Education Matters: District 175 parents using social media to question Sequel

A Facebook page called “Say No To Sequel at Dist 175” has 80 members concerned about the district’s proposal to lease classroom space to Sequel.

Earlier this month, Harmony Emge District 175 school board had a special meeting to consider leasing building space at Ellis Elementary in Belleville to the company that specializes in programs for behavioral, emotional and physical challenges. The vote was tabled until July 27 for “allowing continued communication about the program,” Superintendent Pam Leonard wrote in an email earlier this month.

Organizers with “Say No” started seeking volunteers to circulate a petition against the company on Monday. Earlier posts expressed concern about district parents not seeing any written draft of Sequel’s proposal or lease.

Leonard was not available for comment.

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Belleville West High School plays host to the Back 2 School Fun Fair on Tuesday with school physicals and face painting, dental exams and chips. Kids from participating schools can also meet mascots and play games. Backpacks with school supplies will be provided to students from Belleville District 118, Belle Valley District 119, Governor French Academy, Harmony-Emge District 175, Signal Hill District 181, Whiteside District 115, Zion Lutheran School, Blessed Sacrament, Notre Dame, Sister Thea Bowman, St. Teresa and Queen of Peace.

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While students across the metro-east are enjoying the last days of life without teachers’ dirty looks, those same teachers are hard at work for two weeks learning how to improve math and science classroom experiences for their students.

More than 150 teachers from 43 metro-east school districts are taking classes at Blackburn College, Southwestern Illinois College and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to learn about Next Generation Science Standards and Intel Math and the Illinois Model Math Curriculum. Teachers participating this summer are receiving math or science graduate credit from SIUE as a part of the grant.

Teachers are able to attend because of a three-year grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education and coordinated by the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education and the Monroe-Randolph Counties Regional Office of Education.

For a complete list of districts with participating teachers, go to mathsciencepartnership

.weebly.com/.

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Eight metro-east students earned cash awards from The Great Southwestern Illinois Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling & Mechanical Contractors. They are Kile Bailey, Alex Becherer, Michael Davinroy, Casey Pierce and Neal Schaller, all of Freeburg; Katrena Jordan, of Lenzburg; Michael Schrand, of Fayetteville; and Elizabeth Vaughan, of Granite City. The cash award is given to students planning to attend or are currently attending a trade school, vocational college or two or four-year institution, and are pursuing degrees in a field relevant to mechanical trades or construction.

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The Anderson Hospital Auxiliary gave five $1,000 scholarships to students pursuing various medical fields. They are Courtney Deiters, of Breese, and Taylor Nicole Prusa, of Highland, who will study pharmacy at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy; Amy Essenpreis, of Breese, who will study physical therapy at Maryville University; Abigail Sowash, of Highland, who will study nursing at Southeast Missouri State University; and Shannon Stuckey, of Collinsville, who will study health management at Lindenwood University.

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Garrett Roth and Jackson Marchal, both of Highland Middle School, attended a week-long aviation camp in Huntsville, Ala., in June. The Aviation Challenge MACH II program for middle school students uses simulated but realistic combat scenarios. Campers, called “trainees,” take advanced wilderness training as well as learn about aeronautics, propulsion and aviation history.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 12:37 PM with the headline "Education Matters: District 175 parents using social media to question Sequel."