NORMAL – One might say the students who addressed Normal-based Unit 5 School Board members at the governing body’s regularly-scheduled meeting March 10 had fun and games on their minds. Specifically, fun they get out of games they play being part of e-sports competition. E-sports are video games which have become an organized function and serious business for high school students.

When the public comments section of the Board meeting began, Board members heard from two students who are E-sports enthusiasts and a parent who explained the educational value he believes are tied to them. E-sports is a form of sport competition using video games. They can often be organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams, according to a definition given by the website yellowbrick.co.

Normal Community West junior Luke Sherman informed Board members the team he belongs to, part of a game league call the Rocket League, won the State Championship, allowing them to advance to national competition, where the team placed 2nd. Such advances have earned players in the league scholarships, he explained. Those earning the scholarships are Quinn Gifford and Karen Ellis. Gifford has earned scholarships from Illinois Wesleyan University and St. Ambrose University. Sherman said Ellis was offered full tuition to Lincoln Land Community College.

Sherman said the group he belongs to is struggling to find funding to enter tournaments, hindering their ability to compete.

Normal West senior Tyler Van Draska added to the subject saying the team needs funding to compete. He said what funding they have – around $500 – “isn’t enough for the competitions we have been entering.”

Normal West Parent Ralph Whitsitt told Board members that after he did some research, he discovered a total of 175 colleges and universities have varsity E-sports teams. He characterized E-sports as “the next big thing,” re-emphasizing the information concerning scholarships offered for those who participate in such an activity. “Just because it doesn’t fit into a nice neat little box doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value,” Whitsitt added.

When he researched it, Whitsitt, a teacher himself, explained, he discovered it gave students “a sense of building community, a sense of offering something” to students. In seeking financial aid for this, he added, “I just at it as an opportunity to be at the forefront of something new.” He added it may be new, but explained Illinois High School Association is looking into adding it to its activities list.

Hearing Concerning Bonds Sale Held: The meeting began with a public hearing required by law concerning the district’s desire to sell School Fire Prevention and Safety Bonds in an amount not to exceed $5,150,000. Board President Amy Roser explained the bonds were being sold to provide funds to the district to use for various health/safety projects including an HVAC update at Chiddix Junior High School. No members of the public, either spoken or in writing, came forward or were presented at the hearing. A formal vote by Board members on the matter will take place at a Board meeting next month.

6th-12th Graders Headed Back To Class Four Days Per Week: In her comments to the session, District Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle explained sixth-12th grade students would be returning to the classroom beginning Monday, March 29 for four days a week, with Wednesdays serving as a solely remote day for students. Keeping Wednesday remote, Dr. Weikle said, allows teachers to connect with remote learners and answer any questions those students might have concerning assignments.

Beginning March 29, Dr. Weikle said, Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade students will be at school. That day, also, sixth-12th graders will not be in class so that teachers can use that time as a planning period, Dr. Weikle explained. On March 30, 6th graders will be attending daily at their junior high schools. On Tuesday, 7th-12th graders students with last names beginning L-Z will be in attendance following their hybrid schedule. On Thursday, that week, 7th-12th graders students with last names beginning A-K will be in attendance following their hybrid schedule. Schools will be closed Friday, April 2, Dr. Weikle said, observing a school board-based holiday established by the State.

Dr. Weikle said surveys went out to parents on the subject of sending students back into classrooms. She said the decision to have students back in class was made based on “a variety of factors but were not limited to “feedback from our families and staff, surveys the district put out earlier, union leadership, discussions with the McLean County Health Department, conversations with other districts, as well as looking at our own community metrics.”

Acknowledging district teachers have been teaching students both in a class and students who are fully remote, Dr. Weikle said teachers doing that are demonstrating “a unique talent that our whole staff has stepped up and done all year.

A survey Unit 5 sent out to all District families resulted in receiving 2,800 responses, with around 1,300 coming back with the first four hours after the survey was posted, Dr. Weikle said. “We had a great response,” she said. “I’m really appreciative of all the families who took the time to give us their feedback, as well as staff who completed surveys.

