Featured News - September 2007
Urbana High School Choir Gives “Thank-You” Concert to Area Artists, Donors
Mural Project in the UHS Music Room Complete
[featured 9/28/07 - 10/1/07]
Members of Urbana High School music programs have a colorful, bright room to learn their craft this year, thanks to a local artist, his assistants, and donations from the state of Illinois and the Urbana Super Wal-Mart.
This summer local artist Glen C. Davies and several student artists painted murals in the music wing of the high school. To help pay for the project, the Illinois Arts Council granted the high school $1,000 and Super Wal-Mart in Urbana granted the high school $500.
One mural depicts the UHS music room and all the different groups that rehearse there. Two other murals show how students can make use of their music talents after they leave high school. There are several other colorful music murals adorning the hallways in the music wing. Choral Director Angelica Franklin says the goal of the project was to “highlight the music program with more of an artistic look in our wing.” Franklin continues, “We really wanted to brighten the hallways and brighten the rehearsal room. The paintings were intended to inspire students to keep continuing in music after high school by showing different possibilities.”
Davies says he enjoyed working with the student volunteers saying, “We had a dedicated core of students who came on a regular basis over two weeks (this summer). I have done work in over 80 schools in Illinois and I like to create work that creates an atmosphere of imagination so that people in an educational atmosphere have a sense of what the visual arts do to enrich their environment.”
Super Wal-Mart General Manager Billy Dicus and Community Outreach and Training Coordinator Lorrie Lauckneer attended the ceremony. Franklin showed the class a plaque that will adorn the music room wall underneath the murals with the names of the artists and sponsors that helped make the artwork a reality.
In addition to the grant from Wal-Mart, the Illinois Arts Council grants, private donations covered the rest of the cost.
Urbana High School Soccer Coach Reaches Milestone
Randy Blackman Coaches 450th Game
[featured 9/27/07 - 9/28/07]Randy Blackman never intended to be a soccer coach, however on Wednesday members of the Urbana High School Soccer Booster Club and members of the community surprised Blackman in ceremonies marking his 450th game as soccer coach at the High School. The ceremony for Blackman happened right before Urbana played Centennial.
The entire community kept the ceremony a secret, and Blackman was surprised by all the attention. “I was very surprised and honored. Most of all I was very proud of my team. They played well. Just want to thank all the students and rest of the Urbana community for their support,” Blackman commented after the game.
Blackman was a wrestling All-American at Eastern Illinois University and a three time Greco Roman wrestling national champion. He came to Urbana hoping to be a wrestling coach. He was an assistant wrestling coach when Urbana High School added the soccer program in 1986. There was one problem—no one applied to be the soccer coach. Administrators cajoled him into taking the position. Blackman had never played or coached soccer and knew nothing about the sport, except for a class he took at Eastern Illinois University. 22 years later, as they say, the rest is history.
Soccer Booster Club President Sherry Bolin says Blackman deserves the plaudits from the community. “My daughter played for him and now my son plays for him. I really respect him as a coach. He pushes the kids academically and he strives not only to make thae kids good athletes but make the players better people, and I really respect that,” Bolin commented.
Fans at the game waved pictures of Blackman during the ceremony and the cheering almost drowned out the public address announcement of Blackman’s milestone. The booster club presented a plaque and other gifts to Blackman to mark the occasion.
Thomas Paine Kindergarten Parents Learn About New Literacy Curriculum
[featured 9/25/07 - 9/27/07]
Kindergarten students at Thomas Paine Elementary School are learning to spell and read words not just by learning letters, but also by learning letter sounds. The program is called Jolly Phonics, a literacy curriculum for kindergarteners that began in England and has gained popularity in the United States. Thomas Paine parents learned about the curriculum with the help of their children recently at a special breakfast and program at school.
Thomas Paine Literacy Leader April Hixson explains Jolly Phonics saying,
“It’s a step-by-step approach where we introduce the students to all 42 letter sounds in the English language, and learn all of them by winter break. And when they come back (from winter break), they’ll be reading books based on that sound that they’re learning. Students are taught to identify letters based on their sounds and they’re able to blend them more quickly, and then the letter names follow.”
Hixson says she and the kindergarten students have the chance to get the parents up to speed on this new way of learning. “It’s a fun opportunity to show the parents what they (the students) know, and teach the parents (Jolly Phonics), because this is really new to them. They need to understand that we’re doing because it’s a whole dichotomy shift; we no longer do letter of the week, we do sound of the day,” Hixson says.
