News from Kiwanis Club of Rock Island

Club President, Craig Knobloch, called the joint meeting of the Rock Island Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs of September 6 to order. Rotary President, Andrew Guzzo, conducted the Rotary introductions and passed on that Club's announcements.

President Craig again spotlighted the Hixson Awards presented to Chuck Dyson and Don Adams. He also gave another reminder that the next Club meeting will be Monday, September 12, at Martin Luther King Center.

Other future engagements include the Quad Cities MegaClub meeting September 15 at the Outing Club. The next Interclub will be in Kewanee on September 28. The next night, September 29, will be the officer induction at the River House in Moline.

Gene Smith won the 50/50 drawing.

The Feature Attraction

The program was given by Rock Island-Milan School District Superintendent, Dr. Michael Oberhaus. Mike gave a slide presentation to supplement his remarks. The theme for the year is being a dream builder. The objective of the District is to provide students with the best opportunities to succeed in their future lives. The District has a strategic plan, the success of which is measured by a scorecard with information gathered by the various District schools and then reviewed by the School Board. Mike presented a number of fact points, including the fact that the District is only able to afford an amount substantially less per student than the State average. The graduation rate at the high school has increased and numerous honors were presented to people involved with the high school, including all-state musicians, award-winning performances by the marching band, recognition of a national merit scholar, as well as numerous Illinois state scholars, as well as the drama team. In athletics, honors were accorded to the girls' bowling and track teams, as well as the state champion boys' basketball team. Teachers and principals have likewise received honors, as well as various schools in the District. Curricula include career-cruising opportunities, which begin at the seventh grade level. Challenges include advancing student academic progress, dealing with social media, economic frailties, regulatory changes appearing as unfunded mandates, and the challenges of best educating a growing, non-English-speaking population. Currently, there are approximately 500 students speaking 29 languages other than English as a first language. Mike closed his presentation by illustrating the many ways by which so many local businesses and individuals have served both individual students, as well as schools in general, and encouraged all attendees to become involved in the education of our students

Future Attractions

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Sept. 12 Meet at MLK Center

Sept. 19 The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Kiwanis Year in Review

Sept. 26 Church of Peace, Summer Food Program

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day weekend." - Doug Larson