Dear Friends of Champaign Unit 4 School District:

The Unit 4 Class of 2016 earned $8.5 million in college scholarships, up $1 million from last year.

Central and Centennial High Schools are among just 12% of high schools in the nation offering Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science courses.

Unit 4 is the only District in the State of Illinois that has two middle schools recognized as National AVID Demonstration Sites.

Next year Unit 4 will offer two dual language programs at the elementary school level—Spanish-English Dual Language at the International Prep Academy and the new French-English Dual Language program at Stratton Academy of the Arts.

Our drama departments are some of the very best in the nation. This year, Central and Centennial teamed up for a historic joint performance of Disney’s The Little Mermaid at the Virginia Theatre and Central High School’s production of Chicago performed at Nationals this summer.

Unit 4 is home to top-notch music programs, with students regularly selected for top honors at State and National competitions.

The Unit 4 Education to Careers and Professions (ECP) Program has been in place for nearly 20 years, connecting Unit 4 students with professionals in the community to provide real-world experiences aligned to their career goals.

Sincerely,

Dr. Judy WiegandSuperintendent

Board of Education

Christopher Kloeppel – President

Amy Armstrong – Vice President

Kathy Shannon – Secretary

Jonathan Westfield – Parliamentarian

Dr. Gianina Baker – Member

Kathy Richards – Member

Lynn Stuckey – Member

Dr. Judy WiegandSuperintendent

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I want to express my appreciation and gratitude for your partnership over the past year. It truly takes an entire community to fulfill our promise of providing a high quality education to all children in our community.

This is my favorite time of year because it provides the opportunity for us to reflect on what we have accomplished together. It also allows us to be intentional about the goals we will set for the future. As part of this reflection, I wanted to ensure that you were aware of some truly incredible programs and accomplishments of our students and faculty.

Did You Know?

We truly have an incredible, thriving school community here in Unit 4. I hope you will join me in celebrating these successes and learning more about our work as educators in this Annual Report.

Board of Education MeetingsOur Board of Education meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at the Mellon Administrative Center (703 S. New Street in Champaign), with the open session beginning at 6 p.m. At Board of Education meetings you can learn about the operations of the District and listen to items up for discussion that impact students, staff, and community. If you can’t make it in person, these meetings are regularly broadcasted live on the City of Champaign’s CGTV 5 and a recording is posted on the District’s Vimeo Channel. You can view all current and past agendas on the District’s BoardDocs Meeting Information webpage.

Unit 4 WebsiteGather the latest Unit 4 news, view upcoming calendar events, and read about Unit 4 programs, committees, and schools on the District website, www.champaignschools.org.

Social Media Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see the latest news and celebrations from our schools. • Facebook: /Unit4Schools • Twitter: @Unit4Schools • Instagram: @Unit4Schools

Board Corner Blog The Board Corner Blog, penned by member Kathy Richards, helps to unpack some of the major discussions taking place at the Board of Education level within the District.http://u4boardcorner.blogspot.com

VisitThe best way to get to know what is taking place within our schools is to experience them first hand! Great times to visit include sporting events, student performances, plays, and open houses. You can become a mentor to a Unit 4 student or regular volunteer. Seniors can become Gold Card Club members and gain free access to special events and be part of regular informational breakfast events. For more information on how to become a mentor, volunteer, or Gold Card Club member, contact Community Outreach Coordinator Lauren Smith at smithla@u4sd.org.

Give us a call!Can’t find what you’re looking for? Give us a call at the Mellon Administrative Center at 217-351-3800.

As a resident of Unit 4, how can you stay informed about what is happening in your local public schools? We know that between the traditional and social media outlets, you may be inundated with infor-mation on what is happening in our world and community. To make information on your public schools accessible, we provide a number of different ways you can gather information, stay in the loop, and even get involved in what is happening in our schools.

How to Stay Informed

Getting Ready for

The Champaign Early Childhood Center (CECC) is Unit 4’s pre-kindergarten program that serves

approximately 280 students ages 3-5. All teachers are dually certified in early childhood and special education

and children with disabilities are fully included in all classrooms. Support staff consists of a Speech and Language

Therapist, Social Worker, Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, English as a Second Language

(ESL) Teacher, Literacy Teacher, and Parent Coordinator. This team of educators works hand-in-hand with families

to build critical early literacy skills and support the social/emotional needs of our youngest students.