Parents and students were able to enjoy a breakfast in the Thomas Paine cafeteria while learning the new phonics curriculum, and then Hixson briefed the parents on how they can help their children learn at home.
This is the second year of the Jolly Phonics program at Thomas Paine and Hixson says the preliminary feedback has been very positive. “Last year we received enormous support and its something the parents don’t want to let go of. They really like it a lot,” Hixson says.
This new phonics program is only at Thomas Paine currently and Hixson hopes other schools see that it’s a success and incorporate it. Hixson says, “It’s really gained momentum in the U.S., particularly in Illinois.”
Urbana High School Triples Advanced Placement Course Offerings Over Three Year Span
[featured 9/24/07 - 9/25/07]
Urbana High School students now have three times as many chances to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and earn college credit. In the 2003-2004 school year, Urbana High School offered three AP courses. Today the high school offers nine AP courses.
If a student takes an AP course, they then can then take a test in that course. “AP courses are the equivalent of a college freshman course in that area. Most students prepare an entire school year for an exam although some exams (notably economics) are one semester courses,” says Christine Hopkins, AP Coordinator at Urbana High School. If a student passes the test, they can earn college credit. “Most exams are 3 hours in length and include a multiple choice part that is machine scored as well as a free-response part that is scored by actual teachers of college courses in that subject area. Scores are then combined and are on the scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best,” Hopkins explains. On average, 63 Urbana High School students take 120 AP tests each year.
The high school offers AP courses in Literature and Composition, Economics, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Studio Art, German, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. “It is very important for UHS to offer an array of Advanced Placement courses. We recognize that not all of our students are interested in the same subjects so we offer several differing courses to increase the probability that students will find a subject they enjoy and subsequently enroll in the course. AP courses are challenging and it is to the students' benefit to have an interest in the material and content being explored,” say Urbana High School Principal Dr. Laura Taylor.
The College Board is very strict in making sure all AP courses pass muster. Assistant Principal Greg Johnson says Urbana High School AP teachers worked many long hours submitting the required paperwork to the College Board so it could verify that AP classes are of a high quality. “It’s a pretty lengthy process, and last year our teachers tackled it really well,” Johnson says. Johnson adds some teachers had to submit 30 page documents to the College Board. All Urbana High School AP courses have been approved by the College Board. All AP teachers at Urbana High School volunteer to teach AP courses, and they have to attend required training in the subject they teach.
Urbana High School has to make a large investment in AP courses, but Taylor says it is worth every penny. “In order to triple the number of Advanced Placement offerings, Urbana High School has made a significant commitment in terms of faculty allocation and training, in addition to funding. Start up costs for some of the science courses can run upwards of $3,000 and the annual cost to run some of the courses is much more than running a standard class. In addition, teachers must be trained in order to be qualified to teach Advanced Placement courses. The training can run from $100 to $500 for each teacher,” Taylor says.
Johnson echoes Taylor’s comments about the diversity and value of AP courses offered at the high school. “There are certain courses we offer here that other (schools) don’t offer,” Johnson adds. He also says parents are pleased and impressed with the vast array of Advanced Placement offerings. “It’s those types of classes parents are looking for. They’re looking for AP to be the extras, kind of the icing on the cake and it makes us a more attractive school,” Johnson says.
Washington Early Childhood School Raising Funds for Playground
Local Sam’s Club Donates $500 to Playground Effort
[featured 9/20/07 - 9/24/07]
Washington Early Childhood School received a $500 matching grant from Sam’s Club to help renovate the playground. Washington Early Childhood School hopes to extend its classroom outdoors by refurbishing the old playground for its 325 pre-kindergarten students.
“Right now our playground is mostly swings and rocks,” says Principal Crystal Vowels. She continues, “What we’re trying to do is to create outdoor learning centers and take all the early learning standards (from the state) and try to meet them in an outdoor setting. (Our students) need large motor movement, they need to explore nature, they need to understand nature, they need to understand the science of nature and that’s all outdoors. Now it’s time to take what we do so well indoors and take it to the next level outdoors.” Vowels says the school is making sure the revamped playground will reflect the Illinois Early Learning Standards.
Vowels says the playground project will take several years to complete. Washington Early Childhood hopes to add the following improvements:
- Dramatic Play Center: Costumes, accessories, and a wheelchair accessible platform stage.
- Music: Outdoor drums and musical panel.
- Water Center: Water works wall and drinking fountain.
