districts throughout the state. We encourage you to submit photos and information about the great things you are doing in our schools as we plan to use them in future issues of our online newsletter. Leadership Matters wins national award Speaking of our online newsletter, you may have noticed the Bronze Medal that is a new part of our newsletter’s masthead. We found out a couple of weeks ago that Leadership Matters placed third and won the Bronze Medal in a national contest for association newsletters/magazines. The contest, which was sponsored by Association TRENDS magazine, attracted 470 entries according to the press release announcement of the award. Leadership Matters only has been in existence one year this month, but it has evolved into a great communications vehicle for IASA and also into what we hope is an interesting and informative monthly read for superintendents and other school administrators. Kudos also to our Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance partner IASBO as the school business officials’ quarterly magazine also placed third nationally in the quarterly magazine category. Congrats to Dr. Kelly Stewart! Dr. Kelly Stewart, superintendent of Benton Consolidated High School District 103, was honored as the Illinois Superintendent of the Year for 2014 at the recent Triple-I Conference in Chicago. You’ll find an in- depth profile of Dr. Stewart in this month’s newsletter. The committee made an excellent selection and Dr. Stewart will be a great representative of IASA and of all the great work being done throughout the state by our superintendents. IASA and the state’s superintendents all were beneficiaries of the way in which 2013 Illinois Superintendent of the Year Dr. Jane Westerhold represented the profession and the extraordinary positive press coverage she received. Dr. Stewart also has received great press coverage and her acceptance remarks were humorous, on point and a study in humility.

The battle lines have been school administrators and hundreds of thousands of other public workers and retirees are preparing to fight all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court to try and overturn the punitive – and what we believe to be drawn. Teachers,

Message from the Executive Director Dr. Brent Clark

unconstitutional – pension reform measures the General Assembly passed just hours after the March primary filing deadline in December. We, along with the Illinois Retired Teachers Association, filed a lawsuit on December 27 in Cook County Circuit Court challenging the pension reform law as unconstitutional. On January 3, the Retired State Employees Association of Illinois filed a similar lawsuit in Sangamon County Circuit Court, and the unions involved in the We Are One Illinois coalition, including the IEA and IFT, also are expected to sue. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I do believe the real reason behind the passage of Senate Bill 1 was pure politics and that the ultimate end game will be some sort of tax increase, or at least the extension of the temporary income tax increase that is due to expire January 1, 2015. We also will remain on guard for attempts to pass a cost shift under the guise that school districts would be able to handle the additional costs because SB 1 will lower the normal pension cost. That may be, but what happens when SB 1 is declared unconstitutional? Our attorneys firmly believe the pension law eventually will be overturned based on years of case law, the very plain pension protection language in the Illinois Constitution, the expressed intent of the sponsors of that constitutional language, and some of what was said during the floor debate of SB 1 in both the House and Senate. There will be plenty of time to dissect the pension battle ahead -- and it ultimately will be decided in the Illinois Supreme Court -- so I’d like to turn my attention to some of the really good news items happening in IASA. School districts’ holiday response overwhelming School administrators, staff, teachers and students all over the state did so many wonderful things in terms of holiday caring and sharing that we were overwhelmed. You will see graphic proof of that in this issue of Leadership Matters in the form of more than 20 pages of photos and information about how school districts rallied to help those in need.

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Benton’s Stewart discovered passion for becoming educator

humbled to be the one to hold the title, it represents all of us that work tirelessly for the children of Illinois daily.” Those who nominated Stewart noted some major accomplishments in the Benton district since she became superintendent in 2001, including:  Keeping Benton High School ahead of the curve with regard to curriculum development to provide more opportunities for students, including implementation of the READ 180 program that has dramatically improved reading capabilities of some students by providing them with 90 minutes of reading instruction daily.  Upgrading and remodeling the district’s 40-year- old buildings to make them safer, more comfortable and to equip them with state of the art technology.

By Michael Chamness IASA Director of Communications

The path Kelly Stewart followed to become an educator is not one she would recommend to most students. She dropped out of college for a year and helped coach a junior high girls’ basketball team, an experience that changed her life. “That year allowed me to discover my passion for teaching, and then I knew what I wanted to do. It became crystal clear,” Stewart recalled. “From then on I focused on education and I had a purpose-driven life. I could not wait to go back to school, and I was in the front row of my classes. It was a powerful experience, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” It might have been an unusual path, but that experience was part of a remarkable career that culminated with Dr. Kelly Stewart, superintendent of Benton Consolidated High School District 103, being named the 2014 Illinois Superintendent of the Year. She was honored at the recent Joint Annual Conference in Chicago. Receiving this award is a tremendous honor that has flooded me with a wide range of emotions including: shock, humility, elation, and affirmation. The most powerful of these has been affirmation,” said Stewart, who has been an educator for 30 years, including the last 12 as superintendent of the Benton district. “My main goals in life have been simple: to make a difference and to make my parents proud of me. This honor is the ultimate pat on the back for a job well done and the fact that it comes from my peers gives it great significance. While I am

Kelly credits her father, the late Harry Stewart, with being her motivation for becoming an educator. He is pictured here with Kelly, her sister Laura, left, and President Barrack Obama.

