Post by gatormom on May 15, 2008 21:15:48 GMT -5
Why Georgetown School is 'a special place'
Fox Valley Villages Sun
Judy Buchenot
May 15, 2008
If a person were to compare Georgetown Elementary School's achievement scores to the scores of other schools within the district, it wouldn't be the top school. But there is so much more to a school than test performance. There are great things happening at Georgetown Elementary School that don't show up on school report cards.
For several years, the staff at the school has taken it upon themselves to rally behind families in need. They have quietly offered support from a basket of food to a gift card for needed clothing or supplies. The teachers have given of their own time to offer help to struggling students and gone far beyond their job descriptions. Their efforts do make a difference.
"If you rate Georgetown based on the benchmarks, it isn't a top school," said Jeff Modaff, the school's student services coordinator. "But it you look at progress and score improvement, Georgetown is at the top."
This year the Georgetown staff decided to name their effort "Project Victory." The inspiration for the name comes from Victor, a student who has attended Georgetown School since the first grade. Victor has been and still is battling leukemia. Although his doctors suggested that Victor stays home from school, he wants to be at school with his friends and teachers as often as he can. "He has a great time while he is here," said Jeff.
The personal and medical costs for Victor's family are high and the staff wanted to respond with a fundraiser. Project Victory is sponsoring a carnival from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. The entire community is invited to attend the event which will feature a cake walk, raffles, a D.J stage, a bake sale, games and face painting. Anyone wishing to make a donation for a raffle or a monetary donation should contact Jeff Modaff at (630) 375-3462.
This is not a PTA-sponsored event. "The PTA has a full schedule of initiatives to support the school programs," Jeff said. This event is being run by the teachers, staff and students instead.
"More than anything, we just want to help enrich Victor's life in some way," he explained. "He is one of the favorite students here at the school and we want to give him a great time."
Joanna Beck, the Georgetown school psychologist, also called me with an appeal for support.
"Victor has been fighting this for many years and been through intensive treatments," she says. "He is 12 years old now and well liked by staff and students."
There is another special event taking place this month at Georgetown that also shows the dedication of the staff. On the last day of school in June 2007, Mike Cavin, a Georgetown School parent and PTA member, died suddenly. He had been active in school events and planned to serve as the PTA vice-president in the fall.
After the funeral, Mike's wife Jackie wanted to do something for the school in Mike's memory. She approached the school principal, Steve Selle, for ideas.
Steve asked the staff for suggestions and they recalled that Mike was a big supporter of the reading program, so they requested a reading bench for the library. Mike was a faithful Beatles fan so it was decided that the back of the bench be shaped like a yellow submarine from the popular Beatles song. The school principal contacted several businesses to see if any of them could create a yellow submarine shaped bench. When he was unable to find anyone willing to accept the challenge, he took the idea to Steve Skorup, the applied technology teacher at Waubonsie Valley High School.
Two Waubonsie Valley High School students, Andrew Lieske and Chris Dixon, designed the bench. Skorup constructed the bench and his son, Dane, painted the final design. The Cavin family covered the cost of materials for the project. The bench will be dedicated May 27 thanks to the efforts of the Cavin family, students and staff.
"The bench is incredible," said Principal Selle. "Georgetown is really a special place. This is a unique staff. Sometimes others view Georgetown as a tough school but once you are here, you see that it is a wonderful place. I am retiring at the end of this year and I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend my last four years in education."
So mark your calendar for May 31 and support Project Victory. Stop in with your children to play a few games, drop by to pick up some baked goods or simply send a check to support a great effort.
Fox Valley Villages Sun
Judy Buchenot
May 15, 2008
If a person were to compare Georgetown Elementary School's achievement scores to the scores of other schools within the district, it wouldn't be the top school. But there is so much more to a school than test performance. There are great things happening at Georgetown Elementary School that don't show up on school report cards.
For several years, the staff at the school has taken it upon themselves to rally behind families in need. They have quietly offered support from a basket of food to a gift card for needed clothing or supplies. The teachers have given of their own time to offer help to struggling students and gone far beyond their job descriptions. Their efforts do make a difference.
"If you rate Georgetown based on the benchmarks, it isn't a top school," said Jeff Modaff, the school's student services coordinator. "But it you look at progress and score improvement, Georgetown is at the top."
This year the Georgetown staff decided to name their effort "Project Victory." The inspiration for the name comes from Victor, a student who has attended Georgetown School since the first grade. Victor has been and still is battling leukemia. Although his doctors suggested that Victor stays home from school, he wants to be at school with his friends and teachers as often as he can. "He has a great time while he is here," said Jeff.
The personal and medical costs for Victor's family are high and the staff wanted to respond with a fundraiser. Project Victory is sponsoring a carnival from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. The entire community is invited to attend the event which will feature a cake walk, raffles, a D.J stage, a bake sale, games and face painting. Anyone wishing to make a donation for a raffle or a monetary donation should contact Jeff Modaff at (630) 375-3462.
This is not a PTA-sponsored event. "The PTA has a full schedule of initiatives to support the school programs," Jeff said. This event is being run by the teachers, staff and students instead.
"More than anything, we just want to help enrich Victor's life in some way," he explained. "He is one of the favorite students here at the school and we want to give him a great time."
Joanna Beck, the Georgetown school psychologist, also called me with an appeal for support.
"Victor has been fighting this for many years and been through intensive treatments," she says. "He is 12 years old now and well liked by staff and students."
There is another special event taking place this month at Georgetown that also shows the dedication of the staff. On the last day of school in June 2007, Mike Cavin, a Georgetown School parent and PTA member, died suddenly. He had been active in school events and planned to serve as the PTA vice-president in the fall.
After the funeral, Mike's wife Jackie wanted to do something for the school in Mike's memory. She approached the school principal, Steve Selle, for ideas.
Steve asked the staff for suggestions and they recalled that Mike was a big supporter of the reading program, so they requested a reading bench for the library. Mike was a faithful Beatles fan so it was decided that the back of the bench be shaped like a yellow submarine from the popular Beatles song. The school principal contacted several businesses to see if any of them could create a yellow submarine shaped bench. When he was unable to find anyone willing to accept the challenge, he took the idea to Steve Skorup, the applied technology teacher at Waubonsie Valley High School.
Two Waubonsie Valley High School students, Andrew Lieske and Chris Dixon, designed the bench. Skorup constructed the bench and his son, Dane, painted the final design. The Cavin family covered the cost of materials for the project. The bench will be dedicated May 27 thanks to the efforts of the Cavin family, students and staff.
"The bench is incredible," said Principal Selle. "Georgetown is really a special place. This is a unique staff. Sometimes others view Georgetown as a tough school but once you are here, you see that it is a wonderful place. I am retiring at the end of this year and I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend my last four years in education."
So mark your calendar for May 31 and support Project Victory. Stop in with your children to play a few games, drop by to pick up some baked goods or simply send a check to support a great effort.