Sincerely,  

 

Scott B. Thompson, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

This year, 60 District 15 staff members representing more than 1,325 years of service in our schools and departments are retiring. They were recognized with a reception at a special Board of Education meeting on May 25 at Walter R. Sundling Junior High:

Terri Storino has no idea how many individual medals District 15's Special Olympics athletes have won since she began coaching the team in 2000. Hundreds, she suggests.

She can, however, show you the six state championship basketball trophies and two state championship soccer trophies the teams have won in that time, as Coach Storino, who's also an adaptive physical education teacher, proudly displays them in her office at Marion Jordan School. Set to retire at the end of the 2016-17 school year, she says she hopes to add to that collection in her final year as coach.

However, in the same breath, Coach Storino will tell you that those athletic achievements aren't necessarily what have made the program so successful that Special Olympics Illinois presented the team with its biggest trophy to date earlier this year -- the Kevin T. Kendrigan Outstanding Team Award.

"They love playing and practicing the different sports, and they love winning the medals and the trophies," she said of the Special Olympics athletes she has coached over the years. "But it is really about all the fun that we have, both on the field and off."

In 2000, the District's Special Olympics team participated in one sport-- track and field. Its athletes, decked in heather gray T-shirts with the District 15 logo, prepared for this competition only during their P.E. classes. Under Coach Storino's leadership -- and as a result of her determined fundraising efforts -- everything changed, and the program grew into what it is today.

"We now have kidswho participate in sports all year long," said Susan Gehring, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services.

Indeed, District 15's Special Olympics athletes can now compete in basketball, bowling, snowshoeing, soccer, and tennis, in addition to track and field. They also wear sharp looking red, white, and blue uniforms, and they meet for weekly practices with Coach Storino and her dedicated staff of assistants: Linda Gilles-Zirbes, Mark Metzen, Amanda Carlstrom, and Cindy Freisen.

And, of course, they also win a lot, which means they bring home a lot of hardware.

Most importantly, though, when District 15's Special Olympics athletes travel to compete in regional meets and state tournaments and such, they ride the bus together, eat meals together, go to movies and parks and dances together, and even room together in hotels. Simply put, the kids -- and often even their families -- have an awful lot of fun, and -- in the process -- they often become good friends, said Coach Storino.

"Sometimes our special needs students and their families feel isolated and overwhelmed, and this provides them with a social outlet that they all enjoy," she said. "For instance, a player's mother recently told me her son only had two or three classmates she could invite to his birthday party. Thanks to Special Olympics, though, he could also invite a whole team full of friends to celebrate with him."

That is a huge part of what the District 15 Special Olympics program is all about. It provides student athletes with a variety of disabilities with opportunities to train and compete in sports, develop their physical fitness, and learn new athletic and leisure skills. But it also allows them to make friends and improve their social interactions while working with their peers and enjoying the experience of being part of a team.

So what is Cinco de Mayo?

The date is observed to commemorate the vastly outnumbered Mexican Army's unlikely, morale-boosting victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Although not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French empire, it bolstered the resistance movement and came to symbolize unity and pride for what seemed like a Mexican David defeating the Goliath that was the French army -- then considered the premier army in the world.

Cinco de Mayo empowered Mexico's rise to independence!

Today, empowering underserved people in the Palatine area -- connecting them to area services and resources that will help them build a community of healthy families and vibrant neighborhoods -- is the goal of Partners for Our Communities (formerly the Palatine Opportunity Center).

That, of course, makes the POC's annual Cinco de Mayo fundraiser a fitting celebration for the not-for-profit community agency and its many partners, including Township High School District 211, and -- of course -- Community Consolidated School District 15.

This year, Dr. Scott Thompson, District 15's Superintendent of Schools, joined Dr. Dan Cates, District 211's Superintendent, to host the POC's sold out celebration at the Falcon Park Recreation Center. More than 200 people attended the party, which featured delicious Mexican cuisine, festive games, raffles and prizes, live music, and performances by the Winston Campus Junior High Mariachi and local baile folklórico folk dance performers.

"As the POC's primary fundraiser, the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration funds so much of the work that makes it such a vital resource for many District 15 families," said Cheryl Wolfel, Ed.D., Second Language Programs Director.

At the POC, they can access basic health care services, library services, counseling and support services, and park district programs. They can take English and/or Spanish classes, work toward earning their GED or U.S. citizenship, and receive training in computer technology and other workplace skills. Their children can receive tutoring or enroll in early childhood programs. Parents can receive immigration paperwork assistance, teenagers can participate in mentoring programs, and old and young alike can take advantage of social work services provided by local police departments, townships, area healthcare providers, and other institutions in the community. And through the POC's partnership with District 15, families can be a part of the ROOTS Community Garden, participate in the iCompete Youth Program or the Latino Family Literacy Project, or explore the wide variety of academic and social opportunities offered by the new community school program at Winston Campus Junior High.

"The POC helps so many of our parents strengthen their families, which, in turn, strengthens their neighborhoods and communities and helps their children access a brighter future when they walk through the doors of our schools," said Dr. Thompson. "That's why District 15 has proudly supported the organization over the years, and why we turn out in force each year to help the POC celebrate Cinco de Mayo."

Photos courtesy of Mario Bialek/Palatine Park District.