She added registration has begun for families who have students who will be attending in Unit 5 during the 2021-22 school year. On the Unit 5 webpage, there are pages for parents needing to register students, whether for kindergarten, current returning students, or for students brand new to the district. She added no fees are due at this time. Parents will be able to pay fees after July 1, she added.

“It’s really important families complete the registration process in March,” Dr. Weikle said, adding, “That helps us identify how many staff members we need at various grade levels.” She said with a teacher shortage in progress in the country, Unit 5 “wants to be in the forefront and not competing with other districts.”

Dr. Weikle also encouraged parents to complete a survey called the “5 Essentials” survey, created and overseen by Urban Education Institute at University of Chicago. Dr. Weikle explained, “This survey is a way for parents, teachers, and students across Illinois to send feedback not only to the district but also to the State regard your feelings school environment.”

The district recommends if parents taking part in the survey have students in more than one school, a survey should be completed per school. Names of participants and responses to the survey are kept confidential, she added. A link to the survey is on Unit 5’s website and surveys are due by Friday, April 2.

Board Approves Contract Extension With First Student Bus Co.: Board members unanimously approved a one-year extension with Cincinnati, Ohio-based First Student Bus Co. Without the extension, the district’s contract with the busing provider was set to expire June 30. The contract is now set to expire June 30, 2022. First Student’s first contract with the district was approved by Board members in 2012.

Next Board Meeting Set For April 14 At Normal Community West High School: District schools will observe Spring Break the week of March 22-26. The Board’s next meeting will be held Wednesday, April 14 at Normal Community West High School, beginning at 6:30p.m.

NORMAL – Typically, we hear the word Olympics and our minds immediately conjure pictures of events we may have seen on television, read about, or perhaps, even seen by being at such events in person. At Parkside Junior High School, roughly 100 students, whether learning while at the school or remotely learning as a result of the pandemic, have been learning about Ancient Greece.

For those sixth grade students present at the school, the experience gave the kids an Olympics-sized experience as they participated in Olympics-style events, giving them an understanding of what it must have been like, mixed with use of updated technology allowing them to record their successes.

PJHS Social Studies Teacher Beth Topping led 100 students in four sections, whether the kids were at school or learning from home as a result of the pandemic, having them take part in the event Thursday, March 4. Depending on the letter of the alphabet their last names started with, students either attended classes two days per week with everybody learning from home on Wednesdays, Topping said. Only about 13 students were home throughout the event while the rest followed the district school scheduling for home and in-person.

Up to the day of the event, Topping said, the students’ lessons included Greece’s geography, literature, drama, ancient Greece’s government system; political differences between Athens and Sparta, with the former concentrating on using war as a tool whereas the latter focused on cultural matters; and Greek culture.

To emphasize the competition, the students were divided into two teams, Athenians and Spartans. Determining which students were on each team was strictly by alphabetical order in her grade book, Topping explained. Team members could also be identified by magnets signifying which team each student belonged to. The teams also competed to see which hour’s class between the two sides was the best team, heightening the competition a little further, Topping said.

Topping said the events the students participated in were: Discus using a paper plate thrown like a Frisbee; Javelin using an unsharpened pencil; Standing Long Jump; and Shot Put using a crumpled half page of paper which they flung off their knee.

While they may have gotten a feel for an ancient culture by learning about Greece, students who participated also got a feel for technology of the future, using survey administration software called Google Forms to record how they did in competition, Topping said. From there, results could be transferred to an Excel spreadsheet, she added.

Students Had Fun Competing: The students were excited about learning their lessons, especially when taking part in a friendly competition was involved. For Emma Groves, throwing a piece of paper plate as though it were a discus in hopes of experiencing what it felt to be an Olympian was exciting for her, she said.

Halen Huett said he enjoyed the javelin competition, where an unsharpened pencil served as the object being hurled for posterity. Huett sent his javelin 26 feet, 5 inches, earning him a silver medal. “I wanted to see how far I could throw it,” he explained.

A wadded up piece of paper played the role of a shot put for Chloe DeMatteo who took first place in her event. She said also enjoyed doing the javelin competition, tossing it 16 feet 1 inch. Discus was also Christopher Bishop’s specialty, as he hurled his furthest throw 11 feet, 3 inches, earning him a first place award.