While some students attend CECC or

other preschool programs, others may

not have access to such programs or

materials. In order to meet this need,

Altrusa has been a partner to Champaign

Unit 4 School District over the past three

years, providing kindergarten readiness

bags to all incoming students as part of

the Spring screening that takes place

at each of the District’s 12 elementary

school campuses.

Other outstanding partners include

CU Cradle to Career with its READY!

for Kindergarten program and Tap In

Leadership Academy with its Tap In

Prep Academy for students on the CECC

waitlist.

They follow his lead, dragging and dropping a block of code into their viewers. After making the latest update, everyone in the room begins to shake their Google Nexus tablets, which are connected via USB to their computers. The code they added now allows the tablets to make a sloshing sound when shaken. They’re creating Magic 8 Ball apps, modeled after the old fashioned dime store fortune teller—ask a question, shake the ball, and learn your fate. The tablets are now delivering various answers to the students’ questions in a robotic voice; “yes,” “no,” “failure is imminent,” can be heard echoing around the room. These are not Silicon Valley app developers incubating a new start-up; they’re Champaign Unit 4 high school students. The class is Mr. Linnenburger’s 7th hour Applied Computing Class at Centennial High School and today he is guiding them through this lesson as part of the course’s app development unit. The course was added two years ago as part of a District-wide effort to vastly expand computer science offerings in grades K-12. Centennial High School Freshman Kasinda Williams is taking advantage of the new courses and the opportunity to explore the tech sector as a possible career path. “I have taken the class before this one and we were doing Javascript. It was really fun from last semester, so I

Unit 4 Expands Computer Science Course of Study

wanted to do it again,” she said. “I don’t have a career plan, so I was looking into different ones. I really like it, so I might go into technology. I want [the community] to know these classes are being offered and you’re not going to be nerdy for taking them.” Two years ago Linnenburger was drafted by Superintendent Dr. Judy Wiegand and Deputy Superintendent

of high schools that offer Advanced Placement Computer Science, which allows students with passing scores to earn college credit. The curriculum, aligned to real-world applications of technology, was developed in partnership with Dr. Leonard Pitt, with the University Of Illinois Department Of Computer Science. Dr. Taylor and Dr. Pitt designed the professional development opportunities that would equip Linnenburger, and others in the future, to teach the courses offered. “Business, science, and even social science practice today increasingly requires an ability to work with data intelligently and a broader understanding of computation,” said Dr. Leonard Pitt, Associate Head and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois. “Preparing our students with these skills has become

Teacher Jim Linnenburger is showing a room full of programmers how to make a change to the mobile app they are building in the MIT App Inventor.

Dr. Laura Taylor to help lead the District’s expansion of computer science at the high school level and offer this path to students, in part due to his passion for computer science dating back to the 1990s. As a result of this work, Unit 4 high schools now offer a Computer Science course of study (plus networking courses) to students in grades 9-12 that includes seven courses, with a second Advanced Placement course coming next school year. Unit 4’s Central and Centennial High Schools are now two of only 12%

“I don’t have a career plan, so I was looking into different ones. I really like it, so I might go into technology. I want [the community] to know these classes are being offered and you’re not going to be nerdy for taking them.”

critical. I’ve been excited about the opportunity to work with Champaign Unit 4 on teacher professional development and computer science curricula, and am delighted to see the progress that has been achieved over the past few years.” Other partners at the table include the University of Illinois College of Education and Math Science Technology Education (MSTE) Office, Wolfram Research, and community group Ctrl+Shift. These partners are also helping the District hone in on the development of CS curriculum at the middle and elementary school levels as well. One of the most exciting projects underway is taking place at Kenwood Elementary School, the District’s computer science-focused elementary school. In 2013, Kenwood adopted computer science/computational thinking as a school-wide initiative. In

order to implement the curriculum, Unit 4 partnered with University of Illinois partners to provide extensive professional development for teachers. Now, Kenwood teachers are working with the University of Illinois College of Education to develop a model K-12 computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) curriculum. This work is part of the National Science Foundation STEM+C initiative with the University of Chicago. At the middle school level, students are able to learn about coding through STEM courses offered at each campus. As part of the course, STEM specialists invite working professionals from Champaign-based tech company Wolfram Research to lead lessons and provide students exposure to the Wolfram programming language. “We know that we need to prepare

our students for jobs that don’t exist yet. In order to rise to that challenge, our students will need to develop strong computational thinking skills,” said Superintendent Dr. Judy Wiegand. “We are moving toward access to computer science and coding at all grade levels, at all schools.”

