Student recognitions and district updates led the April 21 West Chicago Community High School board meeting, which also included a public comment raising concerns about school communication.
Multiple awards went out to individuals and groups during the meeting, including Student of the Month, which was awarded to senior Juliet Payton.
Payton is a member of the girls’ varsity soccer team, National Honor Society, and the Wildcat Chronicle. She plans to attend University of Alabama to pursue sports media.
“Before taking journalism, I had no idea what I wanted to do; it gave me confidence and skills I would not have gotten otherwise,” Payton said.
The board also recognized Staff Member of the Month, Sergio Santiago, the Administrative Assistant to Learning & Pathways.
Santiago typically assists students with academic support check-ins, tracks progress reports, and helps with outreach to Spanish-speaking families.
“He strives to create value in everything he does, and that is evident in the relationships in his work,” Howard said.
The Wildcat Chronicle received an award for the Best of SNO Distinguished Site, an honor awarded to approximately 10% of student news sites nationwide. Editors-in-chief Ja’Nyah Villa and Gabriella Castro accepted the award at the meeting.
Additional updates included school events and activities from the past month. Dr. Limaris Pueyo, principal, highlighted the spring Jazz Band concert, parent-teacher conferences— where engagement from parents increased by 57% since last year— prom, and “Spamalot,” the musical.
The meeting also included discussion of Take Your Child to Work Day, scheduled for April 22. Staff members, including Lauren Stewart, John Chisholm, Brittany Nelson, and Joseph Zeman, were expected to bring their children to school, with planned activities including creating unofficial school IDs and a building-wide scavenger hunt.
At each meeting, the board takes electronic and live comments from families and community members at WEGO. During the April meeting, the board received an electronic comment from Joanna Hamilton, a parent of a WEGO student. Hamilton discussed her concerns over school communication.
“I am writing on behalf of a number of parents, including myself, regarding the distinct decline in communication from the school in a number of departments and areas,” Hamilton said. “Certain sports or clubs, NHS, the counseling department, days off or half days of school, communication from administration. While we as parents agree these are teenagers who need to advocate for themselves and will soon be adults, they are, at the end of the day, still teenagers.”
Hamilton added that parents should receive more consistent and timely updates about school-related events and decisions.
“Leaving the school grounds for a political protest deserved more than an email three hours prior,” Hamilton said.
Following public comment, the board continued with reports, updates, and regular business before concluding the meeting.