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is superintendent. “My dad was my hero,” she said. “He taught me that education was important, and for my family, like many others, education has been the great equalizer. Seeing grown men come up to him and call him ‘Coach,’ it was apparent to me that teaching and coaching was something special.” The Read 180 program allows students in need of

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 Offering more dual-credit classes than ever before thanks to a partnership with Rend Lake Community College.  Providing financial stability through innovative leadership that resulted in an agreement with a new coal mine that opened in the district to provide an in-kind donation in lieu of property

taxes that were going to be abated because the mine was in an enterprise zone. That agreement will net the district more than $4 million over the next 12 years, helping stave off potential teacher layoffs. Stewart credits those successes to things like having a great school board and a strong and dedicated staff and teaching corps. She also says that success for an educator often cannot be fully measured by data and statistics. “Little things you don’t

reading help to get 90 minutes a day of focused instruction to improve their basic reading skills. It has paid dividends, as has the district’s Reading Plus program. “It’s kind of like Zumba for your eyes and brain and it works for us; it makes kids better readers,” Stewart said. “Without basic-level reading skills you have no chance for success in life.” The reading program anecdotes paint a mosaic: a student who raised his ACT score by four or five points to become eligible to receive an NCAA scholarship (“The problem was not his intelligence, it was his reading speed,” Stewart said), an “emergent reader” who now can communicate through texting, and another who was able to proficiency out of a developmental reading class at nearby Rend Lake Community College. Stewart says leading a successful school district begins with a vision that faculty, staff and even students buy into and embrace. At Benton, it’s called Ranger Nation Show the PRIDE:

“Little things you don’t think matter really do,” she said, recalling walking across a gym floor after an event and hearing a girl calling her name. “This young woman was a former student and athlete when I was first starting out. I didn’t even think she liked me. She threw her arms around me, hugged me and said ‘You’ll never know how much you meant to me.’ I was honored and also scared because that’s a lot of responsibility when you think about how many kids you might have an effect on as a teacher, coach or administrator.”

think matter really do,” she said, recalling walking across a gym floor after an event and hearing a girl calling her name. “This young woman was a former student and athlete when I was first starting out. I didn’t even think she liked me. She threw her arms around me, hugged me and said ‘You’ll never know how much you meant to me.’ I was honored and also scared because that’s a lot of responsibility when you think about how many kids you might have an effect on as a teacher, coach or administrator.” The granddaughter of Russian immigrants, Stewart credits her father, who died two years ago, with having the most impact on her becoming an educator. Harry Stewart was able to go to college on a football scholarship and became a longtime teacher and coach in the same Benton district where she now

P roblem-solving

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R eady for college & careers

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I ndividual responsibility

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D evelopment of the whole student

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 E veryone included & valued It’s more than a catchy acronym.

“We relate everything we do back to that vision. When everyone understands the big picture and has ownership in it, it makes the little changes easier,” Stewart said. “Hiring a really good team of people with strengths that complement each other also is a big part of the puzzle.” In her acceptance remarks at the Joint Annual Conference in late November, Stewart said of her administrative team: “You remind me of the trail mix with the popcorn and M & Ms. They are very different, but together they work. We are all very different, but each of us brings our own skills to the table, and together we work.” Longtime Benton School Board President Mark D. Minor credited Stewart for the leadership she has brought to the school district. “When many other schools are decreasing class offerings for students, Benton has provided more opportunities for student educational development,” Minor wrote in his letter of nomination for Stewart. “The introduction of READ 180 has met specific special education needs. Quality professional development, differentiated instruction and the Understanding by Design approach, to name a few, have kept Benton’s teaching staff ahead of the curve. “These successes are, of course, impossible without the cooperation of teachers, staff, the Board of Education and the community. Bringing these stakeholders together to get things done for our kids may, in fact, be the greatest feather of all for Kelly Stewart,” Minor added. “Her tireless efforts have sure made a difference in our school.” Located in deep Southern Illinois, the Benton district serves some 600 high school students, with 49 percent of them being categorized as low-income as opposed to 38 percent five years ago. Despite that trend – which normally results in lower academic performance – the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in the Prairie State Achievement Exam has risen from 44 to 50 percent in the past three years. Dr. Brent Clark, executive director of IASA, praised Stewart as “an educator who has dedicated her professional career to the vision of IASA, which is ‘Maximum Educational Success for All Students.’ Her work in the Benton district is a testament to that and she is most deserving of this honor.” So much for being a college “dropout.” Stewart not only returned to Southern Illinois University to get her Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree and Ph.D., but she also was in the inaugural class of the IASA