Kasinda Williams Centennial High School Freshman

Tier II Committee Membership

Next Steps The Board of Education is currently gathering feedback on the Tier II Committee recommendations and invites you to weigh in. Email them your thoughts at u4boe@u4sd.org or attend a Board of Education meeting. This summer, the District held two Town Hall meetings and is conducting a community-wide survey to gather feedback on these recommendations before the Board determines next steps, which could include a school facilities referendum this November. For more information on this work, please visit http://facilityplanning.champaignschools.org.

The Board of Education and District Administration would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their dedication and contribution to this process.

This year, in order to create a long term facility plan that garners broad community support, the Board of Education and Administration embarked on a collaborative planning process that involved representation from a diverse group of community stakeholders. This process included two phases. The first stage of this process, called the Tier I Process, was to identify needs for capacity and programming for Unit 4 elementary, middle, and high schools. The Tier I Process included input from students, faculty, and administrators. The second stage of this process included the work of a special Board committee called the Tier II Committee for Facility Planning, which consisted of representatives from elected bodies of local government, the business community, and at large community members.

Facility Planning

Board of Education: Chris Kloeppel and Amy ArmstrongCity of Champaign: Paul Faraci and Will KylesChampaign Park District: Tim McMahon and Craig HaysVillage of Savoy: R. Dee ShonkwilerMTD: Brad Diel Champaign County Chamber of Commerce: Laura WeisEconomic Development Corportation: Craig RostBlack Chamber of Commerce: Jamar BrownAt Large Members: Sam Banks, Laura Berg, Luz Murillo, Alan Nudo, Jewell WhiteFacilitator: Steve Carter

Tier II

The following are two of the draft site plans under consideration by the Board of Education.

School RecommendationExtensively renovate/expand the existing school for 1,700 students on its current location on University Ave OR construct a new school facility at the old YMCA location on Church Street. Utilize properties optioned by the school district for expansion. Provide for fields at Spalding Park and South Side Elementary School.

Extensively renovate and expand the existing school to accommodate 1,700 students with either a field house OR two court gymnasium.

Renovate and expand the existing school at its location on West Green Street.

Renovate and expand the existing facility to accommodate a K-8 program with either a one OR

Rebuild either a two OR three story school on its current site

Renovate OR rebuild school on its current site.

The Tier II Committee recommends that the District consider dedicating funds to land banking as indicated in the Guiding Principles.

Share your thoughts with the Board at

u4boe@u4sd.org

Visit our Planning 4 the Future website:

http://facilityplanning.champaignschools.org

Land Banking

Central High School

Centennial High School

Edison Middle School

International Prep Academy

Dr.Howard Elementary School

South Side Elementary School

two story addition.

HL Precision Manufacturing Takes Partnership Approach to Workforce Development

That is the motto of family-owned HL Precision Manufacturing, led by President and CEO Steve Hillard. The Champaign-based manufacturing firm specializes in machining, sheet metal fabrication, welding, and finishing solutions in a broad range of industries. They make everything from military flight cockpits to medical instruments to custom automated retail kiosks. A walk through the floor of their facility looks more like a technology lab than a dusty workshop; it is neat, tidy and staffed by manufacturing professionals who have sharp technical skills and specialize in working on their machinery designed for precision and perfection. Hanging high on the wall is a banner marking the company’s recent ISO 9001:2008 certification. This certification

means that the company meets statutory and regulatory requirements for quality management set by the International Organization for Standards (ISO). According to Corrinne Moore, HR/Marketing Manager, these positions can be difficult to fill despite the competitive pay and benefits. When Moore was introduced to Marc Changnon, Unit 4 School District’s Coordinator of Career Programs and Community Partnerships, the two began thinking creatively about how a partnership could address these challenges and also provide hands-on

“We asked, ‘What can we do proactively? How awesome

would it be as a company to invest in the students which,

in turn, invests in Unit 4, the community, and Parkland?’”

experiences for high school students that prepare them for careers in the manufacturing industry. “We asked, ‘What can we do proactively? How awesome would it be as a company to invest in the students which, in turn, invests in Unit 4, the community, and Parkland?’” said Moore. As a result of this information sharing and collaboration, HL set up a fund that would award two students, one each from Champaign’s Central and Centennial High Schools, a scholarship to participate in Dual Credit courses at Parkland College in the area of Industrial

“Precision. People. Purpose.”