- Large Motor Skills Center: Obstacle course with tractor tires, balance beam, climbing bars & ropes, ball nets, funnel ball.
- Fine Motor & Quiet Areas: Sand table, sensory garden, busy gears station, communication tubes, painting easels, and park benches for resting.
Vowels says each part of the playground will be educational. “It’s very purposeful teaching through play. It’s very purposeful learning through play. Best practices and research shows that’s how children at this age and developmental stage get most of their knowledge,” she explains.
Washington Early Childhood School serves students ages 3-5 who have special needs or who are identified as at-risk academically for elementary school.
For more information about Washington Early Childhood School and the playground fundraising project, please contact Vowels at 384-3616.
Urbana High School Agriculture Program Receives State Grant
[featured 9/19/07 - 9/20/07]
The Illinois State Board of Education has endorsed the fledgling Urbana High School Agricultural Education Program by granting the department $5,000. Urbana High School is one of seven high schools in the state to launch an agricultural education program this school year. First-year Agriculture Teacher Mike Martin says agricultural education has been offered in Illinois high schools for over 100 years, and it is gaining popularity in suburban and urban school districts. “There has been a growing emphasis in floriculture, landscaping, and environmental science in schools. Agricultural education teaches courses in all three areas. There are lots of things that we plan on offering students that is unique and valuable to them, even as non-farmers,” Martin says.
The Urbana Agriculture program will start out focusing on two threads: mechanics and environmental science. “The grant money will be put towards things for student use and get the mechanics club up and running. Next year we will offer Advanced Mechanics and Technology that will be for more in-depth welding practices and an environmental science course. Both of these threads meet the demands and needs of the community according to the Big Small All community planning report,” Martin says. He continues, “Because this is the first year of the program, it will take at least two years to get all courses up and running.”
Martin plans to start a Mechanics and Engineering Club for students that will offer them educational, vocational, leadership, and social opportunities. Students in the class will also have an entrepreneurial experience. “Students can make a project (metal, wood, etc.) of their own design and sell them for a profit that they can keep, as long as they pay for the materials themselves,” Martin explains.
In the future Martin hopes to have his students plant a native Illinois ecosystem on the grounds between the high school and the middle school.
“All of my students will have the chance to succeed through education, vocational, and leadership opportunities both inside and outside the classroom,” Martin says.
Urbana Middle School Class Celebrates Constitution Day With Competition
[featured 9/18/07 - 9/19/07]
- Quick, what amendment ended slavery in America?
- What amendment gives women the right to vote?
- What amendment inaugurated prohibition nationally?
- What amendment repealed Prohibition?
- What are the eligibility requirements to run for president? Keep reading for the answers.
Students in Donald Barbour’s eighth grade history class had five seconds to answer those and dozens more questions Tuesday as part of Constitution Day Celebration lessons at Urbana Middle School. The United States Constitution was adopted September 17, 1787, and federal law requires all schools who receive federal funds to teach about the Constitution on Constitution Day.
Barbour’s classes split up into six teams for the Constitution quiz. Barbour asked a question about the Constitution and once students buzzed in they had five seconds in which to answer the question. At the end of the class the winning team received 100-Grand (the candy bar, not money!), and other prizes. “I’ve noticed that kids love competition and games, so I found a buzzer system in a supply catalogue and we’ve adapted this (lesson) into a quiz show and the kids really respond to it,” Barbour says.
And the kids really did respond. Students’ hands were furiously tapping the buzzers as they tried to be the first to answer Barbour’s questions. Students on the sidelines could barely contain themselves as some questions stumped the panelists. The panelists could refer to pocket-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution during the game. The students appeared to really thrive on the competition. Student Glenna Hartman says she enjoys playing the Constitution game. “It’s fun to compete with people. It’s learning but still fun.”
“They (students) are learning a lot as they work and share and get the information, and we may repeat a question here and there, and they listen and learning becomes fun,” Barbour says.
For more information about the Constitution Day celebration, please see www.constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday.
As promised, here are the answers to the questions:
- The 13th Amendment ended slavery.
- The 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote.
- The 18th amendment instituted Prohibition.
- The 21st amendment repealed Prohibition.
- You have to be at least 35 years old and be born in the United States in order to be eligible to run for President of the United States.
Urbana Middle School Teacher Wins State Award
[featured 9/17/07 - 9/18/07]
Urbana Middle School can boast of having a state teacher of the year. Deborah Tamimie has won the 2007 Outstanding Teacher in Family and Consumer Science.
