The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a groundswell of grassroots community efforts and innovation likely unmatched since World War II. Everyone who can find a way to pitch in is doing so, and that includes a class of Career and Technical Education Fashion students from Buffalo Grove High School.

Family & Consumer Science teacher Ronna Pflanz, looking for a way to help and involve her students, hit on the idea of sewing and assembling face masks.

There’s no shortage of grim news stories stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most often heard and distressing accounts comes from health care workers who are concerned about lacking the supplies they need to perform their jobs and care for patients while at the same time protecting themselves to the fullest extent possible.

March 1 is right around the corner, which means - of course - spring break is not far away. But even more important, this turn of the calendar means it’s time for District 214 students to apply for summer and fall internships. March 1 is the deadline to make an internship application - and, in the process - utilize one of the most vital learning opportunities District 214 has to offer.

Some of District 214’s most vital work these days involves breaking down barriers to students’ post-high school success and, in place of those hurdles, charting new opportunities and roads to productive futures.

You’ll see the priority that District 214 is placing on these efforts in everything from our growing network of work-based learning experiences to the 214 Education Foundation’s Next Generation Pathway to Completion, which is engaging students, families and alumni to provide broad-based and strategic college-preparation support for select first-generation students from the district’s six high schools.

The newest example comes as District 214 prepares to launch our Middle College at National Louis University (NLU) Business Program.

It was exciting news when Buffalo Grove High School teacher Elizabeth Bennett was named a semifinalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award. We captured the story in a previous post authored by three Buffalo Grove students. It was even more exciting when Bennett was named one of 10 finalists nationwide –– from a pool of more than 3,300 nominees!  

It’s not as if Buffalo Grove orchestra director Elizabeth Bennett had never heard of the Grammy Music Educator Award. After all, the high school she attended in Iowa earned this prestigious recognition when she was a student. Now, bringing matters full circle, she has not only been nominated for the award but is one of only 25 semifinalists nationwide and the only semifinalist from Illinois.

Maintaining perspective may not be the easiest task for a 16-year-old who has earned a spot on every known list of the nation’s top 20 high school junior basketball players. Staying humble and motivated could be a challenge for a high school junior who already has received scholarship offers from the country’s top college basketball programs.

Each year, American Education Week gives us an opportunity to celebrate public education and showcase the incredible learning experiences happening in District 214. One way we do that is through our annual #214OneDay social media campaign, a designated day when staff and students connect on Twitter and Instagram to share a glimpse of one day of learning in our schools.