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lesli melendy resigns from board of education
NEWS Recent resignation of school board- member
Lesli Melendy resigns after many years being a part of the board of education
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By Arianna Joob
Since the beginning of District 158’s existence, Lesli Melendy has been an essential member of the board of education, allowing things to run smoothly through her involvement over the years. Due to her previous experience as chief of staff for multiple Illinois senators, she provided a wealth of connections for the board, and she will be greatly missed.
Melendy recently resigned from her position as a member of the board of education and also from her Chair of the Community Outreach Committee.
“It was a difficult decision, but we moved to be closer to my place of employment,” Melendy said.
After 23 years of living in Huntley, her moving due to her job is what caused her to resign from her position as a board member. In spite of her leaving, she is very grateful for the impact that she was able to make on the District 158 schools.
“Lesli was very focused on the student experience. Student bullying issues [and] student safety issues were always [on] top of mind for her,” Scott Rowe, superintendent of District 158, said.
She strived to create an environment where students felt safe and always considered what would benefit future students and staff.
“Adding more social emotional programs and education was personally very important to me,” Melendy said.
She also added to her legacy by contributing to the addition of the Fine Arts Academy at the high school, establishing orchestras at the elementary schools and organizing student resource officers at each campus. She also greatly contributed to the district through her concern about the environment.
“During my time on the board I would have to say the solar project was the most substantial [contribution] as that will benefit the district for years to come,” Melendy said. “Being more conscious of the environment with our decision making [by] adding electric buses and smart energy in the buildings will help [environmental] sustainability.”
Melendy’s legacy will live on because of her dedication to the district through sustainability efforts and improvement of the student experience.
As for her seat, the board hopes to appoint someone to fill her position until the spring 2023 elections. Applications for the position closed on Nov. 2 and the interviewing process will be done by Nov. 15. The following morning, all the videos of the interviews will be posted along with the board of education’s decision, according to Rowe.
The candidate will then be seated in December to fill in the open position. The newly assigned board member will have the opportunity to run for the position again in the Spring 2023 elections.
This means there will now be four open seats available in the Spring 2023 elections, so there is a lot of room for potential changes to the board.
All in all, Lesli Melendy has had a long, impactful run as a board member. Her involvement and commitment to the Huntley community will not go unnoticed; she will definitely be missed.
“She always composed herself professionally, which I really appreciated,” Paul Troy, secretary of the District 158 Board of Education, said. “I always found her engaging and very, very personable.”
Board member Lesli Melendy resigned to move closer to her place of work
Courtesy of Lesli Melendy
NEWS Preparing for this year’s Pep
Pep band prepares to play some tunes at varsity basketball games
By Anna Karpinski
The song “California Gurls” by Katy Perry comes to an end and loud cheers are the only noise heard in the gym. The energy is shooting through the room as the basketball team shoots another hoop and scores yet another point for Huntley.
The band members standing off to the side of the stands get ready to play another song for the students and families. They take in a deep breath and start playing as the anticipation from the game continues.
Whether the team scores or misses, the band will be there to celebrate or cheer up everyone in the building.
“Basically, it’s run by how we entertain the audience. If they need something to hype them up, we’re going to play a happier song. It’s more to pass time,” junior Emma Overmyer said. “I know that the basketball players. like to hear us play too just because it’s a little more interesting and a way to encourage them throughout the games.”
The Pep band at Huntley High School is coming up just around the corner. Sign-ups have already started, and their first meeting is in December.
“Pep band starts in December, but we have been signing up this month. We’re looking for a lot more brass players too, G. Edelstein`
Pep band memebers take pride in rallying the crowd at games and we have super cool jackets,” senior Veronika Krajewski said.
Pep band focuses heavily on making the crowds at both boys and girls varsity basketball games as lively as possible.
“So far, we only play during home basketball games, but I’m not sure about this year,” Overmyer said.
They play peppy and up-beat songs that leave the listeners feeling happy and leave the players feeling hyped and ready to play their absolute best.
“I know ‘California Gurls’ was popular. I know we played ‘All Star’ a lot. There was also a few Fall Out Boys songs, basically just pop songs that everyone can sing and dance to at the games,” Overmyer said.
Just come and support the band Veronika Krajewski
Many members are not just part of one band like Pep band they are part of so much Pore and play different amazing instruments.
“I’m in jazz band, jazz combo, wind ensemble, pep band and marching band,” said Overmyer. “I play oboe, saxophone, guitar and flute.”
According to Overmyer, some band members also play multiple different instruments. The band director at Huntley is Kevin Krivosik, and he works hard with the band to leave the listeners amazed.
“He can be strict at times, but it’s good because we all come together and we can all make great pieces at the end of the day,” Overmyer said.
The songs that are played during the games are a little easier for the members to play so they do not meet as much as, they would for marching band. It is much calmer for them after their recent end to marching band.
All of the members have a different reason to join the band.
“My favorite thing about the band is the diversity, music, and people,” freshman Ashton Friggieri said.
Heading over to support the basketball players and hearing the band play is coming up very soon.
“Just come and support the band,” Krajewski said.
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