News
March 11, 2025
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Glenbard News for March 11, 2025

In this issue:

  • Glenbard North Theatre to present “Mustardseed” March 13 and 14
  • East students receive recognition at Upstate Eight Art Show
  • GPS speakers discuss the science of attention and the impact of mindfulness
  • West Boosters hosting March Madness Fundraiser on March 22
  • GPS speaker to help parents deepen relationships and have fun with their kids
  • Highlights of March 10 board meeting


Glenbard North Theatre to present “Mustardseed” March 13 and 14
Glenbard North Theatre will present its spring studio production, “Mustardseed” by Doug Cooney. Productions are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 14 in the Little Theatre at Glenbard North High School, 990 N. Kuhn Road in Carol Stream.

As stated in a synopsis from Dramatic Publishing, “Thrilled to be cast in a current production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mustardseed buckles down to read the play and memorize her lines—all four of them! But she couldn’t prepare for the backstage comedy that unfolds with the other three teenage girls cast as fairies. There’s Moth, the seasoned ringleader; Cobweb, her wisecracking sidekick; and Peaseblossom, the boy-crazy pretty one. Ignoring Mustardseed’s insistence that they should read the play, these fairies prefer to hang out in costume in the green room, playing cards, reading tabloids and gossiping about Bottom, Puck, Titania and other grown-up actors. As the run of Midsummer progresses, the action jumps between their comical antics backstage to well-rehearsed Shakespeare in the ‘forest outside Athens.’ Although they never buckle down to read the play, each character experiences a real-life coming-of-age moment in a young girl’s journey through high school that is underscored and illuminated by the themes in Shakespeare’s text.”

Tickets are $5 and available at the door, by calling 630-653-7000 ext. 3820, or at glenbardnorthhs.seatyourself.biz

The cast includes Emma Sidor, Megan Lamendola, Emma Glinkowski and Emily Sabin.

The technical crew includes Milo Luczak, Aidan Berg, Sophia Nicolaidis, Syrina Berrios, Nyomi Arana, Kris Silva, Benji Christie and John Luu.

Student leaders include Roman Wolfe, Connor Borbas, Milo Luczak, Ronin Hill, Paulina Dickow, Aidan Berg, Michelle Mann, John Luu, Sophia Nicolaidis, Dede Dallas, Sam Housour, Addison Gwaltney, Alyssa Passero and Kate Orozco.

Staff includes director: Madison Gillis, technical director: Nathan King, and costumes director: Megan Smith.


East students receive awards at Upstate Eight Art Show
Congratulations to the Glenbard East students who earned awards at the Upstate 8 2025 Art Show.

  • Marvin Flores: 4th place in digital illustration
  • Celeste Zito: 5th place in mixed media/printmaking
  • Samantha Anderson: 5th place in painting
  • Joana Bustamante: Honorable Mention in digital illustration


GPS speakers discuss the science of attention and the impact of mindfulness
Recently, the GPS Parent Series welcomed Dr. Amishi Jha, a leading neuroscientist and Glenbard South alumnus in conversation with Dr. Kim Schonert-Reichl, an expert in social-emotional learning, to discuss the science of attention and mindfulness.

Read five essential takeaways from the program or view the full program until March 17. After March 17, the Q&A will be available on Jha’s speaker page under Past Programs on the GPS website.

To receive detailed program summaries and be notified of upcoming events, sign up for the GPS weekly newsletter.


West Boosters hosting March Madness Fundraiser on March 22
Join the Glenbard West Boosters March Madness Fundraiser at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 22 at Two Hound Red (486 Pennsylvania Avenue in Glen Ellyn). Funds raised enhance academic programs, athletic programs and extracurricular activities that enrich the student experience at Glenbard West. 

Early bird ticket price of $95 is in effect until March 15. Wear your favorite team’s gear and join us for food, drinks, March Madness games and an auction of two exclusive graduation day packages! All are welcome. If you are unable to attend, please consider making a general donation, which can also be done using the following link: http://bidpal.net/boosters2025


GPS speaker to help parents deepen relationships and have fun with their kids
Executive Director of the Glen Ellyn Public Library Dawn Bussey is reading “Parenting Outside the Lines: Forget the Rules, Tap into Your Wisdom and Connect with Your Child” by Meghan Leahy. The author comes to the GPS Parent Series on Thursday, April 10 at noon and 7 p.m. View a preview here.

Mark your calendar now for this special event. Please share information about GPS with friends and relatives, and be sure to follow GPS on social media. Visit the upcoming events page on the website for more information about this event and to view other scheduled programs.


Highlights of March 10 board meeting
Board Highlights feature a brief description of the action items and discussion items on the meeting agenda. Board Highlights do not replace minutes. The minutes are approved by the board and posted after the next regularly scheduled board meeting. Present: Margaret DeLaRosa, Bob Friend, Rosemarie Montanez, Martha Mueller and Jim Shannon. Absent: Kermit Eby and Hetal Lee.


SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT:

  1. The district received the following donation: United Chin Christian Church, $300.00 to the wrestling program at North.
  2. Congratulations to Board of Education member Dr. James Shannon on being named citizen of the year, South student Andrew Lullo on being named youth of the year and Glenbard District 87 Superintendent Dr. David Larson on being named educator of the year through the Glen Ellyn Community Awards program. They will be honored during the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce’s Community Awards celebration on March 11.
  3. Congratulations to the following students who earned a medal at the IHSA girls wrestling state final tournament: East student Nadiia Shymkiv, 2nd place at 105 lbs. Matthew Nelson is head coach. West student Khloe Perez, 4th place at 110 lbs. Alberto Guevara is head coach.
  4. Congratulations to the following student who earned a medal at the IHSA boys wrestling state final tournament: North student Kalani Khiev, 5th place at 126 lbs. Head Coach is Travis Cherry.
  5. Congratulations to the following student who earned a medal at the IHSA speech (forensics) state final tournament: West student Ben Battisto, 3rd place in Informative Speaking. Grace Rangira is head coach.
  6. Congratulations to the following students who qualified for the IHSA boys swimming & diving state final meet: Glenbard South student Willem Vogel and Glenbard West student Corey Beard. Marc Beard is head coach of the West/South co-op team.
  7. We encourage community members to attend the following GPS Parent Series events. Details and links to each event are available at GPSparentseries.org.
  • March 12 at noon and 7 p.m. – on Zoom and in-person at College of DuPage – Cultivating Healthy Relationships for Joy, Peace and a Meaningful Life
  • March 19 at noon and 7 p.m. – From Struggles to Success: Foster Goal Setting, Responsibility and Compromise
  • March 20 at 6 p.m. – B-PAC event in Spanish, in-person at Glenside Public Library – Helping Your Child Flourish and Find Purpose in Challenging Times
  1. On February 13, 2025, the district received a Freedom of Information Act request from Deltek, Ashley Klepsa, requesting the latest and most recent signed contract document regarding transportation with the incumbent Safeway Transportation and the invoices from the last five months with Safeway. The district has responded to this request.

THE BOARD APPROVED:

the February 24, 2025 regular meeting minutes and closed session minutes.

the following personnel items:
LICENSED STAFF – EMPLOYMENT:
Name                              School/Position                                                                      FTE            Effective Date
Flowers, Jordan       East / EL Mathematics Teacher (overload)             10%                  02/24/2025
Koonce, Lia                East / EL Science Teacher (overload)                        10%                  02/24/2025
Patel, Bindi                 East / EL Social Science Teacher (addtl FTE)       10%                  02/24/2025
Pryor, Dana                DO / Controller, Finance/CSBO (correction)          100%                05/05/2025

SUPPORT STAFF – EMPLOYMENT:
Name                              School/Position                                                                  FTE               Effective Date
Iffath, Bader                West / EL Bilingual Interpreter                                   100%                  03/03/2025 

LICENSED STAFF – CHANGE OF POSITION:
Name                                 School/Position                                                               FTE              Effective Date
Hulbert, Famous         West / PE/Health/DE Teacher                                100%                  08/11/2025
Roy, Laura                      West / World Language & EL Teacher                 100%                 08/11/2025

LICENSED STAFF – RESIGNATION/TERMINATIONS:
Name                                 School/Position                                                                                      Effective Date
Farshori, Sabrina        DIR / Science Teacher                                                                             05/23/2025

LICENSED STAFF – LEAVES OF ABSENCE:
Name                                School/Position                                                                                      Term                              Reason
Masse, Kristen            North / School Counselor & English Teacher     08/11/2025-05/22/2026       Personal

one excursion.

Consideration of a resolution providing for the issue and sale of not to exceed $60,000,000 of general obligation bonds approved by district voters at the March 19, 2024, general primary election and providing for the levy of taxes to pay the bonds. Following the successful referendum this past April, which authorized the issuance of $183 million in bonds, we communicated to both the board and the community that we would be seeking our first round of bond financing in the spring of 2025. After receiving an initial draft of cash flow projections for construction projects from Gilbane, we have developed a recommendation for the board’s review in preparation for the first bond sale.

Bob Lewis (PMA) and Tom Crabtree (Stifel) provided a presentation to the board on February 24, 2025. Monday’s submitted resolution supports the initial funding for the first phase of construction projects.

BOARD INFORMATION/DISCUSSION ITEMS INCLUDED:

Inspire … Empower … Succeed Award. Congratulations to the Directions recipient of the district’s Inspire … Empower … Succeed Award: JaVion Holman (math teacher). The award recognizes faculty and staff members who: demonstrate exceptional levels of initiative or innovation; exceed expectations and make a positive difference for students; and demonstrate outstanding student service or achievement.

awards & recognition of West parent leaders. Congratulations to our 2024-25 West parent leaders who received recognition for their support and dedication to the district:

  • West Boosters – Greg and Katie Fischer (co-presidents) and Triste and Mark Heintz (co-treasurers)
  • West Nation Parent Group – Amy Kadlec (social media), Julie Sladewski (executive member) and Anne Weber (executive member)
  • Association of Music Parents – Wendy Garland (president), Renee Blew (band vice president), Lisa and Steve Seaney (committee chairs), Christina Rees (secretary) and Kathy Van Ek (treasurer)
  • Friends of Forensics – Franca Battisto (communications), Elissa Noble (volunteer coordinator) and Patty Weaver (treasurer)

curriculum, data, and standardized assessments. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has updated the summative designations for the 2024 School Report Cards, and all Glenbard high schools are rated “Commendable”. The presentation analyzed student achievement on the SAT based on a score of a 1010+, Glenbard average SAT scores compared to Illinois, and Glenbard achievement in literacy and math compared to similar districts in Illinois.

The report also discussed Glenbard’s comprehensive plan for increasing student achievement on the SAT by leveraging an aligned curriculum, rigorous and college-level coursework, professional learning, and student supports.

Key takeaways:

  • All four Glenbard high schools are rated Commendable by ISBE.
  • The average SAT score at Glenbard is 57 points above the state average.
  • Glenbard students outperform the state average in literacy, math, and science.
  • Glenbard students are more proficient in literacy and math when compared to districts with similar socioeconomic status.
  • A record 62 percent of Glenbard students are earning college credit before they graduate high school.
  • Glenbard students who enroll in a four-year college have a 91 percent graduation rate, compared to only 63 percent nationally.