Getting to know the Illinois Superintendent of the Year

School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL), one of 23 superintendents to complete the rigorous two-year cohort. Tony Frontier, an associate professor at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee and one of the lead instructors for ISAL, may have captured what makes Kelly Stewart such an effective leader when he said, “Every time I’ve been in a room with Kelly it is obvious to me that her compelling interest is not to be the best person in the group, but to be the best person for the group.” Most encouraging thing about public education: Over the past few years I have seen teachers begin to collaborate more than they have in the past. I am of the opinion that given our current challenges, we need to work smarter not harder and collaboration is the key. Name: Dr. Kelly D. Stewart School district: Benton Consolidated High School District #103 One thing you would like people to know about your school district: We are never satisfied, we constantly strive to improve our instructional practices and means to provide learning opportunities for our students. IASA Region: Egyptian Years as IASA Member: 13 Years as educator: 30 High school: Benton Consolidated High School Colleges or Universities: BS, MS, Ph.D. Southern Illinois University Family: My nephews are spoiled by me enough to claim them as mine -- Alex 28, John 25, Landon 20, and Braxton 5. Favorite hobby: Crossword puzzles/ reading mysteries Favorite movie: Rear Window Favorite book: Anything by Patricia Cornwell or James Patterson Favorite musical artist: Bob Seger One thing people probably would be surprised to know about you: That the actor John Malkovich played football for my dad and is a family friend. Biggest concern about public education: While I support all of the current reform efforts, the timeline for implementation is way too fast and adding a great deal of stress to teachers. Couple that with having to work more years to reach full retirement, leads me to fear two things: teachers will burn out and that potential good teachers will steer clear of the profession.

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Gaveling in the New Year: Thumbnail look at laws affecting public education

fund of the district to any other fund of the district by proper resolution following a public hearing set by the school board or the president of the school board, with notice, so long as the district meets the qualifications set forth in this provision at the time a given transfer is made.  HB 490: Requires those seeking Professional Educator License to pass a basic skills test after completing an educator preparation program instead of requiring the test before entering an educator preparation program.  HB 2768: Increases the interaction between a school’s principal and law enforcement agencies involving gang activities by making it the responsibility of the principal to utilize resources of the proper law enforcement agencies when the safety and welfare of students and teachers are threatened by illegal use or possession of weapons or by illegal gang activity.  HB 3190: Requires proof of meningitis vaccination for students entering 6 th and 12 th grades.  Another bill, HB 226 , does not directly affect schools, but could affect certain students. The bill allows 17-year-olds to vote in the primary if they will be 18 year of age by the following general election, meaning that 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by November 4, 2014 will be eligible to vote in the March 18, 2014 primary. The General Assembly’s first General Session day is scheduled for January 29, the day of Governor Pat Quinn’s “State of the State” address. The governor’s budget address is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.

As we ring in the New Year, I thought it might be good to give our school administrators an overview of some of the new public education laws that took effect January 1, 2014. Here are thumbnail sketches of some of the new laws that might affect schools:  SB 923: Establishes that school districts may elect to have cameras on their school buses to track drivers who pass stopped school buses that have their arms extended.

Diane Hendren Director of Governmental Relations

 HB 64: Makes it illegal for schools to ask for or demand a student’s social networking password without cause; requires parental notification for elementary and secondary school students.  HB 129: Permits school boards to designate the first Monday in October each year as “Bring Your Parents to School Day” to promote parental involvement.  HB 160: Extends the time period school districts (other than CPS) have to transfer money between specified funds from June 30, 2013 to June 30, 2016. Allows the school board of any school district that is subject to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, that has a population of less than 500,000 inhabitants, that is levying at its maximum tax rate, whose total equalized assessed valuation has declined 25% in the prior 2 years, and in which 75% or more of its students receive free or reduced-price lunch to annually transfer money from any

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21st Century Leadership Academy aims to transform educators … and education

Dr. Tony Wagner, Harvard University, notes that there are two achievement gaps in this country. The first is the gap between the educational experiences of middle-class children and those of most poor and minority children. The second gap is that between what even our very best schools are teaching and testing versus what all students will need to be successful in today’s globally interconnected, technology-