Tamimie received the award this summer at the Illinois Association of Career and Technical Education conference in Springfield, IL. The award recognizes teachers that have outstanding educational programs utilizing methods, techniques, and activities integrated into the curriculum that provides the stimulus for and give visibility to Family and Consumer Sciences.
“I was surprised and very honored to receive the award. It's important to me that other teachers of Family and Consumer Science respect how I teach the life skills that everyone needs,” Tamimie says. Tamimie is also proud to teach family and consumer sciences saying, “Some of the most important things we need in this world such as food, clothing, shelter, and direction for our lives are the focus for the Family and Consumer
Science curriculum. We teach the life skills to meet these needs.”
Urbana Middle School Principal Nancy Clinton is happy for Tamimie’s award saying,“One of the highest awards received by a teacher is recognition from your own professional organization. Deb truly deserves the award, ‘Teacher of the Year’, as selected the Family and consumer science teachers’ professional organization. She is exceptionally hard-working, dedicated and always willing to assist her colleagues and her school. For Deb to receive an award of this magnitude speaks very highly of the quality of teachers we have at Urbana Middle School.”
Urbana Middle School Science Teacher Wins National Award
Janice Hari Recognized for Unique Classroom Lessons
[featured 9/14/07 - 9/17/07]
Urbana Middle School Science Teacher Janice Hari’s backyard science lessons have won her national recognition from the Entomological Society of America. The Society has announced that Hari has won the 2007 President’s Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Secondary Education, recognizing her unique science lessons.
Hari worked with University of Illinois Ph.D. ecology candidate Matthew Richardson to incorporate interactive ecology lessons for her eighth grade students. “We shared a vision that eighth grade students could do original research. Using Matthew’s expertise as a researcher studying insects, students were able to develop and do real science investigations. One of the class’s investigations has been accepted for publication in The American Biology Teacher,” Hari says. One class exercise had students catch insects at home and share their research with their classmates. “Students are engaged and motivated when they explore science in their own backyard,” Hari explains.
Richardson is a member of the Entomological Society of America and he nominated Hari for the President’s Prize. He says, “As a member of the Entomological Society of America, I was certain that Mrs. Hari not only met the high standards of the President's Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Secondary Education, but far exceeded them.”
Urbana Middle School Principal Nancy Clinton says, “Mrs. Hari is a teacher who exemplifies the phrase, ‘lifelong learner.’ She is always involved extra activities geared toward new and different student learning.”
Urbana School District High School and Middle School Under Heightened Security
Phone Call Leads to Extra Precautions
[featured 9/14/07]
Urbana High School and Middle School took extra precautions yesterday September 13 after an overnight phone call. At 8:42 p.m., September 12, a caller left a phone message at Urbana High School stating that there are “guns and stuff” in schools. The caller said the warning was for Urbana High School, Urbana Middle School, and “all the other schools around here.” High School Staff heard the message this morning and took extra security measures on September 13 along with Urbana Middle School.
Students passed between classes as usual on September 13; however there were no hall passes issued during a class period. High School and Middle School staffs were vigilant for any suspicious activity. Other Urbana School District buildings were notified and are aware of the situation.
“We are working with Urbana Police and Champaign Telephone Company to try and find the source of the phone call. We have the ability to trace phone calls and we are collaborating with authorities in this investigation,” says District 116 Superintendent Preston Williams.
Williams says Urbana High School and Middle School plan to return to normal security measures today, September 14.
For more information, please contact Preston Williams or Mark Schultz at 384-3600.
Urbana School District Schools Will Have Normal School Day
[featured 9/14/07]
Urbana School District #116 schools will have a normal school day today, September 14, with normal security procedures.
School district administrators and school principals have decided to use normal security procedures for today’s school session. There will be no heightened security procedures.
New Teachers in Urbana School District #116 Mentored by Veteran Teachers
[featured 9/10/07 - 9/12/07]
We all remember being nervous the first day in a new job and the daunting feeling of having to learn new procedures and skills. For new teachers that nervousness and learning curve continues all year. That’s why several experienced Urbana School District teachers are drawing alongside their new colleagues to mentor them through their first-year teaching experience.
“Teaching is a job that requires constant ongoing professional development; there really isn’t a way to prepare student teachers for everything they’re going to encounter in their first job. It’s important to have someone who can check in on you, remind you of deadlines, help with a sticky situation you have questions about, and provide some suggestions about classroom instruction,” says Alexis Jones, New Teacher Mentor Coordinator for the Urbana School District. Jones says 40 teachers have signed up for the mentoring program.
