Welcome to the District Digest for Glen Ellyn School District 41. This email will be sent to you periodically and will include district happenings and updates.

New Board of Education

The Board of Education welcomed Kurt Buchholz, Stephanie Clark and incumbent Erica Nelson to the Board at a special meeting on Monday evening, May 4.

Congratulations to the elected officers President Erica Nelson, Vice President Drew Ellis and Secretary Dean Elger.

The next Board meeting is Monday, May 11 at CSO.

Pictured (L-R) Erica Nelson, Joe Bochenski, Patrick Escalante, Dean Elger, Superintendent Paul Gordon, Kurt Buchholz, Stephanie Clark, and Drew Ellis.



Facilities Community Task Force - Postcards

Our sincere apologies about the late arrival of some of the postcard invitations that the district sent out for an information session about a new Facilities Community Task Force. Some postcards arrived on the Saturday before, some on Monday and we are hearing that many arrived after the event. We are investigating why these were not delivered in a timely manner. We do hope that many of you heard about the event in other ways including:
  • My Suburban Life - Community Voice, April 16
  • Daily Herald - April 15
  • E-News from Paul to approx. 6,000 parents and community members, April 15
  • District Digest, April 22 and April 29
  • Slider on D41 website homepage, posted April 22 - May 6
  • Village of Glen Ellyn E-News, April 28

We will be holding another information session in the near future once a facilitator for the task force is identified. If you want to learn more about the Facilities Community Task Force, contact Erika Krehbiel, Chief Communications Officer, ekrehbiel@d41.org or (630) 7218. All are welcome to join the task force!



Music Department Awarded Major Grant 

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The District 41 music department was awarded a grant through the JCS Fund of The DuPage Community Foundation - Young People's Music Initiative. This is the second year in a row that the District 41 Music Program has been a recipient of this grant; in the 2013-2014 school year, new Wenger model instrument storage lockers were installed in the main entrance of Hadley to provide quality storage for the needs of the growing instrumental music program.

This year, Hadley Band Directors, Mr. Jim DePalo and Mrs. Samantha Tribley, were able to purchase two new high-quality bassoons for the band program and its students. The new instruments will remain as an important part of the D41 instrument inventory and help plan for the continual growth of the Hadley band program. They are currently in use by 7th grade bassoon students, and will continue to be used by future students for years to come.

For the orchestra department, Director Georgia Alemis was able to purchase three new basses for the district. The basses are being used in classes and will be be used for many years to come at all five schools. Repair funds were also part of the grant. Many instruments throughout the year need repairs. Keeping the instruments in good playing condition has assisted students so they can perform them in class and in performances throughout the year.

Last but not least, funds from the JCS fund provided a guest clinician to arrange a piece, to conduct the orchestra, and solo for the evening spring concert on April 20. Professional guest soloists performed with the Hadley String Orchestra at the performance.

One of Hadley's exploratory classes is a 9-week Music Technology class that reaches out to students who were not already enrolled in a traditional ensemble, yet teaches students how to create music on their own while composing on the iPads that were obtained through the JCS grant. Students compose music in a non-traditional way through the use of GarageBand and Pinnacle Studio applications. Thanks to the generosity of the JCS Fund, the music technology students are now one-to-one with iPads and are able to have more independence in the composition of their projects. The general music class was able to add on 21 iPads and a charging/storage cart onto their previous set of technology.

Having this amazing opportunity from the DuPage Foundation has made a tremendous impact on our instrumental music program. We are very grateful for their generosity.
 



Hadley String Orchestra Awarded "Honor Status" at State

Congratulations to the Hadley String Orchestra for an amazing performance at the Illinois Grade School Music Association Organization State Contest on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at Indian Trail Jr. High School in Addison. The three contest judges expressed that they were astounded with the advanced literature and the performance sound of our Hadley String Orchestra. As a result, the Hadley String Orchestra, under the direction of Ms. Georgia Alemis, received the "Honor Status" for 2015! The "Honor Status" is the highest honor a junior high orchestra could receive in the state.

Congratulations Hadley String Orchestra members!

 

Hadley Symphonic Band Awarded "Honor Band" Status at State 

Congratulations to the Hadley Symphonic Band on their performances at the Illinois Grade School Music Association District and State Festivals during the months of March and April. At State Competition on Saturday, April 25, 2015, the ensemble again performed at an incredibly high level and were awarded the status of "Honor Band" for the day. The "Honor Band" recognition is awarded to the top bands in the state in the festival.

Congratulations Hadley Symphonic Band!

 
 

District 41 Choruses Concert Videos

On May 5, the District 41 Elementary Choruses combined with the Hadley Jr. High 6th Grade Chorus and performed a concert at Hadley Jr. High. Here are video clips from the concert:

All the Pretty Little Horses (6th Grade)
Spirits (6th Grade - words from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream)
Stand By Me (6th Grade)
Red River Valley (Combined Elementary & 6th Grade)

The District 41 Music Department is a thriving and growing area in our district. With current enrollment figures, over 50% of students at Hadley will be enrolled in either Band, Chorus or Orchestra!