McHenry Times

Board members from the Community Unit School District 300 shared several exciting moments from the past month. 

Hampshire High School received the High School Program of the Year award from Technology Education Association of Illinois for their Industrial Technology Department. 

The award recognizes the program for its efficacy in teaching students about industrial tech, its history, its effect on people and society. Industrial tech teachers  accepted the award on behalf of Hampshire High School. 

"There was a woman that was on the right side if you're looking at the thing in a white T-shirt, she was a kindergartner that participated in putting together the time capsule," Board Vice President Nancy Zettler said. "And it was so much fun watching her opening up and finding the thing that she had done because each class did a project related to it. And it was just very cool. It was very cool to watch the whole thing and it was very cool to see that she not only was there, but now she's teaching kindergarten in the district."

Board members said District 300 hosted their annual Choral Festival on Oct. 15, and this year was their 50th year. It was hosted at Hammonds Cultural Center and featured combined eighth graders from all schools in the district, along with chamber choirs and varsity choir from the local high schools. The festival featured two original compositions that were commissioned for this anniversary event. 

Liberty Elementary School celebrated its 20th anniversary this October after being opened in 2002. On Oct. 5, students and teachers had a great time digging up and opening a time capsule that was buried two decades ago by former students. They found fortunes, booklets made by students and a video cassette recording. The board watched a clip of the students celebrating the event, chanting “dig it up.” 

The board also mentioned a surprise visit to a seventh grader at Algonquin Middle school. Right before one of their games in October, the student and all her volleyball teammates high-fived their mascot, who revealed himself in front of the student to be her father, who had been serving overseas in the Army for 14 months. Their whole family was in attendance for the surprise, and later that day he also surprised his 12th grade daughter at Dundee Crown High School.