Kinney selected as District 12 basketball coach of the year
Curriculum goals for Chillicothe Junior High and Elementary Center were among the topics discussed Feb. 9 at the Illinois Valley Central District 321 school board meeting.
Board members listened to a presentation by principal Todd Dugan inside the library at CEC.
Technology advancement was a focal point of the multi-media presentation.
Dugan said the school is working to replace all chalkboards with interactive SMART boards. In addition, all overheads will be replaced with document cameras or ELMO projectors.
“We’re not going to shy away from technology,” Dugan said. “We’re going to try to embrace it and harness it.”
Dugan said administrators have also written a grant for podcasting technology.
Community partnerships with the school were also discussed.
Dugan said Chillicothe Altrusa Club will feed every student during the entire week of Illinois State Achievement Tests for under $1,000.
The girls basketball team was also praised for its fourth-place finish in the state basketball tournament.
Dugan said Chillicothe Junior High coach Sara Kinney was selected as the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association District 12 Junior High Girl’s Basketball Coach of the Year.
“We’re extremely proud of her,” he said.
Kinney will be honored at the 37th annual Hall of Fame induction dinner April 24 at Illinois State University.
In other action and discussion, the board:
• heard a report by superintendent Dr. Nick Polyak about construction at South School.
He said the majority of the sprinklers were installed and the heat was turned on in the gym.
“It’s a very different look now. All the metal stud work has gone up around the building in preparation for them to start drywalling,” Polyak said. “That means we’re getting close.”
• approved the post-trip vehicle inspections policy for bus drivers.
It requires bus drivers to turn on the lights and go through the entire bus after a trip. It is something the drivers already do, but the policy needed updating, according to board members.
• heard from Polyak about a regionwide meeting for superintendents and school board members tonight at WeaverRidge.
The topic of the meeting will be the state of school finance in Illinois.
“This came about after I was talking to a couple of other superintendents about different ideas,” Polyak said. “And we thought it would be great for us to get together.”
• acknowledged Steve “Ash” Aeschleman and Ron “Poison” Phillips, both helpers of IVC athletics who recently died.
“They will both be greatly missed by our community,” Polyak said.
