At its June 20 meeting, the Elmhurst District 205 Board of Education approved the appointment of Mariann Lemke as the new Executive Director of Research and Program Analysis effective July 14, 2017 at a base salary of $133,382.

Ms. Lemke comes to Elmhurst from the American Institutes for Research (AIR), where she has spent the last eight years as the Managing Director. She has nearly 20 years of experience managing large-scale research, evaluation and assessment projects in education at the federal, state and district levels. At AIR, Lemke leads and acts as senior advisor on projects related to the use of assessment data and educator quality. She served as a project director on an impact evaluation of principal preparation programs and principal investigator on an evaluation of a teacher residency and incentives program.

She also leads a project aimed at building capacity in districts to improve professional learning. She manages projects related to educator effectiveness, which includes current or past work for the Florida Department of Education, Baltimore City Public Schools, New York State Education Department, Delaware Department of Education, Texas Education Agency, and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in Washington, D.C.

She joined AIR in 2009 from the Chicago Public Schools, where for two years she was the Director of Assessment and responsible for administering state and district testing, new test development and the district’s overall assessment strategy. Prior to that, Ms. Lemke managed the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the International Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey at the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education for seven years.

Ms. Lemke holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Chicago (1993) and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (1998). A former elementary teacher, she is a published author and is fluent in Spanish.

"I could not be more excited about what Mariann brings to the table to help us move the academic needle in Elmhurst. She has exceptional knowledge, experience, and talent. Truth be told, we are lucky to find somebody with her expertise. But what is even more encouraging is that she speaks of teams and collaboration. She indicates a true desire to listen to people. I am excited to learn from her as we all work together to ensure that District 205 always reaches its fullest potential,” said Superintendent Dr. David Moyer.

Is there a new family in your neighborhood? Please let them know that families should enroll new students beginning Monday, July 10 at the District 205 Center. Information about documentation needed for enrolling students can be found on the New Student Enrollment page.

District 205 Center (162 S. York) (walk-in and residency)
 

9:00 AM – 3:00 PM                      1:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Monday, July 10                           Thursday, July 13

Monday, July 17                           Wednesday, July 19

Tuesday, July 18                          Tuesday, July 25

Wednesday, July 26                     Thursday, July 27
 

Grades 9-12:
York High School (by appointment, call 630-617-2487)
 

Pre-K: 
Madison Early Childhood Center (by appointment, call 630-617-2385)

Evening enrollment hours will be held on August 1 and August 7 from 4 to 8 PM at the District 205 Center and at Conrad Fischer Elementary, 888 N. Wilson, during those same dates and times (for students attending Fischer only).

York High School has been competing in the Capitol Hill Challenge for the last few years. This year, one of the York teams finished second in the country. The Capitol Hill Challenge is a national program that teaches middle and high school students the importance of saving and investing through a mock stock market game, while also giving them a better understanding of government, according to a release from Challenge sponsor SIFMA.

"Schools are awarded 10 teams which we have traditionally split between our Honors Personal Finance course and our Economics Club," said York Business Department Chair Jim Borel. "This year, 4 of our 10 teams finished in the top 1 percent of the 3,939 stock teams participating in the Capital Hill Challenge. The second place team in the country consisted of seniors Burke Corcoran, Kevin Lipkin, Mark Leali and junior Jason Kentra. This team was part of Tamra Carl's Economics Club." An awards reception will be held on June 21 in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capital Hill in Washington, DC.

In the Challenge, teams invest a hypothetical $100,000 in listed stocks, bonds and mutual funds, learning the value of the capital markets as they work together to maximize the return of their portfolios.

"Tamra does a great job and should be commended for our national second place finish. I will be accompanying the team on the trip to Washington, DC from June 20-22. Last year, we finished in ninth place in the country with a CHC team from the Honors Personal Finance course. This a great opportunity for our students to learn investing strategies. The trip is also a great opportunity for our students see our democracy in action," said Mr. Borel.

"I also want to note that this is a special accomplishment because three years ago members of this team were in line to make the top 10 in the nation and got bumped out the last night of the competition. It was their goal every year since then to place in the top 10," Mrs. Carl said. "I am so proud of them for working hard to strategically trade up until the very end of the competition, showing leadership to the Economics Club at our weekly meetings and meeting their objective!"

Middle and high school students from all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia participated in this year’s competition. Montgomery Area High School in Pennsylvania was this year's winner of the stock market game.

Pictured below are Burke Corcoran, Jason Kentra, Mark Leali and Kevin Lipkin.

At its May 23, 2017 meeting, the Elmhurst School District 205 Board of Education voted unanimously to approve Dr. Christina Podraza as the new assistant principal at Hawthorne and Lincoln elementary schools, effective August 1, 2017 with a salary of $91,573. (See related news item on the District 205 homepage.) She replaces Tim Riordan, who was recently confirmed as the new principal of Hawthorne.

Dr. Podraza comes to Elmhurst from Naperville District 203, where she has served as the Learning Support Coach for Mill Street Elementary School since 2012. There she played an integral role in adoption and implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). She served on the School Improvement Team and was a member of the District 203 Service Delivery Design Committee and the Science Curriculum Committee.

“I am beyond thrilled to be a part of Elmhurst Community Unit District 205! I am looking forward to getting to know the Hawthorne and Lincoln staff, students and families and can’t wait to start my work as assistant principal. I hope that my passion for student engagement and instructional coaching background will be an asset to both buildings,” said Dr. Podraza.

Prior to her tenure in District 203, she was a fifth grade teacher at Schiesher Elementary School in Lisle for four years. There she developed multiple assessments aligned to Common Core, designed authentic, interactive programs which incorporated technology to motivate student learning. She used both qualitative and quantitative data to make decisions regarding curricular planning.

Dr. Podraza was also a classroom teacher in Bensenville District 2, in East Aurora District 131 and served as a long-term sub and reading improvement assistant at Armstrong School in Hoffman Estates.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Monmouth College (1999), her master’s in Elementary Education from DePaul University (2003) and her doctorate in Educational Leadership & Organizational Change from Roosevelt University (2014).

"I am excited that Christina is joining District 205. Her instructional knowledge, professional development experience and her ability to facilitate PLCs is timely and will help our staff provide exceptional learning experiences to our students,” said Riordan.

“Having Christina join the Lincoln and Hawthorne teams excites me! I am inspired by her energy, passion, and instructional expertise and look forward to working with her to support students, families, and staff,” said Jennifer Barnabee, who will be the new Lincoln Elementary School principal for 2017-18.

Elmhurst District 205 is thrilled to welcome Dr. Bill Daggett of the International Center for Leadership in Education to the community on Monday, August 14. In the afternoon, Dr. Daggett will be the keynote speaker at our opening faculty meeting. That evening, we cordially invite all local parents, community members, school board members, business and community leaders, legislators, and area educators to share with us a unique and exciting opportunity to experience his important message first hand. The festivities begin at 7:00 p.m. in the York High School Commons.
 

Dr. Daggett will discuss the concepts of rigor, relevance and relationships and share some important concepts about his organization's Rigor and Relevance Framework. Most importantly, attendees will be challenged to think about the role of public education as it relates to this country's future and the world economy.  I predict that if you are able to join us, you will never think about "school" the same way again.
 

Clear your calendars now!  I hope to see you then!
 

Dr. David Moyer
Superintendent

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Dr. Bill Daggett is the Founder and Chairman of the International Center for Leadership in Education. He has collaborated with education ministries in several countries, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the National Governors Association. Dr. Daggett’s System for Effective Instruction and Rigor and Relevance Framework have helped thousands of school districts throughout the country improve learning for students.

http://www.leadered.com/