From left, Emma Fraczek, Emma Noll and Emma McGough are congratulated by Board President Tracy Katz Muhl for their achievements in the Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Fair.

NBJH Students Shine at State Science Fair

The 29 NBJH Independent Science Research students who participated in the Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Fair in Peoria last month each came home with an award.

NBJH students brought home 18 gold awards, 7 silver and 4 bronze. Special awards went to:

• Best in Category Behavioral- Emma Fraczek
• Best in Category Zoology- Lily Smolik
• Best in Category Environmental Science- Lily Musslewhite

Additionally, three students were nominated for the Broadcom Masters competition. Emma Fraczek, Emma Noll and Emma McGough received the nomination, which designates their projects as among the top 10% of middle school science fair projects in the U.S.

The Board of Education recognized these accomplishments as three students, Emma Fraczek, Emma McGough and Emma Noll, explained their projects to the Board.

“Every student who took Independent Science Research this year has learned valuable scientific skills that will be useful in high school. I love how this course is not just about scientific inquiry but allows me to be in a coaching role that pushes students to improve in so many skills,” said Amber Paull, one of three science teachers who works with ISR students. The other teachers are Mark Frye and Lauren Johnson. The course is offered to 7th- and 8th-grade students.

District Focuses on Cybersecurity

The district began working with Net56 in June 2019 to enhance and strengthen cybersecurity efforts. The district tech team meets monthly with the firm to discuss security upgrades and stay up to date on the latest cybersecurity issues. Todd Spight, Net56 Chief Technology Officer, said the district has improved security in seven main categories and meets federal requirements. Work next year will include developing an incident response plan, ongoing security awareness training for staff, and expanding multi-factor authentication where applicable.

While there is no such thing as ‘perfect protection,’ Mr. Spight said, the district has improved its security efforts more than 300% since 2019.

Health Metrics Update

The district, township and county have been experiencing a spike in COVID cases the last five weeks, but the trend may be subsiding, Superintendent Dr. Larry Hewitt said. This outlook is based on the most recent internal health data, which is from the first two days of the week. The district expects to be functioning normally through the end of the school year. Incoming superintendent Dr. Jason Pearson will oversee planning for opening next school year.

Betsy Buckley was appointed Assistant Director of Student Services for Meadowbrook & Greenbriar schools. Ms. Buckley is currently a Special Education Coordinator in Glen Ellyn District 41, a position she has held for four years. Prior to that she served as a Therapy Coordinator in St.Charles Community Unit School District 303 where she led the district’s speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists across 16 schools, K-12. She has her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Health Science Communication Disorders and her Master of Education in Administration with a Director of Special Education Endorsement. She was selected from a pool of 10 applicants for the position.

The following certified staff candidates were approved by the Board of Education for the 2022-23 school year.

Elizabeth Cummins – Kindergarten, Meadowbrook

Ms. Cummins has been an early childhood and kindergarten teacher at The Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago from 2007-2022. She earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education in 2002 from the College of Mt. St. Joseph and her master’s degree in early childhood education from the Erikson Institute.

Michelle Guada – Psychologist, Westmoor

Ms. Guada has teaching degrees in elementary education and special education. She will be relocating back to the Chicagoland area from Florida, where she has served as a school psychologist with Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Lisa Russell – 2nd Grade, Meadowbrook

Ms. Russell has served as a 1st-grade assistant since 2016 in at Meadowbrook. Prior to working at Meadowbrook, Ms. Russell taught 3rd grade for 15 years at Vintage Hills Elementary School in Pleasanton, CA. She received her bachelor’s degree from California State University-Los Angeles before relocating to Illinois with her family.

Kalina Vnoucek – Kindergarten, Meadowbrook

Ms. Vnoucek graduated from Illinois State University a bachelor’s degree in

education and earned a master’s degree in Educational Administration from DePaul University. For the past 16 years Ms. Vnoucek has worked at John T. McCutcheon Elementary School in Chicago where she has served as teacher, Dean of Primary Grades Pre K-2, and Dean of Operations and Community Partnerships. She has also served as a coach and mentor teacher.

Joanna Wsol – 4th grade, Westmoor

Mrs. Wsol brings seven years of experience as a 4th-grade teacher to her new position at Westmoor School. As a 4th-grade teacher in Wheaton School District 200, she used co-teaching models in both math and English as a Second Language (ESL). Mrs. Wsol received the Distinguished Teacher Award during her time in District 200. She earned a master’s degree in education with course work in ESL and curriculum and instruction and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from National-Louis University.

The district started science curriculum committee work this year as part of the regular curriculum revision process.  Beginning last fall, a 45-member committee representing every grade and school in early childhood through 5th grade, as well as all the science teachers in the junior high, met six times. Also included in the committee is the Science Instructional Supervisor at Glenbrook North, Assistant Superintendent Kris Raitzer and Director of Learning Michelle Jackson.  

The goals of this year’s work included:

● Engaging in learning focused on building a strong, shared knowledge base;

● Conducting a needs assessment including gathering feedback from staff, students and parents as well as reviewing achievement data; and

● Identifying strengths and areas of need in the current curricular programming.

Deborah Carlberg, a 3rd-grade teacher at Greenbriar School, said the committee built a shared understanding of the scientific mindset involving eight practices that define inquiry, which is aligned to how scientists and engineers approach their work.

 “In order to build a rich curriculum, there’s more to it than adopting a textbook. We need the freshest, newest thinking and experts in the field to shape our kids’ thinking,” Ms. Carlberg said.

The committee is working to pace the science curriculum through K-12, build a common language and understand what students need to know entering high school. The committee is also diving deeper into next-generation science standards and how to ensure students see themselves as scientists and engineers. 

Next year the committee will:

● Identify, review, and select new resources as needed;

● Plan for professional development; and

● Communicate the vision for student learning to staff, parents, and the community.