Latest news with #WaubonsieValleyHighSchool
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
District 204 continues construction work funded by last year's bond referendum, with classes starting Tuesday
Students at Indian Prairie School District 204 returning to school on Tuesday for the first day of classes are likely to notice some changes to the buildings they learn in — in some cases, from the moment they walk through the front doors. Over the summer, school buildings across the district have been undergoing renovations, from more secure entryways at 11 elementary schools to an overhaul of Waubonsie Valley High School's auditorium to LED lighting installations across district schools. Some of the projects have been finished in time for school starting, while others are still underway. Last year, voters approved a proposal from District 204 to sell up to $420 million in bonds to pay for facility improvements, according to past reporting. Without the bonds, the district would have needed to cut the equivalent of 50 full-time positions to pay for some of these projects. The bonds are to be paid for using a continuation of an existing 37-cent property tax per $100 of equalized assessed value that would otherwise have expired at the end of 2026. That means the tax rate for residents in terms of their contribution to capital projects would effectively remain flat. Since then, the district has been preparing for major projects across district buildings that are set to extend through 2032, according to past reporting. The projects include school-specific renovations at Waubonsie Valley High School, Neuqua Valley High School, Metea Valley High School, the Birkett Freshman Center and Gregory and Hill middle schools, along with district-wide safety and security upgrades, LED lighting installations and other infrastructure projects. Several of those projects got underway this summer. The largest project in terms of referendum dollars — slated to receive $130 million in bond sale funds over the duration of its renovations — is the upgrades at Waubonsie Valley High School, which this summer has undergone a major auditorium overhaul that is set to be completed later this year. That project, OK'd by the District 204 school board in March, is costing $7.6 million, according to past reporting. The project includes new seats, house lights, theater lights, sound systems, flooring and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades meant to bring the building up to code, district leadership previously said. Waubonsie Valley High School Principal Jason Stipp said one feature of the new seating, for example, is adding aisles in its front section, which that portion of the seating didn't have previously. Stipp also pointed out the ADA upgrades as one major change that's part of the project. Before, he pointed out on Thursday, attendees who needed an accessible entrance had to enter through a side door that takes the individual along the side of the stage and into the auditorium's house. Now, they can enter the building through the auditorium's main door to get to their seats. Student performers who need an accessible route can use either entrance. The auditorium won't be ready for use when school starts on Tuesday, according to Stipp. He said it's slated to open later in the fall. In the meantime, the freshman play is going to be relocated to the library, he said, and the fall play may also have to be held elsewhere, depending on construction progress. Another project the district has pushed for is upgrading the entryways to school buildings to be more secure. They did these upgrades at 11 schools this summer. The idea for the 'secure vestibules' is to make it so that schools have a single and secure entryway that requires visitors to first interact with the main office before they can get into the school, according to past reporting. Some schools — like McCarty Elementary in Aurora — also saw other renovations, like new flooring in parts of the school, replacing formerly carpeted floors. McCarty is also in the process of getting LED lighting installed. But, since that work can be done at times when students aren't at school, those projects will be happening in the district throughout the year, Shipley explained. That's another project happening district-wide. Shipley explained that they're prioritizing the schools located in Aurora first because of rising energy costs in the city. 'We are prioritizing things that'll save us money in the long run,' Shipley explained as to why the LED lighting project happened this summer. 'The energy efficiency piece and the LED lighting, that's something that really rose … over the last year or so when we really looked at where costs were going.' He explained that the list of projects were rooted in the district's master facilities plan, which was adopted in 2023, according to the district's website. The summer and fall projects were projected to come in at around $40 million across this fiscal year and next, Shipley previously said. But, in addition to projects that are still underway, the district is also planning for the next phases of its renovations. The secure entryways will be done at the rest of the district schools in phases in the coming years, Shipley said. The district is also doing renovations at Neuqua Valley High School that will bring freshman students — who have for more than 20 years spent their school days at the