Chicago high school athletes encourage younger students’ love of reading

Chicago high school athletes are taking time out of their busy school and sporting schedule to help mentor and promote a love of reading in younger students. They have been giving their time and energy to encourage elementary school students in Englewood to read.

One such student athlete read “Llama Llama Red Pajama” to kindergarten students in Englewood on Wednesday, April 12. The students sat and listened eagerly to the story, while also enjoying a pizza party. This visit was just one in a regular series of commitment from high school athletes to encourage younger students to read.

These mentors are already seeing great results in their young pupils. Teachers say it is very beneficial for the younger students to hear from and look up to the older kids. At Dulles Elementary, many teachers say their students were struggling with their reading before the visits, and now many of them are reading above their grade level. The younger classes compete to have the most reading minutes every month in order to win a prize, such as the pizza party in the kindergarten class.

Back in October, the high school students donated around 3,000 books to Dulles Elementary and each classroom now has their own mini library of books for students to check out and bring home. Reading opens up new worlds to young children, and their older mentors are inspiring a love of learning and reading!

Illinois Student Athletes win big at Illinois State Archery Tournament

The National Archery in the Schools Program, aimed at improving educational performance among students in grades 4 – 12 through archery, had its Illinois State Tournament March 25 and 26.

Champaign Centennial High School won first place at the tournament, where the team scored 3,400 during the two days.

Champaign Central High School scored 3,390 points putting them in second place and East Dubuque High School finished in third with 3,329.

Edison Middle School in Champaign won first place in the middle school division, scoring 3,332. Jefferson Middle School in Champaign took second place with a score of 3,297 and East Dubuque students took third with a score of 3,250.

In the elementary school division, East Dubuque won first place, scoring 2,844. Next Generation School in Champaign finished second with a score of 2,798 and Armstrong-Potomac in Vermilion County finished third with 2,769.

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Illinois filmmaker wins Best Documentary in international film festival

Documentaries are a wonderful resource that teach us about topics we may not have thought about otherwise — from crime, food production, scientific discoveries and even tiger kings. Documentaries also promote the sharing of knowledge across the world. One such documentary, “Mussel Grubbing,” was filmed here in Illinois and has received international attention. Director Jason Lindsey won the Best Documentary award for his film at the World Water Film Festival in New York.

Lindsey’s film examines research being done in the upper Sangamon River on freshwater mussels. “Mussel Grubbing” follows the story of a citizen scientist’s discovery of finding a diverse collection of healthy mussels in the Sangamon River basin. The mussels contribute to a healthier river, which in turn improves the well-being of the community. The film’s purpose is to highlight how everyday people in Illinois are supporting science in a way that is vital to the welfare of their local environment. The filmmakers wanted to show that community science projects are for everyone, regardless of their experience with science.

Lindsey’s film was one of only two to open the United Nations 2023 Water Conference. This documentary showcases the importance of not only local art, but also local engagement in science. It combines the beauty of art and filmmaking with the magnificence and practicality of science. We often think of the arts and of science as two separate entities; however Lindsey masterfully combines both in his award-winning documentary.

To learn more about “Mussel Grubbing,” visit the director’s website here.

Chicago Public Library Celebrates 150 years!

In the heart of the Windy City lies the Chicago Public Library, which consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries and branches distributed throughout the city's 77 community areas.

The American Library Association reports that the library holds 5,721,334 volumes, making it the ninth largest public library in the United States by volumes held and the second largest public library system in the Midwest.

This year, the library is celebrating 150 years of service to the great city of Chicago. Since 1873, it’s moved to several locations varying from the City Hall to traveling buses and carts which provided multiple selections of books to be delivered.

In recent years, CPL has reached major milestones, becoming the largest public library system in the United States to eliminate late fees for borrowed items in 2019. CPL also forgave all existing fines and allowed more than 100,000 formerly blocked accounts to start anew. There are still due dates for borrowed items, and patrons are still required to return items or replace them to continue their borrowing privileges.

In addition to no overdue fines, the library’s property tax levy was raised by a fraction to increase library access on Sundays. All CPL branches now operate seven days a week and visitation has increased by 35%, according to library officials.

View a visual timeline of the library on CPL’S website.