Recognition, Awards, Presentations, and Public Hearings
Viking Leaders Award: Heartland Elementary School Principal Kimberly Hornberg presented the Viking Leaders Award to the 2nd grade students in Mrs. Odom's room. They learned about civics in social studies this semester and wanted to do something to improve their community. They chose to replace a broken bench in their school’s sensory garden. The seven- and eight-year-olds developed and implemented a plan to raise money with the hopes of being able to purchase two benches. While their goal was to raise just over $400, through their effort they were able to raise more than $1,000 and purchased chairs in addition to the benches for the sensory garden. By taking this initiative, they exemplified key proponents of the District 304 Viking Leaders Award. (Caption: Pictured left to right is Principal Mrs. Hornberg, Dawson Conway, Avery Vance, Maeve Carey, Caleb Aboites, Murphy Lent, Mrs. Odom. Not pictured: Savannah Baranski, Hannah Behrens, Max Bocar, Harrison Dolan, Abigail Francis, Addilyn Granner, Ryan Hyder, Riley Kelly, Benicio Lobdell, Nora Mygrant, Eliana Scawinski, Anna Schwing, Jack Skinner, Charlie Sylvester, Cora VanDyke, Nathan Warnke, Lucy Weber.)
Tradition of Excellence Awards: GHS Principal Tom Rogers presented the Tradition of Excellence award to:
Girls Badminton State Qualifiers. These athletes qualified to compete at the IHSA Badminton State Tournament held May 10 & 11, in Dekalb, IL. The badminton team is coached by Doug Ross, Head Coach.
Pictured: Riley Smith and Taylor Smith |
FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) State Qualifiers: These students competed in the FCCLA State competition held on April 12, 2024, in Springfield. Their teacher and FCCLA sponsor is GHS FACS Teacher Lori Rosenberger.
 Pictured: Amelia Fuhrman – Gold in Frosted Cakes Level 2 Not pictured: Caitlyn Cilio – Gold in Frosted Cakes Level 3 and Luisa Parente – Gold in Frosted Cakes Level 3 |
Special Olympics State Qualifier: Pablo Drab, qualified for state in Track and Field. Pablo will compete at Illinois State University in June 2024. Pablo’s teacher is Cailla Swanson.
Pictured: Teacher Caila Swanson and Pablo Drab |
IDEA (Illinois Design Educators Association) State Qualifiers: These students competed in the IDEA State Competition on April 20th, at Illinois State University. Their teachers are Lucas Kilmer, Amanda Oxler, and Eric Simoncelli.
Justin Bobeczko – 3D Architecture – State Qualifier
Lilly Coats – 3D CAD Modeling – State Qualifier
Will Garlock – 3D CAD Modeling – 3rd in State
Soren Larson – 3D CAD Assembly – 2nd in State
Charlie Winterhalter – 3D CAD Modeling – 2nd in State
Pictured Left to Right: Charlie, Will and Justin |
The Strategic Planning Committee presented the proposed Geneva CUSD 304 Strategic Plan 2024-29 including new vision and mission statements, along with four target/goal areas and objectives. View the presentation.
Superintendent's Report
Dr. Barrett thanked the Board for their work at the recent BOE Retreat and reviewed some of the topics that the board discussed. He recognized that the meeting was the last one for the school year and expressed gratitude for the support and encouragement of stakeholders and shared that there are many opportunities for growth. He thanked the community for continuing engagement. He reminded all that the deadline to verify returning students is Friday, May 17. He updated the Board on the many upcoming summer construction projects. He shared that there are many wonderful opportunities for students to engage at the end of the year.
Board Dialogue Topics & Pending Action Considerations
The Board took action to approve the 2024-25 7-Year Capital Improvement Plan as presented by Director of Facilities Scott Ney and the 2024-25 Proposed Textbooks & Resources as shared by Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching Shonette Sims.
Work Study Topics & Future Action Considerations
The board reviewed several policies to be updated.
Board Member Comments
One Board member mentioned they visited the Fox Valley Career Center to learn more about the opportunities for students. They talked about the final meeting of the Class Size Committee which worked together to solve a problem and came up with potential solutions. They talked about end-of-the-year events and wished seniors good luck at graduation. They said they attended the Fabyan PTO meeting and were glad to see they were already discussing some of the strategic plan priorities. They added that this demonstrated the importance of parents’ involvement. Another reflected on their first year of service as a board member. Another said they attended the high school band concert and the GMSN Cultural Fair. They also rode along on a bus route and learned that the drivers do a safety check each day and that they stage two buses around Geneva each day in case a bus breaks down. They said they worked the post-prom event and thanked all the volunteers. Several Board members said they are looking forward to graduation. Another member said they are impressed by the level of engagement of our PTOs and what they can accomplish. They congratulated the Tradition of Excellence and Viking Leaders Award recipients. They recognized that Teacher Appreciation Week was last week and thanked the teachers. Another thanked the team that put together the Strategic Plan.