Chloe Cruthis was absent during the Olympics competition but said she found what she learned about Greek civilization interesting because it was the first time she had become aware of the subject.

For Hoyt Carter, learning about the history of the events in the Olympics interested him, he said. Some of what he learned appeared to rub off on him because he tossed a javelin 37 feet.

Prior experience in the long jump competition had Carson Frankeberger feeling confident about how he would do at that same competition. While learning about the Olympics, he said he was impressed by how creative the organizers were in coming up with various competitions for the athletes.

Erica House said she also enjoyed the event, and competed in the javelin throw, getting her pencil to sail 24 feet, 2 inches.

Winning Teams Received Prizes: The games may have been fun for the kids, but they also needed to take a final test including multiple choice and short answer questions on what they learned about Greece on March 5. Winning Olympics teams receive prizes, Topping said.

Topping said she had everything ready to go for last year’s lesson and competition, but last year, on March 13, Unit 5 School District shut down as a result of the pandemic, preventing any prizes from being given out, she added.

Topping said students in Unit 5 receive lessons which emphasize American history up until they reach sixth grade. As a result, for these kids, such lessons Topping teaches, she said, “are a first look at ancient cultures. The one thing they have heard about is Greek Mythology. They do get excited about how these ancient civilizations lived.”

NORMAL — Students in Normal-based Unit 5 School District who need help in math and literacy will receive help thanks to a new program presented to Board members at the Board’s regularly-scheduled meeting Feb. 24 at Normal Community West High School.

The program, introduced to Board members by Assistant Superintendent Michelle Lamboley, would aid students in Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade focusing on math and literacy with a social-emotional support component added. Parent requests for their student to be part of the program will be how students become involved in the program, Lamboley explained.

School preparedness will be what is focused on for younger students while older students will receive targeted instruction in areas where they are not meeting grade-level expectations, Lamboley explained.

Lamboley said the district anticipates the program would look to serve about 1,500 students, roughly five times more students that are traditionally helped during a summer school period. She added the program being proposed would be of help to students who “have not been able to close gaps” in their education during the regular school year.

Approximately 30 students would be in the Early Learning program at Brigham Elementary, while roughly 800 students would be in the Elementary program at three schools, Cedar Ridge Elementary, Northpoint Elementary, and Oakdale Elementary. Middle school students would attend at Kingsley Junior High School. At all locations, transportation would be provided, as would breakfast and grab-and-go lunches. Early Learning and Elementary programs would be solely in-person sessions.

Early learning, elementary, and junior high students would attend classes Monday-Thursday, June 14 through July 15, from 8:30a.m.-11:30a.m. Summer school for high school students is scheduled for 8a.m.-11a.m. and 12 Noon-3p.m. between June 7-July 2 at both Normal Community High School and Normal Community West High School. High school students would receive breakfast and packaged lunches. The high school sessions would be both in-person and remote.

“Those Who Excel” Award Honorees Recognized: The session began with nine educators being recognized with “Those Who Excel” Awards by Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois State Board of Education has sponsored Those Who Excel Award since 1970, in an effort to honor individuals who make significant contributions to public and nonpublic elementary and secondary schools. Awards are presented in five categories: School administrator, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteer and teams.

The teachers honored, and the schools where they work, and award given each are: Mark Huffman, Unit 5 Office, Merit Award as a Community Volunteer; Kim Johnson, Kingsley Junior High School, Merit Award as a member of Student Support Personnel; Paula Birsa, Normal Community West High School, an excellence award as a member of Student Support Personnel; Julie Watson, Northpoint Elementary, Merit Award for Educational Service Personnel; Carrie Chapman, District Office, Merit Award for Office Administration; Lauren Romero, Benjamin Elementary School, Merit Award in Classroom Teaching; Angie Codron, Normal Community West High School, Merit Award as an Administrator; Josie Bensko, George L. Evans Junior High School, an excellence award in Classroom Teaching; and John Bergmann, Normal Community High School, Merit Award in Classroom Teaching.

Two teams of Unit 5 employees also were recognized, as well. They are: Office personnel at Prairieland Elementary School which received a Team Excellence Award, and Unit 5 Office’s Family Coordinator Team which also received a Team Excellence Award.

