By Kevin Lyons DISTRICT 200 Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 announced that 44 students from Woodstock and Woodstock North high schools’ Class of 2025 were designated as Illinois State Scholars. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission, the state’s college access and financial aid agency, confers this important recognition of academic achievement to exceptional Illinois high […]
Northwood student Lou Lou Splendoria runs in state X-C meet By Tricia CarzoliSandy@thewoodstockindependent.com Northwood Middle School 8th grade student Lou Lou Splendoria achieved the goal she set for herself this year in cross-country – and then some. “I wanted to be in the top ten runners in each conference meet,” the 13-year-old runner said. “And […]
D200 Music Boosters help the bands and orchestras play on By Janet Dovidio news@thewoodstockindependent.com D200 Music Boosters have provided invaluable support and assistance to the district’s music programs for many years. “I have been in the district 27 years and have seen the Music Boosters help in so many ways,” said Debra Schweihs, band director […]
Where Everybody Belongs programs help transistion to middle school By Kevin LyonsDistrict 200 Everyone knows middle school to high school is a leap, but the move from elementary school to middle school in a big building with busy schedules and several teachers can be intimidating. Wouldn’t it be helpful if you could tap the shoulder […]
Veteran educator is excited about return to District 200 By Kevin Lyonsdistrict 200 A veteran Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 educator is excited to return this fall as the new principal of Olson Elementary School. Jennifer Malecke taught first and fourth grade, special education and was an instructional coach at Westwood and Prairiewood elementary […]
Gretchen Sebastian spent two years carefully crafting “Are You Ready for It?” – the tale of a Jewish teenager escaping Germany while trying to rescue her sister. “No one should have to go through something like that just because they believe in something that you don’t believe in,” Gretchen said. The Prairiewood Elementary School fifth-grader […]
Seven categories of PRIDE Awards have been reduced to one – with a monetary prize – in Woodstock School District 200. The Board of Education last week voted to recognize a student from each high school in only one of the seven current categories of PRIDE Awards, an acronym for “Positive Recognition in District 200 […]
The Woodstock Community Orchestra will host its debut performance Aug. 3 in the Woodstock Square. Two School District 200 orchestra teachers – Lyndra Bastian and Jillian Forbes – have worked during the past several months to recruit colleagues, former students, and musicians from the area to create the new orchestra. “We thought it would be […]
Antioch Pizza had all the right ingredients for Woodstock School District 200’s Life Connections program, and the dough is still rising. The program provides opportunities for 18- to 22-year-olds who have developmental disabilities to learn vocational skills and job market preparation. Life Connections students have already been working with Walgreens pharmacy, Read Between the Lynes […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