separate Birkett Freshman Center — back to Neuqua's main campus starting in 2027, according to past reporting. The Neuqua renovation is also set to free up Birkett for other district uses in the future, according to past reporting. For example, it's slated to house the district's STEPS and Gail McKinzie programs, district leadership has previously said. STEPS, or Supportive Training Experiences Post-Secondary, is a job training program for students with special needs. Gail McKinzie High School, also part of the district, offers a credit recovery program for students. The district is also planning for Birkett to house its Pathways program, which provides career-oriented offerings, along with a welcome center for the district's community support and social service initiatives, labs for kindergarten through eighth grade STEM education and meeting and gathering spaces. To fund future phases of the facilities upgrades, the district will be doing two more bond issuances, slated for 2027 and 2029, according to past reporting. Shipley said they're 'materially on schedule' in terms of the timeline and budget for work so far, and said that any impact from tariffs and inflation has remained 'in line with what (the district) initially budgeted.' And the auditorium is just the beginning of the work happening at Waubonsie Valley. Shipley said that part of the reasoning for starting with that renovation is that it's 'pretty self-contained,' in that it wouldn't have a significant impact on the school's day-to-day operations or future construction work. In the spring, work is beginning on Waubonsie's stadium, Stipp said. Part of that renovation involves making its field a turf field, so it can be used more widely. Right now, for example, P.E. classes are held on the practice field, rather than the main one, Stipp said. The stadium is slated to be closed starting after spring break this year. In the spring, construction is also starting on Waubonsie's cafeteria, Stipp said. Much of the building's interior work, he explained, will be ongoing through the 2026-27 school year, and referred to it as the 'one real tough year,' as far as construction goes. Getting used to a changed space is likely to be an adjustment. Stipp, who said this school year will be his 14th as principal, noted that Waubonsie is the oldest of the district's high school buildings. It opened in 1975. 'I think people will miss this building when it's said and done, just because they like the, kind of, the quirkiness of it,' Stipp said. But he's enthusiastic about the improvements — including the fact that the work stretching over multiple years means students from different classes will get to see the results of the work going up around them. 'A lot of times you just go through construction and see nothing because you live through construction,' Stipp said. 'But every class will have seen one of the new areas renovated by the time they graduate.'
Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Indian Prairie School District 204 to pilot weighted grading system this school year
Indian Prairie School District 204 is piloting a weighted grading system this year, with the goal of standardizing grading and promoting equity across the district, according to district administrators. The district will be testing out the new weighted grading practice at the middle and high school levels, according to a presentation to the school board on July 7 by Deputy Superintendent Louis Lee and Waubonsie Valley High School Assistant Principal Montrine Johnson. Under the recommended grading practice, student work is divided into two categories: formative and summative. Formative assessments, including things like quizzes and entrance and exit slips, would be weighted at 20% of a student's grade. Summative assessments — cumulative evaluations, such as unit tests, final exams, projects and essays — would be worth 80% of a student's grade. This recommendation came out of research done by a committee of educators and administrators, according to the presentation. The committee looked at grading-related topics like re-takes, zero's, formative and summative assessments, the role of homework and extra credit in grading and resources for students with 504 plans and Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, and multilingual students. Formative assessments are 'low-stakes,' Johnson said at the school board meeting on July 7, and show students 'exactly where they are, what their strengths are and the areas in which they need to grow.' Summative assessments, on the other hand, are meant to measure the knowledge and skills that a student has learned. The rationale for the weighted grading system includes a focus on more equitable grading, Johnson said, since the grading system looks at students' mastery of topics and skills and lets students know what they're aiming for and what their grade represents. It also standardizes grading practices, Lee told the board. The district currently has over 250 different gradebooks, he said, to track and measure grades. 