In congratulating those recognized, District Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle called honorees “unique examples of the fine staff we have here at Unit 5.”

Normal Community High School’s “Good News”: Trevor Chapman, principal at Normal Community High School, in a “good news” report to Board members, introduced Board members to Aditi Sharma, an NCHS senior who was named the City of Bloomington’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Award recipient at an online ceremony in January. As a leader of Not In Our School and the founder of Inclusive Education Coalition, she has collaborated with peers and adults in her community to organize social justice events, informational workshops, charity events, and school curriculum reform. Sharma plans on double majoring in Political Science and Philosophy.

NCHS Students Address Standards Based Grading In Public Comments: Four NCHS seniors addressed Board members concerning Standard Based Grading. Standards-Based Grading uses a system which evaluates the student using a model that evaluates the student using a scale based on proficiency, and ranges from 1-to-4. The students who spoke to Board members argue the scale does not fit for all classes and teachers do not use it consistently across the board regardless of the subject. Unit 5 began using SBG during the 2017-18 school year. Since then, students have raised concerns about SBG being used.

Saying the district “overlooks why Standards Based Grading isn’t applicable to every subject,” Sri Nithya Yeragorla told Board members, “AP classes are meant to be complex and cannot conform” to the grading standards applied for SBG. She added students who take AP classes “are there to challenge themselves, not to have the grades filtered down so they will fit on a scale.”

“SBG is unrealistic in preparing students for the real world,” said Katie Krueger. She said it doesn’t aid students for when they must take timed tests such as SAT, ACT, or AP exams. She added SBG puts some students who must retake certain tests for one reason or another at a disadvantage. “The adult world does not allow for unlimited retakes,” she added.

Students “are open to hearing how exactly Standards Based Grading is improving our district, but so far, we have only seen problems arise,” Conner McClelland told Board members. “Lower performing students have been able to increase their grades, but Standard Based Grading requires a certain motivation to improve that not everyone has.” The result of that, he adds, those students don’t see their grades improve.

Sharma also addressed the issue, stating SBG “isn’t very versatile in every subject which leads to confusion grade interpretations which are reflected on students. SBG can be translated to percentages and these percentages can often be unfair to students.” She said under SBG, a student who does something 100 percent correct could get a grade of 90 percent, which she said is unfair. “It’s not only confusing, but it’s frustrating for both students and parents.”

She added students would like to be heard concerning their concerns about SBG, adding, “We really wish to be heard, and we would like to work alongside the district to reach a compromise. We won’t stop our peaceful opposition of this until we can reach some meaningful outcome that supports the interests of students and teachers.”

NORMAL – Following a public hearing required by the State, members of Normal-based Unit 5 School Board discussed considering a motion to submit a request to Illinois State Board of Education to renew a waiver allowing the district to maintain the fee the district charges for driver’s education courses. The hearing was part of the regularly-scheduled meeting of school board members who met in the cafeteria of Normal Community West High School on Jan. 13.

The Board’s vote on the waiver renewal will take place at a future meeting. If approved by the Board at that time, it would be sent on to Illinois General Assembly for approval, and should that governing body approve it, would last five years, expiring in spring 2026.

During discussion regarding the waiver, Board President Amy Roser explained the district wished to maintain the fee the district charges for those courses to stay at a rate not to exceed $450. By State law, Illinois school districts can charge a “reasonable fee” not to exceed $50, which can be increased to up to $250 after a public hearing. Unit 5 charges $250.

The district originally applied for the waiver five years ago, said Curt Richardson, attorney for the district, in his explanation to Board members. He said this request is different because the earlier request involved asking for a modification to the application whereas the current request was for a waiver. He said once the waiver request is received by ISBE, that body forwards such requests on to Illinois General Assembly which will vote whether or not to approve it.

The waiver, Richardson said, if passed, would allow Unit 5 to maintain the increased fee. State Statute 27-24.2 of the State School Code, allows districts to charge “a reasonable fee of up to $250” after a public hearing is held. “We don’t, actually, right now charge the total $450,” Richardson explained. “It just gives us a little room if we need to.”

In fact, Richardson said, personnel costs to operate it is what takes up 90 percent of the program’s cost. He added the requested increase “allows us to provide a quality program.” As a result, he said, the district can provide more in-car training. Without it, he said, students would have to wait longer for such training and the district would have to pay an outside firm for such training.

