Waukegan school board to promote culture and traditions; ‘When students have a sense of belonging … they do better'

Chicago Tribune

25-04-2025

Seeking her seat on the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education two years ago, Christine Lensing did a lot of listening on the campaign trail.
She said she heard community members talking about the safety, climate and culture of the city's public schools.
Growing as a board member, Lensing continued to sense something was lacking in the overall atmosphere in the schools, which hindered the students from achieving their full potential. She talked about it at the March 11 meeting. Shortly afterward, she accepted a challenge.
'We had discussions on climate and culture, but I did not see the necessary things being done,' she said. 'I talked to the board president (Brandon Ewing) and he told me to write a resolution so we could all talk about it. I did.'
The District 60 Board unanimously approved the Lensing-authored 'Resolution Regarding the Significance of School Culture, Climate and Traditions' Tuesday at the Lincoln Center administration building in Waukegan, giving the administration guidance on how to put it into effect.
'This is something that had been happening and we had been hearing in the community, things in the tradition and history they wanted to see preserved in the Waukegan public schools,' Ewing said. 'This memorializes what is the hope and will of the board.'
Delving into the individual treatment of school community members, their safety, old and new traditions, student self-expression, the need to belong, inclusion, celebration of achievements with the community and more, the resolution gives the administration direction.
'This will help meet the needs of our community,' Lensing said after the meeting. 'This is about issues (some) people have with safety, with climate, and culture of our schools. We need the entire community to come together.'
Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said after the meeting that much of what is contained in the resolution is already in place. She and her administration will closely monitor evolving situations. Culture and climate impact student performance, she said.
'We know when students have a sense of belonging in school and in (its) curriculum, they do better academically,' Plascencia said. 'A lot of this is already present. We have to ensure people are respected and supported in our environment. It's a top priority.'
Going beyond respect and support, the resolution said belonging is a 'fundamental human need' which brings 'reduced anxiety, lower risk of chronic illnesses, mental health, better academic performance, intrinsic motivation (and) enhanced safety.'
Preserving school traditions is important, according to the resolution, by 'reinforcing a sense of belonging, shared identity and value and creating a sense of continuity through shared experiences and rituals.'
Specifically, the resolution requires honoring longstanding traditions while supporting, 'thoughtful creation of new traditions' aligning with District 60's mission. Professional development will be provided to enhance culture and climate. Student voices must be heard.
Self-expression of students is also encouraged in part by, 'finding creative ways to share their authentic selves in the arts, to include but not limited to music, dance, drama and art in order to promote a sense of belonging and a welcoming school environment,' according to the resolution.
Plascencia said making students, teachers and staff safe, and other stakeholders comfortable, remains a high priority.
'We want to ensure our stakeholders know and feel that they belong to our school community,' she said. 'Hopefully they will remain in our community and mentor our future students.
'We want there to be pride with how each student identifies with their school either as a Jaguar (John R. Lewis Middle School), a Bulldog (the high school) or a 39er (Jack Benny Middle School),' Plascencia said.