After nine seasons as a member of the Frontier League, trying to help players who might have tried to get into the majors via the minor only to be released, the Normal CornBelters last year opted to go a different route and join the Prospect League beginning this season. The Prospect League, according to its website, “is a summer collegiate wood bat league.”

The purpose of the league is to: Provide family friendly, affordable baseball entertainment in the communities where our teams are located; Provide a summer baseball program for eligible college players to give them experience using a wood bat in a competitive atmosphere; And provide a venue to allow MLB Scouts to watch collegiate prospects using wood bats against live pitching in competition.

After nine years of being in the Frontier League, this will take some adjusting to, but the team’s new general manager, Todd Kunze, assures me fans will enjoy seeing college kids who are looking for their first taste of life in pro ball by playing in this collegiate league. He said scouts come to this league’s games, just as they did in the Frontier League, and the team’s new manager, Rick White. White has two assistant coaches, hitting coach Zach Quillian, and pitching coach Bobby Hunter.

If White’s name registers with fans, it’s because he played from 1994-1995, and again from 1998-2007 for, among others, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, New York Mets, Colorado, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Seattle. He has prior experience in the Prospect League as a manager with a team from Springfield, Ohio.

The players in the Prospect League are all currently attending college and to play in this league “is an extension of their college season and gives them an opportunity to be seen by pro scouts so that, hopefully, the scouts will help them so that teams will draft them,” White explained.

In some cases, White said, some players will get their first chance to be seen at this level, while others will receive additional looks while they’re here, having been seen previously.

“The number one difference between the Prospect League and the league Normal was in before is that these kids are still in college, so they aren’t getting paid,” White explained. “You won’t see much of a difference in on-field performance. The college kids hustle more. They’re always running off and on the field. They’re very personable, and they will always sign autographs.” In fact, for 15 minutes after every game, that’s where fans can find these guys – signing autographs for fans, White said.

Three Local Players On The Roster: In past years, the CornBelters have had many guys come through who, in some cases, literally, had to look up Normal, Ill. To know where they would be playing that summer. For three of the guys on the current 31-man roster, that won’t be necessary. They are: Pitcher Jackson Bronke, an Illinois State University junior; Redshirt freshman infielder Billy Mote; and ISU junior outfielder Jack Butler.

Normal Belongs In 6-Team Western Division: The season begins May 30 with Normal on the road for their first three games over two days. Normal will be a member of the 12-team Prospect League’s Western Division, joined by fellow expansion teams DuPage County Pistol Shrimp and Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based Cape Catfish, Hannibal (Mo.) Hoots, Quincy Gems, and Springfield Sliders. The league’s Eastern Division consists of the Danville Dans, Springfield, Ohio-based Champion City Kings, Ohio-based Chillicothe Paints, Lafayette Aviators, West Virginia Miners based in Beckley, W. Va., and the league’s reigning champions, the Terre Haute Rex. The teams play a 60-game schedule followed by playoffs. The CornBelters play their first homestand June 1 at 7:05p.m. and June 2 6:35p.m.against DuPage.

The Prospect League will hold its annual All-Star Game at The Corn Crib on July 23.

NORMAL – It can easily be said Normal Community West High School baseball fans are used to getting to playoffs en route to trying to make it to State. But when 4th seed Pekin put five runs on the board to go in front of the 2nd seed Wildcats at Saturday’s Sectional title contest, while the fans may have been nervous about it, Wildcats head coach Chris Hawkins wasn’t.

“We really weren’t frightened by this because we’ve won 29 games and been down before,” Hawkins said afterward. And the Wildcats had to come back from behind again in order to beat Pekin Community High School, 8-5, to take the Illinois High School Association Class 4A Regional Title at Wildcat Field May 25.

But while Normal West rallied to win, they won’t see Unit 5 rival Normal Community High School for the Sectional title. Top seed NCHS lost to 3rd seed Moline in the other Regional contest Saturday, 5-3. That put Normal West facing Moline in a Sectional Semifinal at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Jack Horenberger Field on May 29.