He said if the district had to pay extra money for the training, which might affect other courses the district could offer students. Richardson added once the five-year period ends, the district wants to be able to end it with a goal of telling the State that 85 percent of students who took the course came away with a grade of “B” or better. There were no public comments, either written or in person, before Board members voted.

Available COVID Testing Among Items In Superintendent’s Comments: District Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weichel reported to Board members students returned to school buildings on Jan.11. Dr. Weikle said she “was pleased with how well our students have acclimated getting back into the buildings and into a routine with their teachers” after months of remote learning from home via computer.

She added Unit 5 schools will receive $1 million in on-site COVID testing, thanks to two local businesses. Rivian Automotive and Reditus Laboratories have partnered to provide the service to the district. Rivian donated $500,000 to Pekin-based Reditus Laboratories for COVID testing and Reditus matched that amount. That will provide for 9,000 tests. The tests will be available specifically for Unit 5 students and staff at no cost to the district.

The logistics of the testing will be determined in the coming weeks and will be shared with district families when finalized. Dr. Weikle explained no one will be required to take a test. Testing will be done on a completely voluntary basis for students and district staff. “Such convenience and timeliness of providing on-site testing for our staff and students will help the district better monitor and control the spread of COVID in the schools,” she said.

Board Gets First Look At 2021-22 School Year Calendar: Michelle Lamboley, assistant superintendent, provided Board members with a first glance at the district’s 2021-22 school year calendar. She added the committee forming the next school year’s calendar tried to model the upcoming calendar after the one the district would have had this school year had the COVID-19 pandemic not disrupted matters. Wednesday, Aug. 18 is scheduled as the first full day of classes for the new school year.

Lamboley said, typically, a school improvement day would be scheduled for a Friday in April at the end of the month. But for the coming year, the committee opted to move it up to mid-April. Other than that, she explained, there are no major changes to the coming year.

Board Member Barry Hitchins asked that the upcoming calendar include a note that late start dates, those used by district teachers for in-service events, not apply to the district’s early learning program participants.

Board Member Alan Kalitzky said news about an upcoming calendar “is a great sign of progress that the district is planning to move forward with, what is hopefully, a traditional school year. And I am hopeful that we will see it to fruition.”

Next Board Meeting Scheduled For Feb. 10 At Normal Community West High School: This was the only meeting scheduled for the Board this month. The next Board meeting is slated for Wednesday, Feb. 10 in the cafeteria of Normal Community West High School starting at 6:30p.m.

NORMAL – Normal-based Unit 5 School Board voted unanimously approved an increase in the tax levy for 2021 at their Dec. 9 regularly-scheduled session held in the cafeteria of Normal Community West High School. The cafeteria was used to help participants maintain social distancing during the pandemic.

The levy increase would mean a tax levy of more than $130 million for taxes payable next year. That would be an increase of the levy to $121 million, or of 7.85 percent. As a result, anyone owning a $150,000 home would see their property tax bill increase by $141.

The vote was taken in time to meet the deadline for submitting it to the McLean County Clerk’s Office for filing. The County Clerk’s Office will verify the levy in March or April and begin collecting the tax in May or June.

While Board members approved the increase, it led to some audience members expressing their objections to it.

“Seriously, Unit 5, you want to raise our property taxes again in the middle of a pandemic?” parent Marc Judd inquired during the meeting’s public comment section. “Perhaps you haven’t heard businesses are closing for good numbering 12,000 plus so far in Illinois. There are people losing their jobs. Are you really that tone deaf?” Judd inquired to Board members as to whether the district had considered cutting spending rather than tax increases to solve the financial difficulty. Board members do not typically engage with public commenters during meeting, and therefore, did not respond to Judd’s question.

Board Votes To Fire Teacher Accused Of Abuse: Board members unanimously approved the firing of a teacher accused of sexually abusing his students. Jonathan Hovey was charged with sexually abusing two students, but those charges were later dismissed. Hovey was charged in 2019 with sexually abusing those students while employed as a first-grade teacher at Glenn Elementary School.