Left to Right: Central Student Ben Perkinson, Centennial Student Zach Jeffers,District Coordinator of Career Programs Marc Changnon, HL Precision HR/Marketing Manager Corrinne Moore, HL Precision President and CEO Steve Hillard

“You truly stepped up when nobody else has ever done this before,” Changnon said to Hillard. “We look at the investment you’ve made into our students and school system, it’s a great partnership.” This summer, Jeffers and Perkinson will continue their education at Parkland College and continue as paid interns at HL, an arrangement that is above and beyond what was promised as part of the program. “To me, that is the perfect package,” said Moore. “It’s great for us, great for [the students], and great for the schools. What more could you ask for?”

Technology and Manufacturing. HL agreed to pay for course tuition, fees, and textbooks for the selected students. In addition, they would have the opportunity to serve as interns at HL Precision and earn the opportunity for full-time employment after graduation and/or continued education. This year, their selection committee chose Zach Jeffers from Centennial High School and Ben Perkinson from Central High School, both who learned of the opportunity from their schools’ College and Career Centers. Meeting Ben and Zach after almost a year of education in the field and an HL internship, their enthusiasm and excitement for their new career path is infectious. An exciting topic of conversation lately has been the new five axis machine that will soon be arriving on the floor of HL, rumored to cost upwards $250,000. “You can make almost anything,” they gushed. “I’ve learned how to work the machines, which I really enjoy; I really like being hands-on,” said Jeffers, a senior. “[I’ve learned about] the materials industry, identifying the metals, heat tempering. It’s not just about making the parts, but

knowing the materials you’re working with.” “Our teacher says, it’s about not just being a button presser but knowing the basics starting from scratch to computer to machine to the final product,” said Perkinson. Hillard and Moore are both adamant that the partnership has brought them two high quality students who would make outstanding employees in the future. “These guys have got it together,” said Hillard. “So much of the populace is fed a diet of how poor this generation is. Here are a couple of young men who blow that out of the water.” One common misconception is that is the manufacturing industry doesn’t require training and high level skills, which both the students and professionals agree is not the case. “I always say that applied science lives here,” said Hillard. “We have got to develop the next generation of skills; these are high level skills. [Our facility] is indicative of what more facilities will look like in the future.” Reflecting around a conference room at HL’s headquarters, the tone immediately shifts to gratitude and cooperation.

—Zach Jeffers, Senior

“I really like being hands-on “

career developmentcareer development

The Booker T. Washington STEM Academy Math Olympiad Team was named to the Math Olympiad Honor Roll for scoring in the top 10% nationally among the 150,000+ student participants. Four individuals (Jashan Takhar, Divya Choudhary, Jack Larson, and Gus Miller) earned gold pins, awarded to those in the top 2% internationally. Three students (Amberlyn Aimone, Marlow Tracy, and Brody Schaffner) were awarded silver pins for scoring within the 90th to 97th percentiles internationally.

This year, Unit 4 middle school students at Edison, Franklin, and Jefferson raised funds as part of the Change for Change coin drive. Jefferson students raised more than $1,000 to help establish a resource center and computer lab at Mulele Mwana Community School in Lusaka, Zambia. The drive was sparked by a visit from Ms. Talia Hayward, a Zambian-born artist

who paralleled the “insignificance” of a penny to the treatment of children in third world countries. Championing the statement that “NO ONE is insignificant,” Talia challenged Unit 4 students to take a moment and pick up the pennies (change) we walk over each day. As a way of saying “thank you” to Jefferson, Talia created and presented the school with a mosaic of a Jaguar made of pennies.

Franklin Middle School’s Scholastic Bowl Team placed 4th at the 2016 State Competition. Winning Regionals and Sectionals before heading to State, they closed out the year strong, representing Unit 4 as a high performing district in the area of academics. Congratulations, Knights!

scholastic bowl

Booker T. Washington Math Olympiad Ranks in Top 10 Percent Nationally

Middle School Coin Drive Funds Zambian Computer Lab

Champaign Unit 4 School District’s Class of 2016 has earned an unprecedented $8.5 million in scholarships to post-secondary institutions, an increase of $1 million from last year, and will attend some of the nation’s top colleges this fall. (See back cover for a list of colleges students will attend.) Over the past four years, following the addition of College & Career Centers at Champaign Central and Centennial High Schools, scholarships earned by Unit 4 graduates have risen 73%, up from $4.9 million in 2012. “Our Unit 4 graduates bring diverse experiences, ideas, and skills to the table,” said Superintendent Dr. Judy Wiegand. “We have worked to support our students by building College & Career Centers with dedicated counselors whose mission is to assist with the admissions process, scholarship applications, and exploring trades and military opportunities. These supports ensure that students are able to realize the dreams they have for their lives and take the next steps in their journey.”