After leadoff batters went down in order for Pekin (15-9), Normal West pitcher Will Collinson led off the bottom of the first with a base hit, followed by an error that put center fielder Will Kafer on second and allowed Collinson to score, giving Normal West a 1-0 lead. Designated hitter Brandon Roth was hit by starting pitcher Brandon Antonio to put Wildcat men on first and first and second. Roth rounded the bases for a 2-0 lead due to Pekin errors as Wildcats Cody Hardt and C. J. Lewis hit into the outfield for outs.

Pekin scored three in the top half of the 4th inning on a single by leadoff man Cole Russell and walks of shortstop Max Jones and Nathan Righi and single by left fielder Chase Roepenack, putting the Dragons in front, 3-2. A solo blast over the center field wall by Wildcats first baseman Evan Hutson to start the bottom half of that same inning tied the game at 3-3. West shortstop Alec McGinnis singled, advanced to second on a hit by catcher Brennan Dietrich and stole third before scoring to put the Wildcats up, 4-3.

Pekin added two more runs in the top of the 5th inning courtesy of a Righi single which scored Isaac Chapman and a double by first baseman Evan Pogioli which scored Russell, putting Pekin up, 5-4, as Normal West enter the bottom of the fifth. Kafer and Roth led off the Wildcats’ half of the fifth being walked before a single by Hardt scored Kafer, tying the game at 5-all, and a Hutson hit scored Roth, giving the Wildcats a 6-5 lead. With one out, singles by Hutson and McGinnis allowed Roth and Hardt to cross the plate for the final runs of the game.

The contest was riddled with errors committed by both sides, but the Dragons’ 5 mistakes outpaced the two committed by the Wildcats. Collinson was the winning pitcher while

Being down “really didn’t frighten us because we’ve been down before,” Normal West’s Hawkins said afterward. He added that having not lost a game since March, he didn’t have to worry about players’ morale on the bench when they were down to the Dragons. “I simply told them, ‘we’ve lost the first half of the game, so, let’s go win the second half.’”

“What we saw from Normal West today was the same team we have always seen when we play them,” Pekin head coach Larry Davis said, elaborating he didn’t see anything different in how the Wildcats played against his team this time. “His pitcher stayed with it and fought through some adversity.

“It was an ugly game with five errors and only four hits,” Davis added. “If you had told me we had four hits and five errors, I’d say we got our head kicked in, but we didn’t.”

NORMAL – Normal-based Unit 5 School District Board members heard about students participating in a program which turned them into young authors, and about how a community business is helping students with furthering their education in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM. Board members received these details during their regularly-scheduled meeting held May 22 at district headquarters.

“Good News” About Young Authors: Each year, Unit 5 is participates in the Young Authors Program. The purpose of the program is to encourage and recognize student authorship. The district program is part of the statewide effort supported and endorsed by the Illinois Reading Council. The authorship process begins in the classroom and many teachers begin the writing process with their students early in the year.

The process for the students involves brainstorming and information gathering followed by a rough draft version of their manuscript. After revision and editing, a final manuscript is published. Students write fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. In addition to their original writing, students illustrate their text to enhance their work.

Each elementary and middle school in the district is allowed to submit entries to be considered for district level judging. A panel of junior high school student judges selected the winners. The 2019 Unit 5 Young Author winners are: Lauren Brooks, Roman Felix, Joanna Gonzalez, Lacy Hefter, Ishaan Jha, Alina Johnson, Amy Kieser, Sushma Kota, Elleigh Lang, Grant Marvel, Samuel McCoy, Claudia O’Connor, McKenna Phillips, Jonathan Schuller, Justinne Walker, Amanda Warren, Avery Wodika, Mason Wood, and Khushi Singla.

“Good News” About STEM Mentors From State Farm: Board members also heard about the State Farm Enterprise Technology STEM Team. This team is a group dedicated to providing mentoring opportunities to high school students involved in Computer Science courses and the Freshman Computer Science Associate’s Degree Program at both Normal Community High School and Normal Community West High School. Students in these classes benefit from the involvement and commitment of State Farm Mentors.

STEM Engagement Coordinators from State Farm partner with teachers at each school to provide an opportunity for a STEM Challenge Project, whereby the students identify a problem in their school or community, then work throughout the school year in teams to solve the problem using technology. Each student team is assigned a State Farm mentor who volunteers their time during a class period once or twice a month for the school year, leading the students through various facets of the project such as planning, problem solving, and critical thinking.