Hovey hasn’t been in the classroom since April of 2019. Unit 5 placed him on administrative leave one day after the district received information from a mother whose child reported being abused during the 2017-18 school year.

Broadcast radio reports indicated that during the ensuing investigation, Normal police learned of a second, similar allegation against Hovey during the 2004-05 school year. But no charges were filed in that case, and Hovey continued teaching in the district.

Superintendent Comments: District Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle told meeting attendees the district has sent out a survey to parents to see if they wanted to change their students’ learning environment from school to home or from home to school. The change would be from the second quarter of the spring semester through the end of the 2020-21 school year in May. Dr. Weikle said the responses the district has received from parents are currently under review so that the district can plan for potential staffing changes.

Dr. Weikle also informed that the district’s pandemic advisory committee has met to look ahead toward the spring semester. But first, she said, the committee has checked to see how the second quarter of the first semester has gone to see what aspects went well and which could be improved upon. With families gathering for holiday, she said, the committee has discussed whether a short quarantining period should be employed for safety reasons after winter break concludes.

In a group call with McLean County Health Department staffers, Dr. Weikle explained, the department representatives reported they can’t explain the recent spike in COVID-19 cases which the county has experienced. She said school-aged children may not have been tested for the disease until after they returned to school for the fall.

Dr. Weikle concluded her comments with, “I know a lot of us are probably feeling that COVID fatigue, but I ask, and even plead, for everyone to take extra precautions over winter break, not only to protect yourself and your loved ones to keep them safe and healthy, but so we can get students back in the buildings.” Doing that, she said, will reduce the disease’s spread and help allow getting students and staff back in classrooms.

“Lastly, I just want to thank all of our Unit 5 families for all you are doing to support your school students this school year,” Dr. Weikle concluded. “I know the year is not what you had hoped as far as how your students might be learning and it’s definitely different than you have probably ever experienced. But I really do appreciate all that you’re doing to support your students and your teachers.”

Dr. Weikle also expressed appreciation to District teachers and staff, saying “They’re working harder than they have probably ever experienced in their careers.” She said their efforts “are recognized and noted, so thank you.”

Life Safety Recap Presented: Board members received an update from District Operations Manager Joe Adelman concerning life safety projects expected to be completed by the district in the current school year. A total of 30 projects are on tap for the school year to be completed for 10 schools and the district office. They include items such as: asbestos abatement, roof repairs, parking lot repairs, work related to energy efficiency, pool pump repairs, installation of exterior lighting, and chiller replacement.

Renewal of E-Learning Program Approved: Board members unanimously approved renewal of a researched based program for e-learning days district wide. This would allow for students to learn remotely when students are not physically present in lieu of the district using emergency days.

Students Comment On Standards Based Grading In Public Comments: In addition to Judd, Board members also heard from a couple district students concerning Standards Based Grading currently being used in the district. Conner McClelland, a senior at Normal Community High School, addressed Board members, saying he had concerns surrounding Standards Based Grading, currently being used by the district. He was one of two NCHS seniors who expressed duplicate views concerning SBG. McClelland said use of SBG was shown to have lowered ACT test scores in the subjects of Math and English when a survey was taken. “Standards Based Grading is not adequately preparing students for Standardized testing and instills the opposite work ethic needed to do well,” he said.

He added, “Being in the midst of a pandemic, we should shift our focus to the urgent issue of students’ mental health and the effects of remote learning.” He added that “myself, other students, alumni, parents, teachers, and the teachers union all have expressed our doubts about Standards Based Grading.”

Standards-Based Grading uses a system which evaluates the student using a model that evaluates the student using a scale based on proficiency, and ranges from 1-to-4. The students who spoke to Board members argue the scale does not fit for all classes and teachers do not use it consistently across the board regardless of the subject.

Insurance Renewals Approved: Board members also unanimously approved renewal of insurance policies for the district. Those include property and general liability insurance, school board liability insurance, workman’s compensation, automobile, and group medical.

Next Board Meeting Jan. 13: With the Christmas holiday coming, there will be no second Board meeting this month. The next scheduled Board meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 13 in the cafeteria of Normal Community West High School, where social distancing can be employed, beginning at 6:30p.m. It will be the only Board meeting held that month.