New principal chosen for Blackberry Creek school

Kaneland Blackberry Creek Elementary students will see a new face when the doors open next year.

The School Board this week approved the appointment of Andrew Gibbs, a dean of students in Central School District 301, to be principal at the Elburn school next year. …

U46, teachers reach tentative pact

ELGIN — School District U46 and its teachers union have reached a tentative contract agreement — for the second time in the past few weeks. Both U46 and the Elgin Teachers Association confirmed the tentative agreement in a joint email to school district employees Friday. …

Kane Educator of the Year nominees happy to make a difference

ELGIN — Just the other day, Lois Sands reconnected with a former student of hers who now is studying to become a doctor at Northwestern University in Evanston, she said. That student had been a kindergartner at Sheridan Elementary School in Elgin when Sands was …

Area students to take basketball invention to World Robotics Competition

In addition to shooting hoops with a 120-pound robot, Tony Gomulka has earned a $20,000 scholarship to Marquette University through his involvement in competitive robotics. The Batavia High School senior is preparing for the FIRST Worldwide Championships in St. Louis through Saturday.

Documentary shot at Hampshire High School premieres

HAMPSHIRE — It was a long two days in late January for making the short film at Hampshire High School, students remembered. It was a lot of walking back and forth in the hallways, said junior Amy Berggren, 17, of Pingree Grove. A lot of …

This ‘principal’ gets a reminder of what makes a great day

It was my first duty as “Principal for a Day” at Highland Elementary School, and I blew it.

Highland Principal Steve Johnson had asked in advance if I would be comfortable reading the announcements over the school intercom during my half-day visit Thursday to the …

U46, D300 schools battle against texting and driving

There was the girl whose truck clipped a median and flipped, ejecting and killing her. There was the teenage boy whose car slammed into and killed a bicyclist. The boy who was severely brain damaged when the car he was riding in hit a tree. …

Chartering a new course for education in Elgin

Cambridge Lakes Charter School’s full-day kindergarten program in Pingree Grove was one of the more “forward-thinking” ideas in its original charter proposal, according to Tom Hay, assistant superintendent for instructional services — teaching and learning in Community Unit School District 300. That program, in which 138 students are enrolled, definitely has been a benefit to the western part of the Carpentersville-based school district, Hay said. This is the first of two stories looking at area charter schools and the possibility of another one opening.

Two teens arrested, others get A’s in DCHS gun scare

CARPENTERSVILLE — Two teens have been placed under arrest as a result of the gun scare and lockdown Friday at Dundee-Crown High School. But as police released more details about what happened, they gave an A-plus to how Dundee-Crown’s staff and students responded to the …

U46 proposes higher flat fees for students

ELGIN — School District U46 is looking at going to a flat fee schedule for students next school year. The proposal would raise instructional fees for middle school students by $33, to $152 from the current $119; and for high school students by $105, to …

New ECC building designed for real world in health care

ELGIN — Bright, spacious, inviting, relaxing — all while echoing a hospital-like environment — were just some of the observations made as Elgin Community College unveiled its new Health and Life Sciences Building to the public. Opened for students and classes for the January semester, …

ECC raises tuition for second straight year

ELGIN — The Elgin Community College District 509 Board of Trustees has approved a $6 tuition increase for the 2012-13 school year. That will put tuition at ECC at $105 per credit hour starting in this summer semester, according to Jeff Julian, college spokesperson. This …

D300 borrows $8M to make payroll

ALGONQUIN — The Community Unit School District 300 Board of Education unanimously voted Monday night to borrow $8 million to make its payroll this spring. Without borrowing that money in tax anticipation warrants, District 300 would not have enough funds to make its payrolls and …

U46 looks to second year  of dual language journey

STREAMWOOD — The students carefully filled in the blanks in the sentences on the flipboard at the front of the classroom with a blue marker: The “a” in “Hola.” The “mi” in “amigos.” “Cumpleaños” in the blank that followed “feliz.” When finished, it read, “Hola, …

Norovirus blamed as almost 500 Dist. 300 children absent

ALGONQUIN — Nearly one-third of the student population — about 500 students — was absent Friday from Westfield Community School, and Community Unit School District 300 alerted parents to numerous reports of the norovirus. More than half — 262 — of all elementary school students …