Dr. Arthur Fessler, superintendent at Community Consolidated School District 59 in Arlington Heights

suffused, information economy. New educational paradigms require an emphasis on critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, creativity and innovation, information fluency and media literacy, data synthesis and analysis, and the active, applied use of many other higher-level cognitive skills, much more frequently than we currently are doing in our classrooms. This change not only requires school systems to provide new and relevant training for teachers, but also for leaders. Quality leadership is an essential factor for making change in education. Just ask any classroom teacher who has had a particularly good (or bad) building principal, and they will tell you stories. Stories of triumph or tragedy, depending on which type of the leaders they were paired with. In Community Consolidated School District 59, we believe that if our expectation for staff is to be distinguished, our expectation for leaders should be the same. In Project RED’s study of nearly 1,000 schools involved in a major technology implementation, they state “the principal’s ability to lead change is critical.” As Simon Sinek says, “There are leaders and there are those who lead.” Those who lead inspire staff to follow and build the capacity and advance an organization. I’m very honored that I have the opportunity to work in CCSD 59, where our entire administrative team, including our Chief Innovation Officer Ben Grey, is pushing and challenging each other to be the latter. As part of that effort, this year we created the

21st Century Leadership Academy. Every member of our administrative team is taking part and, over the course of this year, each participant will engage in 63 hours of specific, focused professional development regarding skill, content and knowledge necessary for 21st century leadership. That’s a combined total of 2,520 professional development hours for our leadership team. There are plenty of conversations about the qualifier “21st century,” and wherever you stand on the convention, we find it a very useful way to add the necessary context to say that we want to do things differently. We want to move from a traditional means of education to an environment where kids are empowered and given agency in their learning. We want to create a culture where we are preparing students to be successful for life. We are fortunate to be partnering with Scott McLeod in our efforts. He currently serves as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency in Iowa. He also is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. Scott will join us for seven full-day sessions this school year, and our team will then follow up with a two-hour session in the weeks between full-day sessions. Together, Scott and our senior leaders will facilitate the conversations about what should change in education and how we as a district can move to an environment where student ownership is actualized

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and learning experiences are moved from low-level to high- level thinking. At the first of the seven full-day sessions, we spent the entire day digging into the “Why?” We engaged in the thought experiment, “Because of digital technologies, our world today is more…” We talked about the implications for learning and schooling, and through the process we came to a shared

access to the world’s information, individuals, and organizations.  The expansion of digital and online (and often open access) information resources that increase the availability of higher and deeper learning opportunities.  Online communities of interest that supplement and augment more-traditional learning communities that are limited by geography and time.  Adaptive software and data systems (and accompanying organizational models) that can facilitate greater individualization of learning content and pace.  Alternative credentialing mechanisms that enable individuals to quickly reskill for and adapt to rapidly-evolving workforce needs and economic demands.  Simulations and problem-based learning experiences that foster students’ ability to engage in authentic, real-world work. Laptops are required at all sessions and all participants are expected to be an active contributor and hands-on participant. Thus far, the Leadership Academy has surpassed my expectations in terms of creating opportunities for professional dialogue, problem solving, at times debate, and ultimately improving our collective practice. Think about the power of having the entire administrative team together to engage in crucial conversations and wrestle with the concepts. We have a great deal of learning, and thinking, and challenging, and inspiring ahead. We are incredibly excited for what that will mean for our students.

understanding of why we need to change education. Perhaps even reinvent it, as Tony Wagner suggests. We also discussed the importance of providing ongoing consistent feedback to our teachers, utilizing reflective questions to trigger professional reflection and growth. In the end, we are creating ownership through a process of doing the work together. Not buy -in, but ownership. Our team ended our first training session by joining a Google+ Community we set up for the group to continue the collaborative conversations and dialogue that we all share with an outcome of building a shared understanding, collaboration and professional growth. During the coming year, CCSD 59 will focus on movements in education and what they mean for our school district. To frame our discussions, we will utilize the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A), ISTE’s list of Essential Conditions for successful technology integration and implementation, NCTE’s 21st Century Literacies framework, and other helpful models. Throughout our conversations, we will focus on meaning-making and practical leadership, including:  Competency-based education and methods of feedback that shift the focus from seat time to learning mastery.  Project- and inquiry-based learning environments that emphasize greater student agency and active application of more cognitively-complex thinking, communication, and collaboration skills.  1:1 computing initiatives (and concurrent Internet bandwidth upgrades) that give students powerful digital learning devices and

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Nettle Creek #24C - Dr. Donald McKinney Nettle Creek Elementary

School District participated in the annual Scholastic Reading Club Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive benefitting Pajama Program, a nonprofit organization that provides new pajamas and books to children in need — especially those living in group homes, shelters, foster care, and orphanages. The school donated 36 pair of pajamas.

Queen Bee #16 - Victoria Tabbert Students at Pheasant Ridge Primary School in Queen Bee School District 16 took part in a food and coin drive. Despite 63% of students being eligible for free/reduced lunch, students raised $502.65! The money and food are collected in support of the Village of Glendale Heights annual holiday food and coin drive.

