Education Matters: Collinsville teacher nominated as ‘LifeChanger of the Year’ by colleague

An instructional coach at Kreitner Elementary School in Collinsville Unit School District 10 has been nominated for a national award — the LifeChanger of the Year.

Susan Bohler has worked at Kreitner for more than 20 years, researching, training and assisting teachers.

“She is an asset to the school,” said Greg Hobbs, the colleague who nominated her. “Bohler serves on many committees, which coordinate academic and community programs for students. She is an excellent mentor to all teachers and inspires the community through her volunteer work.”

The LifeChanger award is based in part on the ability to make a beneficial difference in students lives and positively add to the school’s atmosphere.

Winners will be announced this spring. Bohler’s nominee profile is online at www.LifeChangeroftheYear.com.

Smithon shares technology

Smithton School, which moved to one-to-one technology this school year, says it has become a model school for its use of technology and its professional development program. The crew interviewed the school’s technology committee and filed lessons in second and fourth-grade classrooms. The resulting video will be part of “best practice” segments to include on the Ed Leaders Network that is seen across the country.

Kindergarten teachers Kelly Beggs, Megan Koester and Abby Hoover also shared with the Smithton Consolidated School Board at its meeting Jan. 19 that the grade has gone nearly paperless. The classrooms are using iPads and the online SeeSaw to email many student assignments. Parents receive notifications along with the children and are able to add comments.

Lutheran Schools Week

Lutheran schools throughout the area are celebrating National Lutheran Schools Week, Jan. 24 through 30, including Zion Lutheran School in Belleville. The kindergarten-through-eighth grade school has different dress-up days each day to celebrate. Zion Lutheran will also be hosting an all-school open house from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Catholic Schools Week

Area Catholic schools are taking the opportunity to celebrate the week of Jan. 31 with several activities.

▪  St. Clare School in O’Fallon plans to emphasize how to “Shine Your Light” with school-wide events and classroom lessons. Sunday will have an open house with school tours and masses with students and parents serving as liturgical ministers at the three churches affiliated with the school, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Nicholas and Corpus Christi Catholic. School families will thank parishioners for their generous support. The school week features speakers talking about their faith at the school, including Mike Roberts of KSDK.

The week of celebration closes with the annual spaghetti dinner from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 in the school cafeteria and gym. Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 4-10. Children 3 and under may eat for free.

▪  Blessed Sacrament in Belleville celebrates with a special liturgy at the 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday. Monday is wear pajamas to school day, with the Pancake Man at lunch. Tuesday and Wednesday are wear school spirit wear days, and kindergarten through fourth grades will attend “Peter Pan Jr.” at Belleville West on Tuesday and grades fifth through eighth will attend the women’s Billiken Game at St. Louis University on Wednesday. Thursday students should wear red white or blue and it’s “Thankful Thursday” to honor veterans. Friday, students are encouraged to wear beach party clothes for “Dog Days of Summer.”

Bost nominates students to military academies

Rep. Mike Bost, of Murphysboro, nominated 23 Southern Illinois students to military service academies. Bost made the nominations based on academic performance, extracurricular activity and personal recommendations. Bost’s nominations from the metro-east include the following students:

▪  Althoff: Alexander Diel to the U.S. Air Force Academy and Bret Silvestri to the U.S. Naval Academy

▪  Belleville East: Abigail Anderson and Joseph Heard to the U.S. Air Force Academy

▪  Columbia High School: Jacob Hettenhausen to the U.S. Naval Academy

▪  Dupo High School: Taylor Woody to the U.S. Naval Academy

▪  Freeburg High School: Noah Carpenter to the U.S. Naval Academy

▪  Granite City Senior High School: Chase Zezoff to the U.S. Naval Academy

▪  Metro-East Lutheran High School: Jordan Brown to the U.S. Air Force Academy

▪  O’Fallon Township High School: Noah Crum, Lauren DeLapp and Ian Raska to the U.S. Air Force Academy; Hannah Davenport, Michael Hovick and Bradley Thomas, Jr., to the U.S. Naval Academy; Adriel Moran, to the U.S. Military Academy.

Kindergarten registration

The 2016-17 school year is months away, but districts are readying for the newest of students now. Several have set registration times for incoming kindergartners. Unless otherwise noted, children attending public schools must be 5 years of age on or before Sept. 1 and reside in the district to register. Generally, districts need three proofs of residency, the child’s certified birth certificate and social security number.

▪  Millstadt Community Consolidated School District 160: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 9 and Feb. 10 at the Millstadt Primary Center. Call the school office at 618-476-7100, ext. 1021 to schedule an appointment.

▪  Belleville District 118: From 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. every day the week of Feb. 16 at the following schools: Abraham Lincoln School, 820 Royal Heights Rd, 618-233-2414; Douglas School, 125 Carlyle Ave., 618-233-2417; Franklin School, 301 North 2nd Street, 618-233-2413; Henry Raab School, 1120 Union Ave., 618-234-4330; Jefferson School, 1400 North Charles Street, 618-233-3798; Roosevelt School, 700 West Cleveland, 618-233-1608; and Union School, 20 South 27th St., 618-233-4132

▪  St. Clare School in O’Fallon: From 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The $50 registration fee for new families is nonrefundable but applies to the June tuition payment.

Sign honors national champions

The Pinckneyville Community High School Shooting Team has been honored with a road sign recognizing their first national championship victory at the 2015 Scholastic Clay Target Program Nationals.

State Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton, presented the team with the sign that will be placed on Illinois 13/127 and Illinois 154.

Costello also honored the team’s coach, Stu Wright, who died in December. Wright took the team from five shooters in 2002 to the 32 that went to the trap, skeet and sporting clays at the SCTP Nationals in July.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 9:31 AM with the headline "Education Matters: Collinsville teacher nominated as ‘LifeChanger of the Year’ by colleague."