'That many, just, different forms of how we're valuing work…is inconsistent, sends the wrong message to students,' Lee said. Both administrators acknowledged that criticism of this sort of grading practice exists. Lee noted that, for example, weighting can devalue formative assessments, and impact student motivation to do daily work. But the district's sub-committee looking at formative and summative assessments, for which Johnson was a co-facilitator, ultimately landed on recommending this 80% and 20% grading system. A couple middle schools already have similar weighted grading systems, the district administrators noted. The board responded with numerous questions about the proposed system — and some concerns. Board member Susan Demming, for example, asked about the specific percentages that were decided on. Johnson said these percentages were common in looking at neighboring schools, and said that the committee felt the percentage for summative assessments couldn't be more than 80%. Board vice president Supna Jain asked if the idea is for this grading system to be a guideline or a requirement. Lee said the long-term plan is for it to be a requirement, but that there would be flexibility as to, for example, how assignments are categorized and how they're designed. Board member Mark Rising expressed concern about the weighting of formative and summative assessments. 'We have very different learners across our district,' Rising said. 'And when we're setting an 80/20, formative-summative (system), we are automatically setting up kids for failure, in my opinion. There are kids that their homework, their extra credit sustains their grade. There are some kids that have test anxiety. I fear we are creating not a more equitable system, I fear we're creating a more inequitable system.' To the board's questions, Talley noted that this sort of grading already exists in the district, meaning it's not an entirely new system, but it isn't standardized across district schools and classrooms. He said he asked this work to be done over three to five years because 'of the questions that people are asking' and that this is the beginning of the process for the district. Lee, too, pointed to the timeline as board members shared their questions and concerns. 'We want to provide a long runway for this,' Lee said. Meanwhile, the sub-committees are continuing to work on grading and implementation, Lee said. Re-takes, for example, are one point of concern. Lee noted that re-takes are common in college, for standardized tests and post-graduate examinations, and said they are evaluating what role they should have in classes in the district going forward. The weighted grading pilot will be starting in the fall, according to the presentation, and is set to include both teachers already implementing a similar system and some that aren't, Lee said. The total number of classrooms and teachers participating in it will not be finalized until teachers return in August, Lee told The Beacon-News. From there, Lee said the plan is to present data from the pilot to the school board in the spring, train teachers starting in August 2026, and potentially implement the grading system as standard policy in August 2027.
Chicago Tribune
09-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Trailblazer challenge offers prizes for nature-themed missions; Naperville residents named Presidential Scholar candidates
Trailblazer challenge offers prizes for nature-themed missions The Forest Preserve District of Will County is challenging residents to take part in the Be a Trailblazer spring session, which will give away more than $10,000 worth of prizes. Starting this week and continuing through Saturday, May 24, the competition begins by downloading the free Goosechase app and entering the code PQNL75, a news release said. Points are awarded for completing nature-themed missions, and a leaderboard will show who is in the top spots. However, prizes will not be based on points, the release said. Each mission completed will count as an entry in weekly giveaways for themed T-shirts. Prizes also will be connected to specific missions, earning everyone who successfully completes that mission entry into a random drawing. Sponsored by the Nature Foundation of Will County, prizes include kayaks, sleds, Fitbits, Yeti coolers, tent and sleeping bag packs, fishing equipment, hiking poles, picnic packs and more, the district said. There is no limit on the number of prizes that can be won. Naperville residents named Presidential Scholar candidates Numerous Naperville students from several high schools have been named candidates for the 2025 Presidential Scholars program, which honors distinguished graduating high school seniors. The U.S. Presidential Scholars program, established in 1964 to recognize the nation's top seniors, selects about 4,000 general program candidates mostly based on test scores, a news release said. About 650 students will go on to be named semifinalists and, from there, about 160 students will be selected as Presidential Scholars. The Naperville candidates are: Waubonsie Valley High School (Naperville residents): Mannsha Assudani, Sajiv Harikrishnan, Anjali S. Madheswaran, Sanvi Maganti, Rida Majeed, Shruthi Muthiah, Vikram J. Narasimhan, Wing Y. Ng, Prakrti Senthil and Akshath Sivachidhambara. Neuqua Valley High School: Neel Chawla, Aditya Rakshit, Andrew Z. Wan, Andy W. Yu and Alexander Zhao. Naperville North High School: Chloe S. Chen, Jai Gupta, Aanika M. Parekh, Anderson Peng, Sophia R. Xi and Cathy Yang. Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (Naperville residents): Shrikar Dulam and Kumara Venkata Sadkr Malladi. Isaac Chang, of Naperville, also made the list. Applications due Tuesday for KidsMatter SpringBoard Summer Series Teens 16 and older who want to participate in KidsMatter's SpringBoard Summer Series must apply by Tuesday, April 15. The free program allows high school students to explore various professions, completing classwork and having field experiences in a variety of career sectors, a news release said. Now in its third year, the series has expanded to include a new Physical and Life Sciences program at Fermilab in Batavia. Other programs include Survey of Healthcare Careers, Pharmacy Technician Prep Course and Construction Management and Trades, the release said. All costs are covered, including books and fees. Students should indicate on their applications if transportation assistance is needed. Sessions will be held in early June and early August. Instruction is led by experts, and some programs provide college credit through the College of DuPage or the opportunity to complete the Teen Mental Health First Aid certification from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. For more information, go to Naperville Woman's Club donates $26,000 to charities The Naperville Woman's Club has distributed $26,124 to charity from the money raised through Glam Witches Night Out, the Clay Space Empty Bowls project, member donations and a partnership with the Downtown Naperville Alliance and local businesses. Some of the recipients included Loaves & Fishes; Metropolitan Family Services; Families Helping Families; KidsMatter; Humanitarian Service Project; Ready, Set Ride; Naperville Riverwalk Foundation; Almost Home Kids; and the Alzheimer's Association.
Chicago Tribune
25-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
District 204 board OKs $7.6 million auditorium renovation at Waubonsie Valley High School
Students at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora will be getting an upgraded auditorium next year, following approval of the project by the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education on Monday evening. The project, set to begin over the summer, includes over $7.6 million in renovations, according to the agenda for Monday's board meeting. The overhaul includes new seats, house lights, theater lights, sound systems, flooring and other replacements, according to a letter from John Robinson, the district's director of facility operations, to the school board included in Monday's meeting agenda. There will also be an 'aesthetics upgrade' and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades throughout the auditorium, bringing the building up to code, officials said. On Monday, the board also approved building permits for summer 2025 capital projects, and statement of completion forms for capital projects that have been completed already. The auditorium project and other capital project-related approvals were approved unanimously in the consent agenda at Monday's meeting. The auditorium renovation will be paid for with funds from bond sales, District 204 Chief School Business Official Matthew Shipley told The Beacon-News in an email on Tuesday. The money for the renovation will be coming out of next year's budget since most work for the project will be completed after June 30, the end of the district's fiscal year. In November, voters approved Indian Prairie's proposal to sell $420 million in bonds to pay for facilities updates, according to past reporting. In recent months, the district has planned for a series of building renovations using money from the bond sales. In early February, the board OK'd more than $3 million in flooring replacements, about $2.1 million in paving work, just under $1.5 million in roofing and gutter repairs and about $600,000 for four new playgrounds at schools across the district, according to past reporting. The district will also be constructing secure entryways at 11 elementary schools, a project coming in at just under $10 million, as well as replacing lighting systems at several schools with LED fixtures meant to be more energy efficient, and installing remote access at 22 district schools to allow personnel to check the schools' HVAC systems remotely. These projects were approved at the district's last board meeting. For projects taking place over the summer and stretching into the fall, Indian Prairie plans to spend around $40 million across this fiscal year and the next, Shipley has previously said. The next bond issuance for capital projects, set for this summer, is likely to be over $100 million and will be factored into next year's budget. The bonds are being paid for by continuing an existing 37-cent property tax per $100 of equalized assessed value that was originally set to expire in 2026, according to past reporting. That means the tax rate for residents in terms of their contribution to capital projects would effectively stay the same. The $420 million in bonds will be issued through 2029 for projects through 2032, Shipley previously said. But after those funds are used up, the district will need to find a way to generate $10 million each year for capital projects for existing buildings, Shipley has said. And more bond issuances aren't an option, he said, because they'd still be paying off the old ones. The auditorium renovation at Waubonsie Valley is likely the last major capital project to be approved for the summer, Shipley said on Tuesday. The district has said it plans to provide a budget update at the board's May 5 meeting, and an update on June 16 on some of the projects funded by last year's bond sale referendum.