Generally, this program typically runs mid-September through April, and is supported by State Farm Enterprise Technology leadership. The students then get an opportunity to showcase their work to State Farm leadership, parents, teachers, school administrators and the local community.

Additionally, the State Farm Enterprise Technology Leadership Team also helps to provide volunteers/mentors and subject matter experts needed to assist with STEM activities and events at Unit 5 schools and within the community. A few examples of roles include: Being an event volunteer at one or multiple STEM related events to interact with students from a variety of age groups at events such as “Stemposium” events at the middle schools. The State Farm Enterprise Technology Leadership Team members are: Kevin Reeves, Nancy Smith, Jami Becker, and Julie Smith-Marshall.

Growth At Towanda Elementary Will Require Portable Classrooms: Board members heard from Towanda Elementary Principal Scott Vogel that his school is a little cramp these days. The school, which has 191 students, is experiencing a closed-in feeling and will receive two portable classrooms to try to alleviate the crowding. Joe Adelman, operations manager for the district, explained each portable classroom unit has two classrooms divided by a wall. He added the district is leasing the units for three years at a cost of $26,000 from a company in southern Illinois and that the units will be located on the southwest corner of the property.

Adelman said the district will put out bids for contractors to have concrete laid where the portable units will go, which will be followed by the portables being put in place. Schumer said third grade classes will use one portable and fifth grade classes will use the other portable. Adelman said the new concrete foundation and portables will be in place by late July.

Infinite Campus Update Given: Board members received an update on the Infinite Campus information system the district will spend two years paying for, and will replace the system the district has used over the past decade known as Skyward.

Michelle Lamboley, director of special education for the district, informed Board members set-up took place in April allowing for Infinite Campus to be used to keep track of summer school attendance. In addition, she said, teachers and district administrators were trained that month on how to send and receive messages on the portal. In June, she said, enrollment set-up training will take place twice during the month, and later that month, a refresher on registration of students in the system and report card set-up are scheduled.

Marty Hickman, Business Manager for the district, told Board members parents received an email on May 14 about the district formally switching to Infinite Campus with a link to follow so parents could find it and set new passwords. Parents failing to do this, he said, received a note asking them to go to Infinite Campus so they would be able to reset a password. He added online registration information will be coming to parents in July.

He said parents who had difficulty setting up a password should either call the district at (309) 557-4333 or email to campusquestions@unit5.org.

Social Emotional Learning Discussed: Board members heard from members of a district committee working to help staff as they help students with social-emotional learning skills. Board members heard from three teams of educators working with students, parents, and teachers on this matter.

Schedule B Committee Reports To Board: Until before this meeting, an internal group within the district, known as the Schedule B Committee, which looked at processes within the district, hadn’t met since 2014. But with teacher Gina Tenuta, an 8th grade language arts teacher, and Julie Hagler, vice president of Unit Five Education Association, or UFEA, spearheading its revival, the group is looking to get back to work to help the district.

Among the group’s recommendations were: Add 11 elementary school music teachers to the district payroll. In addition, the group would like to see a consolidation of 22 district chair positions into 11. Hagler said such a move would save the district money. Hagler and Tenuta also recommended the district consider a track coach at each of the district’s four junior high schools. They said there would be a savings in doing both of those for the district.

Board Votes To Abate Fund: Board members unanimously voted to adopt a resolution to abate the district’s working cash fund.

Executive Session Held: Roughly midway through the 3 ½ hour meeting, Board members adjourned to executive session for an administrative matter. That meeting lasted 27 minutes.

At a Normal Town Council meeting before he was elected a member of the Council in April, Stan Nord was a citizen refusing to pay a fee of $11,900 on land he owns at 2012 W. College Ave. Nord bought the property in 2017 and contends he won’t pay a fee that otherwise would have already been taken care of before now when sewer service was activated for that area.

At Monday’s Normal Town Council session held in Council Chambers on the fourth floor of Uptown Station, and with Nord recusing himself from the discussion as a Council member, Council members voted 5-0 to conditionally approve the final plat of a subdivision property Nord owns at 2012 W. College Ave.