Deer Creek-Mackinaw Unit #701 - Scott Dearman Students and staff at Deer Creek-Mackinaw Primary Junior High School collected approximately $6,000 in donations and supplies for the victims of the November 17 tornado. That Friday was a black and orange day and the students assembled in the gym to show their support and thus the “W” shape formed by the staff.

SWIC IASA Administrators On Saturday, December 7th, 2013, several area administrators from the Southwestern Illinois Association of School Administrators braved incredibly cold temperatures to ring bells at St. Clair Square to help the efforts of the Salvation Army. Pictured on left are Susan Homes, Matt Stines, Julie Brown and Jon Tallman. Pictured on the right are Jon Green, Matt Stines, Leigh Lewis and Scott Harres.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Rockford #205 - Dr. Ehren Jarrett Students at King Elementary in the Rockford 205 School District challenged superintendent Dr. Ehren Jarrett to match their food drive efforts.

Sandwich CUSD #430—Rick Schmitt Superintendent of Schools and Sandwich Lions Club member Rick Schmitt leads the students, staff and administration as they work together to distribute approximately 8000 pounds of non-perishable food, plus gift certificates to purchase additional items at a local grocery store to needy families each year. Each year, the Franklin Mall food drive project has reached out to 150 families during the holiday season. Schmitt said, “This is a true community event with members of our learning community working beside Lions members at each step of the process. Multiple hands and a spirit of community service are what helps make for a better holiday season for those in need.”

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Bloomington #87 - Dr. Barry Reilly Irving Teachers ringing the Salvation Army bell, BHS student giving blood, BHS students make capes for kids with cancer at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center and BHS students and staff collect much needed items for victims of the Washington tornado.

Springfield Unit #186 - Robert Leming Feitshans students had a reason to smile thanks to “The Gift of Giving Program”; Thanks to a generous local business, students at Dubois Elementary School participated in a Scholastic Book Giveaway for each student to receive a free book of their choice to read during Winter Break; Each family of McClernand Elementary School received a gift basket of household necessities to assist them during the Winter Break. The Manager of Steak N’ Shake decided to make a difference in the lives of students throughout District 186 after passing by students waiting for the school bus without hats, scarves and gloves. Mr. Nelson decided to start the ‘Keep ‘Em Warm’ campaign. West Side Christian Church transformed the Harvard Park Gymnasium into a Happy Holidays Wonderland for families. Volunteers lead the way to each station full of new books, pajamas, undergarments, Christmas cookies, pampers and plenty of groceries to feed a family for two weeks.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Vandalia #203 - Richard Well The Vandalia HS Fellowship of Christian Athletes raised over $700 to fill shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Sponsors were Superintendent Rich Well, VCHS Principal Randy Protz , and Guidance Counselor Luke Hohlt .

Leyden Comm HS #212 - Dr. Nicholas Polyak Multiple photos from Leyden High School District 212 in Franklin Park and Northlake . We are very proud that so many members of our Leyden community get involved with our community throughout the entire year and especially during the holiday season! From top left: Leyden Key Club, NHS and Art Club made holiday cards for sick children, Leyden Blood Drive, Leyden spread Holiday Kindness in East Leyden, Leyden Italian Honor Society sponsored a Toys for Tots, Leyden Chamber singers performed at a Franklin Park Chamber of Commerce meeting.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Lewistown #97 - Jeanne Davis LHS students rang the Salvation Army bell at the Lewistown County Market and students sold stocking ornaments for the holiday tree in the LHS Commons to benefit the LHS Christmas Fund.

Decatur Unit #61 - Gloria Davis 5 th graders from Dennis Lab School delivered project- based instruction in every classroom and these 5 th graders worked on a project called “Giving Back.” They had eight different volunteer projects in our community leading up to the holiday season. Students worked on…

1. Coat drive; 2. Pet project; 3. Handmade Christmas cards for our friends at Lincoln Rehab and placemats for The Good Samaritan Inn; 4. Adopted a kettle from the Salvation Army for the 125th year anniversary; 5. School Food drive to help Northeast Community Fund; 6. Making "emergency kits" for the homeless; 7. Angel Tree; 8. Linus Blanket. This group will actually make a blanket for the Linus project so a sick child will receive their blanket.

Skokie Fairview #72 - Dr. Cindy Whittaker Fairview School District #72 hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner for the community. The school of 675 students ended up feeding nearly 600 children, parents and community members at no charge.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Libertyville #70 - Dr. Guy Schumacher Copeland Manor students (K-8) held Penny Wars to raise money for a district wide fund-raiser called "A Cent$ for Sandy." With the Penny Wars, "we raised almost $900.00 in one day for Hurricane Sandy victims," said Copeland Manor social worker Gwen Travelst. The Penny Wars took place at Copeland Manor School.

Wood Dale #7 - Dr. John Corbett Wood Dale District 7 bus drivers decided (on their own) to host a “fill the bus” food drive on a Saturday. They parked a bus in the parking lot of local grocery store and challenged the community to “fill the bus” with non-perishable food items to be donated to the local food pantry.

