District 30 Reviews 2011 Summer School Program

The Glenview-Northbrook District 30 Board of Education got a much-needed update from its summer school staff at its

Chris Brown, the summer school principal, and Eleni Kartsimas, the assistant principal, gave the board a thorough presentation on what the program did well and what can be improved next year.

"We're basically running a one-room school house," Brown said, jokingly referencing the program, which services students from kindergarten through eight grade. Enrollment this year was the highest it has been, at 426 students from all over the area.

Read more: District 30 Approves New Staff, Debates New Statute

Enrollment figures over the past four years

• 2008: 290 students
• 2009: 350 students
• 2010: 420 students
• 2011: 426 students 

This year, 311 students came from District 30; about 115 came from outside the district. The classes were as diverse as the students, too.

"Writing was a hot topic, along with cooking," Brown said, focusing on the benefits of offering classes students don't normally get to take and teachers don't normally get to study. "It helps broaden [teachers' and students'] horizons, too."

One of the big changes this year was the debut of an online registration system called "RegOnline," which allowed more efficient front-end planning in the spring.

"We got about a hundred students registered in the first hour, pretty much without a hiccup," Brown said. 

Another success of the program was the incorporation of an electronic newsletter to communicate with parents.

"We just kept parents informed," Kartsimas said. "They all seemed to very much enjoy getting this information via email."

Kartsimas presented a survey that highlighted few successes and goals for next year. 

Parents felt that:

• Summer school was good value, said 87 percent of those surveyed.
• It was well-organized, said 95 percent.
• It was safe and well-supervised, said 93 percent.
• The online registration system was easy to use, said 95 percent.

"I think parents really want their kids to be happy and healthy, and I think we provide that environment for them," Kartsimas said.

Parents felt some things could be better:

• More physically active classes
• Options for older students
• Improved communication

Teachers felt that:

• The best elements for students were: diverse classes, making new friends, seeing teachers as coaches and learning in a relaxed atmosphere.
• The best elements for teachers were: flexibility in class design, fellowship with other faculty and the chance to work with different age groups.

It was a time of personal growth for the administration, too.

"I learned the principal is everyone: the custodian, the social worker, the 'please-fix-my-bike,'" Kartsimas said. " It goes beyond the duties as assigned."