Alhambra, Grantfork schools making their presence felt in community
Alhambra Primary and Grantfork Elementary schools have enjoyed a busy and successful stretch of events. The schools also have an upcoming Christmas program Cindy Tolbert — principal at both schools — is looking forward to. Below is a snippet of some of their recent notable accomplishments.
Grantfork earns exemplary designation on Illinois Report Card
For the second-straight year, Grantfork secured a exemplary ranking on the Illinois Report Card.
The report uses a variety of measurements to assign one of four proficiency categories to each school on standardized tests: Exemplary, commendable, underperforming and lowest-performing.
Grantfork was among 21 metro-east schools considered exemplary, which they learned about in October. Schools with an exemplary designation are performing in the top 10% of schools statewide while schools with a lowest-performing designation are in the bottom 5%.
Needless to say, Tolbert was thrilled, as this marked the second-straight year Grantfork was the only school in the district to secure this status.
“The teachers and myself were very excited about that,” Tolbert said. “I truly feel like it’s a team effort. We have the title but the teachers are obviously the backbone for the school and deserve all the credit for getting the kids ready and prepped for those state tests.
“The results didn’t come out until late October and we were anxiously awaiting. It’s a big accomplishment. Once I told the teachers they were excited. Obviously I’m proud of this and of them. I hope to get it again this upcoming year.”
Veterans Day ceremony
Grantfork and Alhambra paid their respect to United States veterans Nov. 8 when they combined to host a Veteran’s Day ceremony.
The event included gym decorations where kindergarten, first, second and third grade students from Alhambra created “Thank you” stars with a message they wrote. Additionally, the fourth and fifth graders from Grantfork made dog tags for the veterans and put them around their necks as they exited the gym while shaking their hands. There was red, white, and blue confetti as well.
The event also included students reading poems, the band playing, the Highland VFW presenting the United State flag and the students singing songs. Hitz Home played three patriotic songs on bells and the students learned how to fold the flag.
More than 40 people attended, including veterans, community members and the parents of students.
“Overall, the assembly went really well,” Tolbert said. “The kids learned how to fold the flag and what it means for each fold. We ended the program with singing and sang the veterans a couple songs. These are my favorite parts of the program. The kids get really into it.”
Tolbert said the veterans love and appreciate the event.
“We always make sure we have enough dog tags for everybody. They always express to me when they walk out the door it’s really special to them,” Tolbert said.
Disguise a turkey
The fourth and fifth grade students at Grantfork took part in a unique Thanksgiving project. The students were given a turkey printed on a sheet of paper and had to disguise the turkey so, in effect, it would not be eaten on Thanksgiving Day.
In one instance, the turkey was dressed as Gobb Ross — a play on the late artist Bob Ross, the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983-1994 on PBS. Tolbert noted the only thing visible was the turkey’s face; it otherwise was dressed as Bob Ross. Another example involved Monster’s Inc.
The winners were Nora Kampwerth, Kallie Hubbard (overall winner), Ella Schwarz, and Mayakla Korsmeyer. As the overall winner, Hubbard earned a Burger King gift card. The students’ participation impressed Tolbert, especially considering it was optional. Overall, she said about 65 out of 70 students took part.
“The kids were really creative,” Tolbert said. “It was a great project to express their creativity and a great project for the students to work with their parents on. The kids really had fun looking at the other kids’ disguised turkeys. The idea was to convince people to not eat the turkey but something else.”
Christmas programs
Tolbert also looks forward to the schools’ upcoming Christmas programs. Alhambra’s will take place Tuesday, Dec. 17, while Granktfork’s is set for Thursday, Dec. 19.
Each grade level sings a few songs and then combines to sing a finale piece. Grantfork’s has a slight twist, though, with the fifth grade band playing to open the program.
“The kids have been working really hard for those programs,” Tolbert said. “It’s really fun. The kids get all dressed up — it’s really cute. This is one of my favorite times of the year.”
This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 10:46 AM.