Winfield #34 - Dr. Gwynne Kell Winfield Central Middle School band playing holiday music at Stratford Mall.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

West Chicago #33 - Dr. Kathy Wolfe The student council from Gary Elementary School, which is comprised of 4th and 5th graders, raised money to donate to UNICEF to help with their efforts in providing aide to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Change Collection for UNICEF". The total amount collected was $429.68. Orchestra students from Leman Middle School performed holiday music at a community event called "Snacks with Santa" sponsored by the Winfield Jr. Women's Club. Some of the students who attend Leman Middle School live in nearby Winfield.. Photo of Students holding "Check" - Philippines. They called this fundraiser the "Grateful Loose

Community HS #218 - Dr. John Byrne A number of photos from District 218 students and staff volunteering at community events, fund raisers, and service projects, including a food drive at Shepard High School in Palos Heights and NHS students from Richards High School in Oak Lawn.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Athens Comm Unit #213 - Scott Laird Members of the Athens High School Drama team, dressed as Santa, Mrs. Claus and Elves, prepare to perform a holiday dance for a Trivia Night fundraiser to support the Arts. A Flute Chorus consisting of many different types of flutes performs at the High School Band and Chorus concert. Mrs. Beth Anderson, came out of retirement to lead the flute chorus for the concert.

Downers Grove Comm #99 - Dr. Mark McDonald Direct Action Students – Students at North High donated, wrapped and delivered gifts for 175 needy families, Holiday Singing at Nursing Home – Students from North High’s French Club sang holiday carols for residents at a retirement home Woodridge Tree Lighting – Students from South High’s Key Club dressed as elves for a community tree lighting ceremony; the group also donated gifts to needy families. Washington Relief – Students from South High’s Steppers, African American Male Leadership Group and DECA Club collected two truckloads of provisions to send to the community of Washington, which was devastated by a tornado.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Cambridge CU #227 - Thomas Akers Cambridge 227 FFA collected almost 2,000 canned goods for our local food pantry. The food goes to holiday meals and general food for the needy here in Cambridge

Salem Comm #600 - Brad Detering Salem Community High School's Annual Food Drive breaks all-time school record with 38,224 cans of food. The canned food drive is conducted the first two weeks of November in conjunction with the Ministerial Alliance.

School District #149 - Dr. Shelly Davis-Jones The Dolton School District 149 Superintendent, Administrative Team and Central Office Executives collected toys and coats for the Annual Christmas Coat and Toy Drive sponsored by the State Representative/Alderman Thaddeus M. Jones of Calumet City. The drive took place from October 25 through December 1. The picture represents the items collected. In the picture, from left to right are Gabrielle Herndon, Kathy Fejes, Dr. Shelly Davis-Jones (Superintendent), April Brown, Dr. Alicia Geddis, Sheria Robinson, Joyce Hoskins, Kathern Robinson and Joan Bozeman. Many others contributed to the drive as well.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Shawnee #84 - Shelly Clover-Hill Pictured are Shawnee High School Beta Club members with presents purchased as part of their Giving Tree to help students in need this holiday season. The tree in the background was made with the hands of the whole school, and ornaments were attached to it.

Community members took ornaments & purchased the gift described on it, or donated money to purchase the gifts. Over 77 gifts were purchased for students and 22 different families received food baskets. This is one of many service projects coordinated by the Beta Club.

Southeast Cook County Coop. for Special Education - Dr. Gineen O’Neil Ms. Sharon Day and Ms. Lottie Franklin Hathaway at the Braun Educational Center’s Holiday Store. The Braun Educational Center is a school that serves students with emotional disabilities in Oak Forest. These ladies are just a few of the Southwest Cooperative’s employees who volunteer their time to collect donations of clothes, toys, and other items to create the holiday store. All of the students participate in “purchasing” items from the store by displaying positive behaviors.

Opdyke-Bell Rive #5 - Debra Blakey The Opdyke-Belle Rive Grade School R.E.A.C.H. (Roadrunners Education and Community Help) Club went on a field trip on Wednesday, December 4 to the West Salem Church in Mt. Vernonand the

Countryside Manor extended care center in Mt. Vernon. They delivered 263 canned goods to the church which were donated by the O.B.R. students for Christmas food baskets. They also delivered cookies and played Bingo with the residents of Countryside. The R.E.A.C.H. Club has been active for two years, and has put in many hours of educational and community service to District 5.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Rockridge CU #300 - Dr. Chester Lien The annual Rockridge Food Drive was held in November and was another stunning success! All Rockridge schools participated in the Food Drive, which was coordinated by the RHS Student Council and their sponsor, Mrs. Aimee Neece. All of the food collected during the month was delivered on November 27th to the local food pantries in Edgington & Reynolds – therefore staying in our Rockridge Community. A whopping total of 9,500 pounds of food was collected by our students!

