Westmont
EDUCATION
Pritzker signs bill creating new Department of Early Childhood
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday creating a new cabinet-level state agency dedicated to early childhood education and development. The new Department of Early Childhood, which will become operational in July 2026, will take over programs currently housed across three state agencies, including funding for preschool programs, child care centers and the licensing of day care centers.
Cruising into safety, Bethel Local Schools hosts Safety Town
Bethel Township recently hosted its annual Safety Town program June 17-21 at the new Bethel Elementary School, catering to 56 enthusiastic incoming Bethel kindergarten students. Kids showed up ready and excited for Safety Town. Those of you who didn’t have the pleasure of cruising on the masking-tape-made roads and Big...
School's out, crews are in
The second floor of Madison School offers a great perspective on work taking place on a three-story, two-classroom addition that is part of a $19.2 million construction project to allow District 181 to offer full-day kindergarten in the fall of 2025. Playground improvements also are taking place at Madison as part of the district's summer improvement projects. The Oak School main office (shown) and classrooms also are undergoing renovations and four new classrooms will be built. Work is taking place at six of the district's seven elementary schools. (Jim Slonoff photos)
SIUE Newcomer Among High School All-American Honorees
EDWARDSVILLE - Emma Czech, an incoming freshman for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) women's soccer, has been named a high school All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. Article continues after sponsor message. Reach Your Local Community with Us!. Czech, hailing from Lockport, Illinois, is one of 43 individuals nationwide to...
A guide to human geography | Teachers' Lounge Podcast
On a new Teachers’ Lounge podcast, we’re talking with Colleen Guccione! She’s a social studies educator at Bolingbrook High School. She’s also a 2024 Illinois Teacher of the Year finalist. We talked with Colleen about her career in education where she’s done everything from writing curriculum...
From high schooler to civil engineer
West Lawn man’s 8-year path leads to job with top company. It’s a daunting question for any high schooler: what do you want to be when you grow up?. Had anyone asked West Lawn resident Jose Reyes in 2016 when he was in high school, he might not have had a clear answer. He knew he liked STEM but didn’t know what to do with that interest.
Montgomery Police Sergeant graduates from Northwestern University police program
The Montgomery Police Department announced Wednesday that Sergeant Daniel Gonzalez recently graduated from Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC) in Plainfield. The ten-week program was held from January 16th to May 17th. Established by the Center for Public Safety in 1983, the SPSC has seen 21,000 students...
MVCC, SD218 offer STEAM classes
Kids have been rushing back to the classroom this summer. Through an educational collaboration with Moraine Valley Community College, Community High School District 218’s STEAM camp, students entering grades second through eighth have been learning more about science, technology, engineering, art and math over the break. These fields are...
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