Class of 2016 Earns $8.5 in Scholarships

earned scholarship

increases for class of 2016

Congratulations to our graduating student-athletes who have received athletic scholarships to play in college!

Left to right: Tanner Gordon, baseball, John A. Logan; Alec Barger, baseball, Northern Illinois University; Hunter Jones, swimming, Wabash College; Alec Barger, baseball, Northern Illinois University; Dana Westfield, volleyball, Temple University; Joe Aeilts, baseball, Illinois State University; Maddie Legrande, volleyball, College of Charleston; Alex Thomas, baseball, Danville Area Community College; Mike Namoff, baseball, North Central; Dalton Webber, baseball, Danville Area Community College; Parker Evans, track and field, Memphis University; Payton Woods, swimming, Michigan State University.

• Received the highest possible financial rating from the Illinois State Board of Education.

• Has the lowest tax rate of any school district in Champaign County, at 4.3%.

• Is one of only 72 taxing bodies out of 7,000 in the State of Illinois to win the Illinois

Policy Institute Sunshine Award for transparency by opening finances to the public.

• Maintains a AA bond rating by Standard & Poor’s.

Unit 4 School District Continues its Tradition of Operational Excellence

Benefits $20,651,881 17%

Capital Outlay $2,420,140 2%

Salaries $71,017,494 57%

Supplies/Materials $8,495,170 7%

Other $11,574,573 9%

Purchased Svcs. $9,435,645 8%

Non-Capitalized Equip. $15,979 0%

$123,610,882 100%

Local $95,259,313 75%

State $18,767,456 15%

Federal $12,485,074 10%

$126,511,843 100%

FY15 Actual Expenses/Revenues Does not include Capital Projects

Elementary Schools

Champaign Early Childhood Center (Pre-K) – 809 N. Neil – 351-3881

Barkstall – 2201 Hallbeck – 373-5580

Bottenfield – 1801 S. Prospect – 351-3807

Booker T. Washington – 606 E. Grove – 351-3901

Carrie Busey – 304 Prairie Rose Ln., Savoy – 351-3811

Dr. Howard – 1117 W. Park – 351-3866

Garden Hills – 2001 Garden Hills – 351-3872

International Prep Academy – 1605 W. Kirby – 351-3995

Kenwood – 1001 Stratford Dr – 351-3815

Robeson – 2501 Southmoor – 351-3884

South Side – 712 S. Pine – 351-3890

Stratton – 902 N. Randolph – 373-7330

Westview – 703 S. Russell – 351-3905

Middle Schools

Edison – 306 W. Green – 351-3771

Franklin – 817 N. Harris – 351-3819

Jefferson – 1115 S. Crescent – 351-3790

High Schools

Centennial – 913 S. Crescent – 351-3951

Central – 610 W. University – 351-3911

Novak Academy – 815 N. Randolph – 352-4328

District

Family Information Center – 1103 N. Neil – 351-3701

Mellon Administrative Building – 703 S. New – 351-3800

Transportation Center – 1400 N. Hagan – 351-3993

Campus Listing and Phone Numbers

CHAMPAIGN UNIT 4 SCHOOLS703 South New StreetChampaign, Illinois 61820-5899www.champaignschools.org

Residential Postal Customer

ECRWSSNon-Profit

U.S. PostagePAID

Permit No. 91Champaign, IL 61820

Congratulations to the Unit 4 Class of 2016! This fall, they will attend:

Air Force, Alabama, American, Arizona State, Ball State, Baylor, Benedictine, Bradley, Butler, Clark Atlanta, Coastal

Carolina, Charleston, Columbia College of Chicago, Cornell, DePaul, Drake, Drexel, Eastern Illinois, Georgetown,

Georgia Tech, Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Miami of Ohio, Michigan, Michigan State,

Millikin, Morehouse, NYU, Northern Illinois, Ohio State, Olivet Nazarene, Parkland, Rhodes, Rice, Rose Hulman,

Southern Illinois, St. Louis University, Stanford, Temple University, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Valparaiso, Washington University, West Point, Western Illinois, Wheaton, and Yale.