LaSalle #122 - Daniel Marenda Student Council at Northwest Elementary School gathered and boxed food to be sent to our local Food Pantry.

Steward Elementary #220 - Dr. Laura Nelson A Team Stephanie fundraiser was held in November to help one of our 6th grade students who was also cheerleader. Special activities organized during the basketball game helped to raise money for Team Stephanie. Stephanie was 10 years old when she was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Plans are in place for future fundraisers to help with rising medical bills.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Lockport Twp #205 - Dr. Todd Wernet At Lockport Township High School District 205, the spirit of giving is going strong. Our Madrigal singers performed at the annual Chamber of Commerce holiday luncheon. Staff and family were invited to learn more about holiday celebrations around the world by our special ed students at the Special Education Holiday Tea. We collected more than 1,000 toys during our annual toy drive Athletic Director Brian Goff and secretary Donna Pattison are pictured with the toys, which are donated to area hospitals for sick children.

Central Comm #301 - Dr. Todd Stirn At Prairie View Grade School, compassion is the Character Counts trait for December, and to help teach compassion for others, the 1 st /2 nd grade hallway was transformed into The Giving Mall , where each classroom was a store front. Students collected, brought in, and sorted donations needed by local charities. Each child had the opportunity to visit all the store fronts, where they stocked the shelves with the donations they brought in.

Riverdale CU #100 - Ron Jacobs Riverdale High School Rotary Interact members in Port Byron, with items they collected for "Operation Care Package", a volunteer 501(c)(3) public charity, dedicated to their mission that no Hero serving our Nation should be forgotten. These items will be delivered to the Illinois based organization for them to package, and send overseas to our Troops. Riverdale HS Interact members collected nearly 2,400 items for this cause.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Lockport Elementary School District #91 - Donna Gray Each year, Milne Grove Elementary School in Lockport District 91 has a giving sale for the entire community of Lockport. Items are donated and the event is similar to a garage sale but all items are free to families. Staff, Administration and volunteers work to organize the event and assist families as they shop. Staff members at Kelvin Grove Middle School in District 91 pull ornaments with information regarding a family in need. Staff members then shopped for these families and Kathy Henderson, the school social worker, arranged to get items to the families before the holidays. Girl Scouts at Milne Grove School collected food to donate to the food pantry in Lockport. Annual Giving Tree at Milne Grove School where staff, students, and parents adorn the tree with hats, gloves, and scarfs to be given to those in need.

Paris Comm Unit #4 - Lorraine Bailey Salvation Army – Crestwood school staff and family members rang bell for Salvation Army one Saturday at local Rural King store. Stuffing Drive – Student Council of Crestwood School collected 375 boxes of stuffing for local Christmas baskets Pink Night – Two local teams - Crestwood School and Mayo School girls’ basketball team raised funds for Breast Cancer Awareness Girls Basketball Pink Night – Money raised from actual game of Pink Night was donated to a Crestwood School family member benefit fundraiser. The fundraiser was hosted by school staff and held at Crestwood School.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Sullivan Unit #300 - Brad Tuttle Top two photos: The third graders opted out of a traditional gift exchange this year. They brought in shampoos, lotions, Chapsticks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, puzzles, ...to take to a couple local nursing homes. They travelled to Aspen Creek and Mason Point to sing Christmas carols and give their gifts! Bottom photos: In the spirit of Christmas giving, Sullivan Elementary School students in Mrs. Kramer's kindergarten class collected food items for the Moultrie County Food Pantry. Sullivan Middle School Student Council representing our annual canned food drive. We collected 695 total items.

Downers Grove Comm #99 - Dr. Mark McDonald Students at North High donated, wrapped and delivered gifts for 175 needy families; Students from North High’s French Club sang holiday carols for residents at a retirement home; Students from South High’s Key Club dressed as elves for a community tree lighting ceremony; the group also donated gifts to needy families; Students from South High’s Steppers, African American Male Leadership Group and DECA Club collected two truckloads of provisions to send

to Washington, which was devastated by a tornado.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Rochelle Twp #212 - Jamie Craven Volunteers from the Rochelle Township High School FFA & International Clubs in northern Illinois teamed up with Rochelle Community Hospital Nurses, the staff at Anderson Plumbing & WRHL Radio to distribute and deliver more than 200 Thanksgiving turkeys and boxes filled with non-perishable foods in spite of single digit wind chills.