Mentors will meet with their protégés several times, including three observation sessions in a classroom setting followed by a debriefing. The school district also encourages mentors and protégés to meet informally during the year to discuss teaching issues.
Veteran teacher Jacinda Crawmer loves being a mentor. “It just makes me feel good to even help in the littlest way,” she says. Crawmer says she’ll work with her protégé on many aspects of teaching, especially classroom management in the first months.
Crawmer is mentoring first-year teacher Mynette Followell. Followell says, “Not only am I new to the building, I’m new to the district and new to the profession. I feel like it is my duty to seek all the help I can get. I want to start off on the right foot and not make mistakes that are easily avoided by having a mentor.”
Cheryl Milewski is a teacher mentor and she says she could have benefited from a program like this when she was new to the profession. “Fortunately, I had friendly, helpful teachers around me who did help when they could. It would have been really wonderful to have had a program where I knew there was a certain person I could ask and depend on to help me,” Milewski says.
Milewski hopes to help shepherd her protégés through the challenges they face being a first-time teacher. “I help with very practical elements such as the set-up of their room, the supplies they currently have and will need, and how to organize their day. Many teachers appreciate help with daily needs such as student behavior, what to teach, and the implementation of the USD116 core expectations,“ she explains.
Julie Erlinger is a teacher mentor and she finds the experience rewarding. “The most satisfying aspect of being a teacher mentor is the relationships that are built and knowing that I’ve helped someone in some way. I learn from the new teachers also, and so I become a better teachers as well,” Erlinger explains. Mentor Christopher Luffman also enjoys the experience. “I like working with new people because I know I am making a difference for them during their first year in the district,” Luffman says.
Followell sums up the feeling of most first year teachers who have signed up for the mentoring program by saying, “My goal is to be the best educator I can be, and having a mentor as a first year teacher is essential to obtaining that goal.”
Volunteers in Urbana School District #116 Undergo Strict Background Checks
Volunteers Must Pass Background Checks Before Entering Schools
[featured 9/7/07 - 9/10/07 and 9/12/07 - 9/14/07]
All Urbana School District volunteers must submit to and pass a criminal background check before being allowed to interact with Urbana School District #116 students.
District 116 is requiring background checks for all volunteers who are in the classroom more than three times and who are working with students other than their own child. “We are monitoring and clearing all adults and college students who are with our student population to reduce the risk of having people who don’t belong in our schools,” says Gayle Jeffries, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.
Superintendent Preston Williams says, “We apologize to our volunteers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our children is paramount, and this background check is necessary to safeguard District 116 students.”
All volunteers must submit to a criminal background check and be finger printed. Those fingerprints are then sent to the Illinois State Police and the FBI. Those fingerprints are used to check to see if the person has any legal infractions. All potential volunteers must pass the criminal background check before working with Urbana School District students.
Students and Teachers Return to Clean, Refurbished School Buildings
Nearly All Classrooms Are Air-Conditioned
[featured 9/4/07 - 9/07/07]
While the summer months may not see much student activity at school buildings, the months of June, July, and August have been hectic ones for Urbana School District #116 building and grounds staff. Director of Facilities Services Ota Dossett says his staff and contractors did around 1.4 million dollars worth of cleaning, repairing, inspecting, and refurbishing work to District 116 buildings.
However, Dossett says it’s all in a day’s work. “The Urbana School Board has been upgrading the facilities constantly over the last ten years. This is a continuation of the Board’s long-term vision to offer quality environments to facilitate the educating of Urbana children,” Dossett explains.
While the August heat is gripping the region, most District 116 classrooms are nice and cool. Dossett says all elementary buildings have an air conditioner unit in each classroom, the middle school is air-conditioned, and all but the 1914 wing of the high school is air-conditioned.
Some of the most dramatic changes this summer have taken place at Prairie and Thomas Paine Elementary Schools. Workers removed asbestos-containing floor tile in the classrooms and also took the time to refurbish classrooms. “To accomplish this requires us to empty every room and presents a perfect opportunity to paint and upgrade the space while all the furnishings are removed,” Dossett says.
Urbana School District #116 Superintendent Doctor Preston Williams says this summer’s cleaning and refurbishing projects represented a great start, but only a start. He says the public “will see that the Board of Education is committed to upgrading our facilities.” Williams continued, “It’s very important that our community and parents feel good about the school where they send their child. We want our facilities clean, but we also want the buildings to be in optimal condition. We want parents and students to take pride in the school they are attending.”