Monthly Highlander
November 30, 2023
Proviso Students Unite for Superintendent's Student Advisory Luncheon
Eighteen of Proviso students hailing from all three campuses came together to participate in this school year's first Superintendent Student Advisory Luncheon with Superintendent Dr. Bessie Karvelas. The November 20th event served as a platform for students to voice their opinions, discuss pertinent issues, and actively engage in shaping the future of Proviso District 209.
During the luncheon, Dr. Karvelas introduced herself, fostering an open and collaborative atmosphere. Each student participant had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the group, setting the stage for an inclusive and dynamic discussion.
Key leadership roles were also nominated during the meeting. The newly appointed leadership team includes Proviso Math and Science Academy Sophomore, Jerrell David as President, Proviso West Sophomore, Jaylah Gines as Vice President, Proviso Math and Science Academy Junior, Alyssa Edwards as Secretary, and Proviso Math and Science Academy Senior, Milo Gittings as Public Relations.
Students actively and collaboratively participated in discussions about their priorities for District 209. They identified focal points that included school safety, destigmatizing the reputation of Proviso schools and the community, fostering stronger relationships between students and teachers, refining attendance policies and procedures, and addressing transportation needs.
Alyssa Edwards, the newly appointed Secretary, emphasized the significance of building stronger student-teacher relationships, stating, "Building stronger relationships with our teachers will help students stay motivated and become successful."
The diversity of the participating students was evident, with individuals who also participate in athletics, student council, clubs, band, and even some holding jobs outside of school. This diversity reinforces the representative nature of the entire student population, ensuring that a broad spectrum of perspectives and experiences are heard.
Superintendent Karvelas underscored the importance of accountability and emphasized prioritizing academics. "Take a voice and stand up for what's happening in your schools," said Dr. Karvelas. "That is the power this group has. You are the voice for all students, and you have the abilities to change the classroom environment."
Student, Jerrell David, concluded the event with a resolute statement, "We're getting the work done this year. We will find the solutions to our problems."
This event marks a significant step toward fostering a collaborative and empowered student body within District 209. The district looks forward to the positive impact this dedicated group of students will make in addressing and resolving the identified challenges.
Savvas ELA Facilitator Completes 1st Round of Classroom Visits at Proviso
On November 10 and 17, 2023, Nancy Christman, the Savvas ELA Facilitator for PTHS 209, visited Proviso East, Proviso West, and PMSA to assist ELA teachers in implementing the district-approved curriculum myPerspectives. A former CPS English teacher, Ms. Christman enjoys providing instructional coaching with the Savvas series to schools all over the country.
“I am here to help you learn what resources will work best for your students,” she shared with the teachers. “My role is as a coach to work side by side with you so you can meet your district goal of raising reading scores at all three schools. We can do this work together and I welcome the opportunity to be a part of your journey,” Ms. Christman said.
At Proviso East High School, for example, she co-taught a lesson with Mr. Brian Fischer, to demonstrate the click path for access to textbook materials being used in the physical textbook. With a special emphasis on the notebook feature for annotations, Ms. Christman illustrated how to answer essential questions for the unit to increase students’ critical reading skills.
At Proviso West, among other supports, Ms. Christman shared “close read” resources with Ms. Whittleton’s freshmen English students and argumentative writing tools with her juniors. She also shared grammar resources and writing center interactives to further students' language skills.
At PMSA, our Savvas facilitator shared Lord of the Flies resources for the freshman team, Crucible resources for the junior team, and speaking & listening tools for the sophomore team.
In a few small group meetings, Ms. Christman cautioned teachers to avoid over emphasis of novel study in the classroom as 80% of the SAT and college & career reading is on informational text. Teachers are encouraged to have students do independent reading to build their fluency and interest in reading while using more classroom instruction on comprehension, inferences, and higher order skill building. Standards-aligned activities in the myPerspectives series provide the best “bang for our buck” she explained, and accessing the digital platform using STAR data is strongly advised.
Ms. Christman will be returning to our three campuses in December, February, March, April, and May to continue helping teachers during this first year of implementation. She will also be hosting virtual monthly training for all ELA teachers on a variety of topics including scaffolding and differentiation, challenging texts, and language development.
SAVVAS Math Facilitator Completes 1st Round of Classroom Visits at Proviso
On November 8 and 9, 2023, Christopher Luzniak, the Savvas Math Facilitator for District 209, visited Proviso East and Proviso West to assist Math teachers in implementing the district-approved curriculum enVision Integrated Math program. A former High School Math teacher, Mr. Luzniak provides instructional coaching with the Savvas series to schools all over the country.
“I am here to help you learn what resources will work best for your students,” he shared with the teachers. “My role is as a coach to work side by side with you so you can meet your district goal of raising math scores and being comfortable using the program. We can do this work together and am excited to help you succeed this year,” Mr. Luzniak said.
During group meetings with teachers, Mr. Luzniak answered questions about the enVision platform and what struggles they may be facing. He showed teachers how to navigate the platform as well as assign items to students.
Mr. Luzniak will be returning to our three campuses in December, February, March, April, and May to continue helping teachers during this first year of implementation. He will also be hosting virtual monthly training for all Math teachers on a variety of topics including differentiation, engagement, assessments, and analysis of student work.
Student Voices and Collaborative Leadership: Insights from the 2023 Joint Annual Conference
The 2023 IASB/IASA/IASBO Joint Annual Conference celebrated its 90th year with a theme that resonated throughout the event: "Lead Together. Learn Together." Over 8,900 attendees, including representatives from 698 Illinois public school districts, gathered to share success stories, tackle challenges, and explore solutions.
The conference offered a plethora of diverse learning avenues, including dozens of panel sessions covering topics such as crisis management, educational equity, finance, and more. This year's event also welcomed more student voices to the mix. Over 30 student board members and representatives participated in a workshop focused on building school culture and good governance.
Proviso Board of Education Vice President, David Ocampo, was also keen on the idea of implementing student board members. He emphasized the importance of a collaborative effort between school leaders and students citing other area high schools' successful student board member program.
"This conference was a great opportunity to network with other school leaders especially from neighboring districts," said Mr. Ocampo.
"The conference was amazing," said Proviso board member, Sandra Hixson. "I enjoyed the sessions that focused on understanding and facing bias within the educational system."
Board member Jenny Barbahen and Superintendent Karvelas were also in attendance. The Joint Annual Conference continues to be a dynamic platform for collective learning, sharing, and networking, making it a rewarding experience for attendees.
62nd Annual Holiday Basketball Tournament at Proviso West
The competition promises to be fierce and full of talent at the 62nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Basketball Tournament this year, scheduled to take place from December 27-30 at Proviso West High School!
Best of luck to all the 16 participating teams this year!
More info to coming soon!