The central concern in this matter is needing to pay sewer “tap-on” fee, which the Town imposes for properties where there are additional structures added to properties. The Town does this as a means to recoup costs. Both sides in this matter admit the fee in question should have been paid to the Town by a previous owner of the property Nord now owns.

Council members unanimously decided not to waive the fee Nord said shouldn’t be assessed to his property and is refusing to pay it. Nord bought the property in 2017 and contends he won’t pay a fee that otherwise would have already been handled before now when sewer service was activated for that area.

In addition to Nord excusing himself from the Council dais for the conversation on the matter, Mayor Chris Koos was away on business.

Council Member Karyn Smith, newly-elected with Nord in April, made a motion to have the Town waive the fee, but no other Council member seconded her motion.

Nord’s Pekin-based attorney, Ryan Powers, reasoned with Council members that prior owners of the land were allowed to use the property without the need to have it platted. He called the fee “burdensome.”

Media reports following the meeting indicated Powers informed reporters he and Nord will discuss considering whether to file suit in McLean County Circuit Court over the fee for his 2012 W. College Ave. land that both sides admit should have been paid by a previous owner.

Council Member Chemberly Cummings took issue with Nord’s approach in handling the matter with the Town. Smith then questioned whether Town Corporation Counsel Brian Day wasn’t tangled in a conflict of interest by representing the Town in a potential legal disagreement with a Council member. Day told Smith he represents “the corporate entity that is the Town.”

The land in question was developed without being platted in the 1970s, Day told Council members. He added tap on fees are not charged until the land is platted.

Council Approves Rezoning: Council members unanimously approved an ordinance which rezoned two properties for which the owner of the structures sought rezoned from B-1 General Business to R-3A Medium Density. The properties, whose owner is not identified in Town paperwork, are located at 803 Kern and 910 Kingsley. The rezoning was sought so that be used for multifamily use extensively rather than having to have a B-1 zoning designation for first floor occupants.

The owner sought more flexibility in use of the property granted by the zoning change, according to the report prepared for Council members by Town Planner Mercy Davison. The property at 803 Kern is a three-story structure while 910 Kingsley is a 2 ½ story structure with residents living on the upper floors.

Nussbaum Transportation Granted Expansion: Council members unanimously approved a pair of resolutions which will allow Nussbaum Transportation to expand their operations. The first resolution gives the okay for the business, located at 19336 N. 1425 East Rd., approving execution of a pre-annexation agreement with the Town. Nussbaum recently purchased 29 acres directly south of the current headquarters and 20 acres north of that facility. There are residences near that end of the expanding property.

A second resolution unanimously passed by Council members conditionally approved the final plat for his second subdivision to complete the expansion. Nussbaum’s plan went before a Normal Planning Commission public hearing on May 9 where only the applicant and his engineer addressed Commission members, after which the Commission voted 6-0 to approve the plan, which sent it on to Normal Town Council.

With regard to the annexation, subdivision, and development of the property, Nussbaum would receive reimbursement from the Town of the lesser between actual costs or $50,000, under the terms of the agreement between Nussbaum and the Town.

Public Comments Center On Connect Transit: During the public comments section of the meeting, citizens representing Citizens To Ensure Fair Transit, addressed Council members. Citizens To Ensure Fair Transit is a group looking for representation on the Board of the company which runs in-town bus service, Connect Transit. There is currently an open seat on the board for a Normal resident.

Omnibus Agenda Items Approved: Omnibus agenda items approved by the Council included:

• Approval of the minutes of the Council’s regular meeting held May 6, 2019.

• Approval of Town of Normal expenditures for payment as of May 15, 2019.

• A resolution accepting the low bid and awarding a contract to Astoria, Ill.-based K. K. Stevens Publishing Co. for the printing of the Parks and Recreation Department’s fall, winter/spring, and summer activity guides in the amount of $30,423.61.

• A resolution authorizing execution of an agreement with Naperville-based Hitchcock Design Group for professional design services for Maxwell Park Renovations in the amount of $91,700.

• A resolution waiving bids and authorizing the purchase of five Otterbine industrial aerators from Berkeley, Mo.-based MTI Distributing in the amount of $39,121.03.

