The Kendall County Sheriff’s Department coordinated with the Yorkville Culver’s to raise money for Special Olympics. The event helped the department collect more than $900 for the Special Olympics. (Photo courtesy of the Kendall County Sheriff’s Dept.)

Aurora

Waubonsee to hold 50th anniversary celebration

With the start of the academic year, Waubonsee Community College is kicking off its 50th anniversary celebrations this month with a full slate of events and initiatives planned to honor the milestone. The college’s focus for the anniversary will be on honoring those who’ve helped shape the college’s “Proud Past, Bold Future.”

The celebrations will begin on Aug. 25, when new students will be welcomed to their academic life on campus during the college’s first New Student Convocation. That event will be followed by a campus-wide welcome celebration.

In September, Waubonsee will host a grand re-opening of their Aurora Fox Valley Campus. That event will showcase the college’s renovated space, now home to state-of-art learning facilities for health care programs in addition to its many general education courses.

To follow the college’s 50th anniversary reflections and celebrations throughout the year, visit www.waubonsee.edu/50 or look for updates on the college’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages

Kendall County

Sheriff’s Department holds Special Olympic fundraiser

Recently, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Department hosted its Culver’s Butter Burgers & Badges to help raise money for Special Olympics. Thanks to the support of the public, the department collected more than $900 to the Special Olympics.

The department has one more event planned for August. The department’s 2nd annual summer BBQ will be held on Thursday, Aug. 25 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Kendall County Courthouse parking lot, 807 W. John St., Yorkville.

Tickets are currently available for purchase. Contact Tracy Page at tpage@co.kendall.il.us. Pork chop, chicken or combo meals are $12 and come with applesauce, baked beans, cole slaw and a roll. The event is drive-thru only.

Drivers reminded to use caution in school zones

Schools in Kendall County will soon be back in session. The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind motorists to use caution and allow extra time in their commute due to an increase in traffic.

The 20 mph school zone speed limits are in effect on school days, during school hours, when children are present. If you are cited for speeding in a school zone, the law does not allow court supervision, and carries a minimum $200 fine.

Cellular phone use and texting are not authorized on any roadway and are especially dangerous in a school zone. Sheriff’s Deputies will be increasing patrols and enforcement in school zones during this time.

Montgomery

Village announces TV recycling event this month

The village of Montgomery is teaming up with eWorks to offer a TV and electronics recycling event on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 8 a.m. until noon in front of the Police Department, 10 Civic Center Ave. Montgomery. There will be a $35 per unit fee to drop off TVs or computer monitors for recycling that are larger than 21”; under 21” the fee is $25 per unit.

Payment must be made by cash or credit card only; prepayment is encouraged and can be done online at http://recycle.eworksesi.org/. Just bring your printed receipt to the event.

You can also drop off home office electronics (computers, printers, etc.) and other small appliances (microwaves, toaster, etc.) at the recycling event at no charge.

This recycling event will not accept paint, metal, disposable batteries, large appliances, hazardous materials, car fluids or tires. For complete information on items that will be accepted, please visit the Village’s website at www.ci.montgomgery.il.us. Call eWorks at (847) 276-8894 with any questions.

Oswego

Results are in from Illinois Speed Awareness Day Campaign

The Oswego Police Department participated in Illinois Speed Awareness Day last month, joining other agencies statewide in taking a proactive approach to promote safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists through both education and enforcement.

Oswego Police Officers made a total of 116 traffic stops resulting in 89 warnings and 28 citations, including three arrests.

Citations included:

• 24 – Speeding
• 1 – Operating Uninsured Motor Vehicle
• 1 – No Drivers License (arrest)
• 2 – Suspended or Revoked Drivers License (arrest)

Warnings included:

• 88 – Speeding
• 1 – Disobeyed Stop Sign

In Illinois during 2014, speed was the reason for 32.4 percent of all traffic fatalities. These lives can be easily saved by being aware of vehicle speed and understanding how speeding impacts a crash.

Remember to do your part to prevent fatalities and reduce injuries on the roadways by being aware of your speed and obeying the speed limit signs all

the time. If you would like more information about Illinois Speed Awareness Day, visit www.illinoisspeedawarenessday.org.

School District 308 redrawing school boundaries

Community Unit School District 308 has started the process of redrawing boundary lines for the state’s seventh largest school district for the 2017-18 school year.

At its August 1, 2016 meeting, the Board of Education voted on its top criteria for determining school boundaries moving forward. They are: Projected enrollment/Building utilization; Fiscal considerations related to operations; Duration of boundaries and transportation services.

To help navigate the process, the district has engaged the services of RSP & Associates, a professional educational planning firm with more than 20 years of experience.

The District 308 Board of Education will form a Boundary Advisory Committee of 35-40 members made up of stakeholders from throughout the community.

The Boundary Advisory Committee will have five committee meetings and two public forums. The committee meetings will be held on Sept. 6, Sept. 15, Oct.13,Oct. 20 and Nov. 10 starting at 6 p.m. in the community room at Oswego East High School (OEHS). The public forums will be held on Nov.1, at 7 p.m. at Traughber Junior High School and on Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. at OEHS.

The Boundary Advisory Committee member application and more information are available on the School District 308 website at SD308.org. Applications will be accepted through Aug. 21, and the Boundary Advisory Committee members will be announced on Sept. 4.

Meemic Foundation donates $10,000 to District 308

At a recent Community Unit School District 308 Board of Education Meeting, the Meemic Foundation for the Future of Education presented a $10,000 check to the district to support expansion of its AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program.

Meemic’s $10,000 sponsorship of AVID will help fund expansion of the program for the 2016-17 school year, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Sparlin.

District 308 will add four additional AVID sites this coming year. In total there will be seven sites in District 308’s elementary schools, four in its junior high schools, and one in each of its two high schools.

“We are very grateful for the generous donation from the Meemic Foundation. Ensuring that all of our students are college and career ready by the time they graduate is our top priority,” said Sparlin.

In total last year, 127 district teachers and staff members were involved with the AVID program, and a total of 2,436 students were served. The cost of continuing site licenses to run the program exceeded $39,000.

As part of School District 308’s ongoing work to establish partnerships in support of education, the Teaching and Learning Department met this past spring with representatives from the Meemic Foundation. Over the course of the next few months, the Meemic team met several times with representatives from the Teaching and Learning Department and the district’s grants coordinator to learn more about how the AVID program is helping to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for success in a global society.

“Meemic representatives have been very excited about how we are integrating AVID as a key professional development component across the district. They attended our AVID open house and were very impressed with our students,” said Associate Superintendent and AVID District Director Dr. Judith Minor.

Plano

Smallville Superfest will be held this weekend

Smallville Superfest in Plano kicks-off this week with carnival rides opening on Aug. 18. Community events are scheduled for Aug. 19-21.

This festival, which features food, music and fun, is to celebrate the spirit of everyone’s favorite super hero–Superman, of course. In the summer of 2011, Warner Brothers and DC Comics chose Plano, IL to represent “Smallville” in the 2013 Superman movie “Man of Steel”. Today, the hero is celebrated during the annual festival.

A live battle of the bands takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, featuring Red Woody and Whiskey Romance. Visit the Smallville Museum, enjoy a Friday night street dance, a Saturday afternoon car show, or the Andrew Kuebrick 5K Hero Run on Sunday. For more information and a full line-up of events, visit http://smallvillesuperfest.com/.

–Kendall County News Briefs–