North Palos #117 - Jeannie Stachowiak Beverly Pollit’s kindergarten class collected food for the Palos Township Food Pantry. Sorrick School students conducted a pajama drive for children in need. Oak Ridge School held a food drive to help stock a community food pantry and collected toys and gift cards to help a local children's hospital provide gifts for kids in the pediatric oncology unit. Glen Oaks School students collected pop tops to help raise money for kids who need kidney dialysis at a nearby Ronald McDonald's House. Oak Ridge School conducted an annual "Giving Tree" event in which students brought in gloves, scarves, hats, slippers and socks to help those in need.

Hiawatha CUSD 426 - Dr. Sarah Willey Mrs. Jorzak’s third graders collected items to be donated to the Clothes Closet in Kirkland. They feel they have experienced the true meaning of giving back to the community.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Des Plaines CC #62 - Dr. Jane Westerhold Central Elementary School's Student Council members sponsored a Snug Hug drive to donate hats, scarves, mittens, and gloves for families in need. 2nd grade students heard about the typhoon in the Philippines and did a coin drive to help.

Township High School District 214 - Dr. David Schuler Photo 1: Wheeling High School students sort food in the school cafeteria as part of school-wide food drive. Photo 2: Wheeling High School sophomore helps box canned food during student-run food drive. Photo 3: Hersey High School students organize food drive.

Woodridge #68 - Dr. Cathy Skinner Members of the Student Council and Builder’s Club at Thomas Jefferson Junior High co-sponsored a toy drive to benefit the local community pantry. There were so many gifts that it took more than 40 students over an hour to wrap them all! Chorus and choir members from Edgewood Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Junior High entertained a large crowd with holiday cheer at the Village of Woodridge tree lighting ceremony; Chorus members from William F. Murphy Elementary School in Woodridge School District 68 entertained residents at three different nursing and retirement homes. Students spread holiday cheer and encouraged audience participation.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Hononegah Comm #207 - Dr. Kim Suedbeck The Freshmen Student Council members from Hononegah Community High School collected over 200 bags of needed items for Carpenter's Place, an organization created to help the unemployed and homeless in the greater Rockford area. On a Saturday in December in Rockton, students canvassed the community going door-to-door to solicit donations. Students returned the following Saturday to the homes where people agreed to donate and pick up bags filled with needed items. Student Council members delivered the 200 bags to Carpenter's Place and plan to continue their efforts with Carpenter’s Place by making and serving breakfast to those in need.

Joliet Twp #204 - Dr. Cheryl McCarthy School Board Member R. Dale Evans, and his mother, Rev. Genevieve Brown, sing a special song for the children of the JTHS Infant Childcare Center; Superintendent Dr. Cheryl McCarthy and Assistant Superintendent Ilandus Hampton, made a special visit to the children in the Infant Childcare Center as Santa and Mrs. Claus; For the last five years, JWHS teacher Yvette Jacquet has organized the school’s Angel Tree gift collection through the Salvation Army. Each year the school gets between 50-60 tags, which contain gift suggestions for local families in need. With the help of over 63 staff members, JWHS collected more than 135 gifts; Media Specialist Don Gray dressed as Santa and read to children in the Steel Tot program; The JCHS Key Club and Human Relations Club collected 15 large boxes full of toys that were donated to Toys for Tots. We are so proud of our awesome students. Great work!

Norridge #88 - Kerry Leiby A Holiday Concert for the school community was held at John V. Leigh School, of Norridge SD 80. The concert was under the direction of Mr. Chris Bucaro and Mrs. April Radzik.

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Holiday Season of Sharing

Community Consolidated School District #181 - Dr. Renee Schuster The G.I.V.I.N.G. Committee of Walker School (Clarendon Hills) sorted through thousands of pieces of donated Halloween candy. Students, parents and staff then filled over 900 bags of candy to be included in holiday care packages for soldiers through Operation Save Our Troops - Illinois. The G.I.V.I.N.G. Committee (Girls and Boys Initiating Volunteerism in our Neighborhood and throughout the Globe) is an extra-curricular group that leads service-oriented activities benefiting the community; members include students, staff and families.

Community Consolidated School District #62 - Dr. Jane Westerhold Sixth grade social studies teachers and students raised more than$572 by making and selling lanyards. Alderman Patti Haugeberg helped by selling lanyards at a City Council meeting. The Des Plaines Self-Help Closet & Food Pantry and a family that was affected by flooding were the beneficiaries of this service learning project.

Carlyle #1 - Joseph Novsek Carlyle FFA members along with their advisor Mrs. Tamra Gerstenecker and Principal Joe Wilkerson traveled to New Minden, IL to assist with tornado relief efforts after an F4 tornado went through the town. For the fifth year in a row, the Carlyle Junior High School has participated in The Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive. Under the direction of Mrs. Lindsay Fark, our school turns into PJHS for a few short weeks. The beauty of this program is the partnership between the Pajama Program and the Scholastic Book Company. Not only will those in need receive a new pair of pajamas, but through the generosity of Scholastic, they will also receive a book!

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