• A resolution approving a memorandum of understanding with Illinois State University providing for audible/accessible traffic signal improvements at the intersection of College Ave. and University St.

Longer days and impatience on the part of students itching to get their summers started are but two signs the school year is coming to a close. For Normal-based Unit 5 School Board members, hearing an update on the current school year budget from the district’s budget manager can qualify as a sign summer and the end of another school year is fast approaching.

Marty Hickman, business manager for the district, explained earned assessed value of area real estate is being projected to increase .5 percent for levy year 2018. He added the anticipated three fiscal year payments for transportation from the State have been received. However, Hickman said when anticipated Federal starts to come in, it likely will be slightly less than what the district is accustomed to receiving.

The district’s education budget, however, is nearly $6 million overdrawn, Hickman said. The district anticipated spending around $100 million in fiscal year 2019 only to find they spent close to $106 million.

Hickman said the district’s education fund has a structural deficit of nearly $6.5 million. That, he indicated, was the result of a number of factors including increases in salary and benefits to be more competitive with other districts; adding positions to meet multiple needs; and an increase by the school board to the district’s insurance fund.

Hickman did say he anticipated a balanced budget of roughly $12.7 million to the district’s operations and maintenance budget.

First Student Introduces New Location Manager: A new person will be overseeing to it that buses operated by Cincinnati-based First Student Bus Co. will run on time to the satisfaction of the district. Robert Pawlik was introduced as the new location manager for the company, replacing Mark Bohl, who recently resigned. Chris Coyle, area general manager for First Student, introduced Pawlik to Board members.

Like Bohl, Pawlik has a military background. As a member of the United States Air Force while serving in Afghanistan, part of his job being in charge of logistics was to help shuttle Department of Defense personnel to various locations.

With 200 sq. miles to work with, Board Member Mike Trask told Pawlik during the meeting, the communication between First Student, district personnel, and the families whose children attend school in the district and are served by First Student needed to be “rock solid.”

NCHS & Normal West Combined “Good News”: From time to time, Normal Community High School and Normal Community West High School, although rivals in many competitions normally, get to find themselves honored for each contributing to the community in some small way. Board members were informed by NCHS Principal Trevor Chapman and Normal West Principal Dave Johnson that the schools have received national recognition for excellence in global education from Boston-based Education First High School Exchange. The schools each received EF High School Exchange Year Global Education Excellence Award. The award is presented annually to high schools that demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to international understanding and global awareness.

Jayme Corcoran, a representative for EF High School Exchange, explained 15 students from Europe and parts of Asia are currently participating in the exchange this year. Corcoran said a total of 1,600 schools nationwide were nominated to receive the award. NCHS and Normal West were among 370 schools who are being awarded the honor as a result of the nomination, Corcoran explained. She further explained the program has students from France, Japan, Austria, Sweden, and Norway, Thailand, and South Korea.

NCHS Reports “Good News” About Student Reporters: Chapman informed Board members that NCHS junior Evie Snoeyink was named to the All-State Journalism Team by Illinois High School Association – a distinction that placing her among the top 17 student journalists in the state. The All-State Team is the highest recognition for Scholastic Journalism in the State of Illinois, Chapman explained. Snoeyink serves as editor-in-chief of The Inkspot, NCHS’ student newspaper. This is the second consecutive year that the Inkspot has had a writer on the All-State team. Chapman told Board members the majority of students on the All-State are seniors making the honor noteworthy. He added Snoeyink was also awarded Honorable Mention for her reporting at the National Journalism Convention earlier this year.

“Good News” From NCHS’ “Not In Our School” Program: Chapman finished up with a report about progress made in the school’s “Not In Our School” program which is used to combat hate and address bullying, while build safe, inclusive communities within the schools. It is based on the Not In Our Town program. He spoke to Board members about NCHS seniors Ajitesh Muppuru and Kavya Sudhir. Muppuru and Sudhir are the co-founders and co-presidents NCHS’ Not In Our School program.

“I have worked with Aji and Kavya on various projects and am continually impressed by their maturity and dedication to fellow classmates and to the building,” Chapman told Board members. Recently, Chapman explained, among many projects Muppuru and Sudhir have taken on as part of their effort, they and other NOIS members worked to recognize 43 school employees from across Unit 5, District 87 and U-High for their work in making their schools more inclusive during an event held at Illinois Wesleyan University.

