The West Chicago Board of Education held its monthly meeting this Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.
The meeting began by honoring senior Alex Bradley, who was selected as the October Student of the Month. Bradley is a member of the WeGo Drama program’s Executive Board and has played a key role in bringing home awards for WCCHS. Additionally, Bradley is a captain of the Speech Team and the voice behind the 7:55 a.m. announcements each morning.
The Board of Education then motioned to discuss new tax levies and construction which take place this year. In total, about $30,000,000 was requested in tax extensions. The Board plans to approve new tax levies during the meeting on Dec. 19.
Members of the Board then previewed the “That Wildcat” video, which was described as a way to celebrate the bond that students and faculty have with each other in honor of Thanksgiving weekend.
“‘That Wildcat’ really showcases our WeGo Community. Our faculty and staff truly are here for our students and videos like this really help us all remember why we are educators,” Coordinator of Communications & Community Relations Brittney Walker said.
Following the video, the Board motioned to discuss the principal’s report, where Dr. Will Dwyer congratulated the orchestra, band and choir program for leading the annual Middle School Music Festival on Nov. 15. During this event, incoming freshman were able to “rehearse with their high school counterparts,” meet with student panels, and tour the building.
Dwyer also congratulated he drama program on its successful production of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.
“As always, the event was incredibly well-attended and family-friendly. I know my six-year-old particularly enjoyed the scene with the giant squirrel that was played by our Student of the Month, Alex,” Dwyer said.
After highlighting some of the achievements within the athletics department, Dwyer then allowed senior Sebastian Alvarez-Soto, November’s Student Board Representative, to share his experiences as a student. In addition to recognizing various teams’ successes this past fall, Alvarez-Soto mentioned the government committee hearings, which were held on Nov. 13.
“Dr. Dwyer has a Principal Advisory and he selects a few students every month to represent many of my fellow peers, and so I think it was my time to shine… my job was to summarize the past events and accomplishments that the school has made in the past month and between meetings. I was the window for the student perspective of how we feel and how we see the school and we really celebrate those accomplishments,” Alvarez-Soto said.
The superintendents’ update also gave insight into the timeline of the hiring process for a new head of district.
“You, as a board, are well underway in the search for your next superintendent of schools. Search firm BWP and Associates has completed the leadership profile after receiving input from the community, stakeholders, and will conduct interview training with the board at the December 5 special meeting. BWP representatives are in the process of narrowing the candidate pool of over 30 applicants to a group of six,” Dr. Attila Weninger, interim superintendent, said.
The six remaining applicants will be interviewed during the week of Dec. 11, and the Board hopes to finalize candidates before the end of January.
To conclude the public hearing, the Board approved several items on the consent agenda, which can be found in its entirety online. Key items include approval for the spring 2024 French exchange program, reconditioning of football helmets, and the minutes of several previous Board and committee meetings.
Alvarez-Soto urged students from all grade levels to attend meetings in the future.
“If a student is there it allows them to flourish new ideas and a new perspective and it also eases the formality of it as well,” Alvarez-Soto said.
Editor’s addition: The Board also presented a Certificate of Recognition to senior Dhanveer Gill, who was granted a superior distinction in editorial writing, the highest award that JEA, the Journalism Education Association, grants to competitors. Gill represented West Chicago during the Journalism Production’s trip to Boston in early November. He is also the Wildcat Chronicle’s monthly liaison to the Board of Education.
