Before visiting a District 15 school this summer, please make certain it is open.

Due to construction, 11 District 15 schools will be closed this summer.

Those schools and the buildings that will temporarily host their office staffs and summer programs are as follows (click here for more information):



Facilities across the District will also be observing summer hours until Monday, August 8, at which point they will return to their normal operating hours.

During this period, all District 15 buildings will be closed on Fridays.

District 15 schools and the Joseph M. Kiszka Educational Service Center will be open from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and from 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Also, due to vacation scheduling, some schools may be closed on some days during the summer. If planning a visit to a school, please call in advance to make certain it is open.

Community Consolidated School District 15 recently announced the appointment of four principals for the 2016-17 school year.

• Erika Johansen, Carl Sandburg Junior High's principal for the past two years, will serve as Gray M. Sanborn School's new principal.

• Douglas Harter, Carl Sandburg Junior High's assistant principal for the past six years, will serve as Sandburg's new principal.

• Kristine Seifert, Hunting Ridge School's principal for the past two years, will serve as Virginia Lake School's new principal.

• Christine Ortlund, Hunting Ridge School's assistant principal for the past three and a half years, will serve as Hunting Ridge's new principal.

The District chose to fill all four positions internally.

All four appointments are effective July 1, 2016.

Read more about District 15's principal appointments.

District 15 is pleased to announce that free breakfast will be offered at Partners for Our Communities (POC) -- formerly the Palatine Opportunity Center -- located at 1585 Rand Road in Palatine, through June 30. 
 
Free breakfast is offered as part of the Summer Food Service Program, and is open to anyone 18 and younger. Breakfast at the POC will be served Mondays through Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
 
In addition to serving free breakfast at the POC, free breakfast will again be offered at Falcon Park Recreation Center, 2195 N. Hicks Road in Palatine, from July 18-28. Breakfast at Falcon Park will be served Mondays through Thursdays from 8:50 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.
 
The following schools will also serve free breakfast to anyone 18 years and younger on Mondays through Thursdays from June 20-July 14 (click here for more details):

• Carl Sandburg Junior High
• Central Road School
• Hunting Ridge School
• Kimball Hill School
• Pleasant Hill School
• Gray M. Sanborn School
• Willow Bend School

Free breakfast will also be available for students attending District 15 summer school programs after they arrive at the school building.
 
For more information, contact Bobbie Desprat, School Nutrition Services Director, at 847-963-3929.
 
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Sixteen junior high students from District 15 presented a total of 12 projects at the Illinois Junior Academy of Science's (IJAS) 2016 State Science Exposition, which was held May 13-15 at Milikin University in Decatur. Those students brought home six Gold Awards, three Silver Awards, and three Bronze Awards.
 
District 15's 2016 IJAS State Science Expo award winners are as follows:
 

• Arnav A., Grade 8, Plum Grove Junior High, Will Filters Made From Organic Materials Improve the Quality of Water?
• Jolim C. and Pavan P., Grade 7, Plum Grove Junior High, Colors: Changing Your Hear Rate, Blood Pressure, and Mood
• Shrusti J., Grade 8, Plum Grove Junior High, The Effect of Temperature on the Viscosity of Liquids
• Rahul K., Grade 8, Walter R. Sundling Junior High, Which Liquid Prevents the Browning of Food the Best?
• Varun K., Grade 8, Plum Grove Junior High, Improving Efficiency in Fuel Cells
• Leah W. and Tess B., Grade 8, Winston Campus Junior High, Chemistry of Ice Cream: Lowering the Freezing Point of Water
  

• Ambrosia I., Grade 8, Plum Grove Junior High, How Do Background Colors Affect What We See?
• Maya N., Grade 7, Plum Grove Junior High, Is Whitening Toothpaste Better Than Regular Toothpaste?
• Satej S. and Sean R., Grade 8, Plum Grove Junior High, The Effect of Different Liquids on Plant Growth
  

• Somto A., Grade 8, Walter R. Sundling Junior High, What Effect Does Listening to Music Have on Math Test Scores?
• John L. and Matt R., Grade 8, Walter R. Sundling Junior High, What Effect Do Human Pain Relievers Have on Plant Growth?
• Rebecca W., Grade 8, Plum Grove Junior High, Does Caffeine Affect Growth Rate of Plants?

Prior to their graduation last week, four District 15 eighth graders were awarded the District Fifteen Educational Foundation's Keep Music Strong Scholarships.
 
These $150 scholarships are funded each year by Dr. Gerry Aylward, a local orthodontist and multi-talented musician, to provide instruments and/or music lessons for a student at each of District 15's four junior highs.
 
The 2015-16 recipients of the Keep Music Strong Scholarships are as follows:

• Esmeralda A. from Carl Sandburg Junior High
• Danielle F. from Plum Grove Junior High
• McKenzie M. from Winston Campus Junior High
• Holden M. from Walter R. Sundling Junior High

Thomas Jefferson School is a more literacy friendly neighborhood thanks to Jack Purcell, a Barrington Boy Scout who recently built and mounted a little free library at the school for his Eagle Scout project.

Jack is a junior at St. Viator High School and a member of Troop 29, which is based at St. Anne School in Barrington, and his work is not over. He also plans to install an identical little free library, which is built out of Honduran mahogany with copper roofing coated with a lacquer that gives it a glossy shine, and install it in the laundry room of a Rolling Meadows apartment complex where some Thomas Jefferson students live.
 
The little free library premise is simple: take a book, leave a book.
 
"When a student can walk down the street to choose a book, take it home and read it, and return it again for another, it's a recipe for growing a love for reading and learning," Sara Rossi, a Thomas Jefferson reading specialist who helped support the project, told the Daily Herald.
 
However, the library is not just intended for use by students. The entire community -- and in particular those who frequent nearby Pine Park and its outdoor roller rink, sled hill, and playground equipment -- are encouraged to use it.
 
"Not only will this project encourage a love of reading," said Larry Sasso, Thomas Jefferson School Principal, "but it will also promote a wonderful sense of community."
 
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Thomas Jefferson's little free library drew a big crowd, which ranged from Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod and Trustee Michael Gaeta, to District 15 Superintendent of Schools Scott Thompson and Deputy Superintendent of Schools Matt Barbini.
 
"It's all about service -- about helping other people and advancing literacy, which are some of our core principals in public education," said Dr. Barbini, expressing the District's gratitude for Jack's project.