“Good News” From NAACP’s ACT-SO Program: Board members were informed by Chapman about the winners in the Bloomington-Normal NAACP’s Academic Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) Program. ACT-SO is a yearlong enrichment program designed to recruit, stimulate, improve and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among high school students, which was developed in 1978. The 9th Annual Bloomington-Normal ACT-SO Competition took place Saturday, April 27 at Illinois State University’s Schroeder Hall. Eleven medals were awarded during the awards ceremony April 28. Five gold medalists will travel to Detroit, Michigan, to compete in the 41st National NAACP ACT-SO Competition July 18 – 21.

Students named Unit 5 2019 Bloomington-Normal NAACP ACT-SO Olympians (The categories they were entered in and how they placed) are: Jess Bynum, NCHS Gold medal in Filmmaking); Aniya Thompson, NCHS (Gold medal in Music Vocal Contemporary); Keajia Hardin, NCHS and BACC (Bronze in Culinary Arts); and Aniya Thompson, NCHS (Bronze in Dramatic Arts: Acting).

“Good News” From Bloomington Area Career Center: Board members were introduced to a group of students from the Bloomington Area Career Center (BACC) who recently participated in the SkillsUSA Conference in Springfield. A total of 80 BACC students participated in 22 different competition categories, some of the students taking part in more than one kind of competition.

Nicole Meyer, Business Community Coordinator for BACC, introduced Board members to students who placed in their respective categories. The students (and the schools they attend), their competitions, and how they finished are: Nalley Ortiz (Normal Community High School), Silver medal in Cosmetology; Matthew Kennedy (NCHS), Brooke Porter (Normal Community West High School), and Macie McGinnis (Bloomington High School), Silver medal in Crime Scene Investigation. In that same competition, Haylee Jones (Normal West) and Claire Martens (Heyworth High School) earned a Bronze medal.

In the Health Knowledge Bowl, a team of students from a mix of area schools took home the Bronze medal. Those students (and their schools) are: Matty Wenger (El Paso Gridley), Kylie Cox and Anthony Mason (Bloomington Central Catholic), and Christian Shaffer (Bloomington High School). A quartet of Bloomington High School students teamed up to claim the Gold medal in this event, as well. Those students were Madeline Novotny, Faith Wieland, Piper Seglem and McKenna Groth.

In the T-Shirt Design category, LeRoy High School student Hadley McKenzie took the Gold medal while BHS’ Cindy Phung took the Bronze medal. In the Teamworks competition, a team comprised of Caleb Jacob (NCHS), Zac Nichols (El Paso Gridley), and Chase Ditchen and Wyatt Cotton (both Heyworth High School) won the Silver medal.

In the Technical Computer Applications competition, Normal West student Ethan Ficek claim the Gold medal with EPG student Aiden Mann claiming the Bronze medal. In the Promotional Bulletin Board competition, LeRoy High students Hadley McKenzie, Sarah Welander, and Eli Carroll earned a Silver medal. BHS students Rowan Dzik, Mattea Fry and Grace Marcy took the Gold medal in that same competition.

Two BHS students – Maimoonah Bush and Christian Shaffer – finished earning Gold and Bronze, respectfully, in the Medical Terminology competition.

“Those Who Excel” Award Nominees Announced: In his comments to the Board, Dr. Mark Daniel, district superintendent, announced Unit 5’s “Those Who Excel” Award nominees. The “Those Who Excel” awards are presented in October at a dinner at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Carol A. Reitan Conference Center in Uptown. The award recognizes both educators and non-educators who have made contributions to public and non-public secondary education.

The nominees for classroom teacher is April Schuermann, Normal Community West High School; Administrator nominee is Leslie Davenport, Fox Creek Elementary; Early Educator nominee is Brock Keller, NCHS; Education Service Personnel – Unlicensed nominee is Beth Kelly, Brigham Elementary. The volunteer nominee for Unit 5 is the late Charlie Crabtree.

Other Topics Covered: A first phase of a consolidated district plan and a few public comments surrounding the issue of disciplining children of color were also part of the session.