November 7, 2024

At our November 6 Barrington 220 Board of Education meeting, we recognized 14 Barrington High School students named 2025 National Merit Semifinalists. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. The students now have the opportunity to compete for about 7,000 scholarships, worth nearly $26 million. Congrats to Milana Carse, Dylan DeLeon, Sarah Fitzgerald, Brian Glickauf, Zarah Kazmi, Hafsah Khan, Saavan Kiran, Max Lai, Vivian Lai, David Marian, Rishi Patari, Nicholas Rolain, Grayson Seitz, and Anika Shinde! Click here to learn more about each student and why they say BHS is #ThePlaceToB!

In honor of Veterans Day next week, at our Nov. 6 meeting, we recognized all who have served in the military. During the recognition, BHS band students played the songs for each military branch. Barrington 220 schools recognize Veterans Day in many ways and in some classes, students study the holiday, which provides them with an opportunity to connect to the history, values, and sacrifices that have shaped our country.

At our Nov. 6 meeting, we discussed the next steps regarding the $64M referendum Barrington area voters approved on Election Day. The first step is to identify an architectural firm and construction management company. Once those partners are selected, a construction timeline will be established and shared with our school community. Construction will likely span over four years. We will continue the discussion at our Nov. 19 meeting. Click here to listen to the discussion.

Framework 220 Spotlight: Professional Development

In his Superintendent's Report at our Nov. 6 meeting, Dr. Winkelman highlighted an objective from the district's strategic plan, Framework 220. The purpose of the Professional Development objective under the Inclusive Education strategic priority is to continue developing and implementing a plan for large-scale professional development for all stakeholder groups focused on inclusive education and culturally responsive teaching practices (e.g., revised Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching). Barrington 220's Inclusive Education team, which consists of district administrators, will provide large-scale professional development to all educators during the district's upcoming institute days in January and February. The team is also planning to provide a professional development opportunity to all non-certified staff this summer. Click here to view the Inclusive Education dashboard.

At our Nov. 6 meeting, we heard an update on the school improvement process in Barrington 220. Each year, Barrington 220 schools focus on a primary goal, which staff develop through a school improvement process called a Vision Cycle. A Vision Cycle is a framework for school improvement that strives to provide schools with clarity, focus, and actionable steps toward school improvement. Each school goes through a six-step process to identify its primary goal. During the presentation, Principals from BHS, Station Campus, and Grove Avenue shared examples of how their vision cycle plan is helping to improve academic and social-emotional outcomes for students. Click here to listen to the presentation.

The next consolidated school board election in Illinois is set for April 1, 2025. School board members are elected by their local communities during a non-partisan, consolidated election and serve four-year terms. Click here for more information.

This school year, students from each Barrington 220 school will make a special appearance at our Board of Education meetings to share an update about the great things happening at their school. At our Nov. 6 meeting, we welcomed Maya O'Rourke, a third grader in the Spanish Dual Language Program at Grove Avenue Elementary. Maya enjoys participating in Grove's Family Reading Program and says Grove is #ThePlaceToB because it offers many after-school activities that allow students to follow their passions. Click here to listen to Maya’s update.