RETIREE VOLUNTEERS AS GREETER AT JUNIOR HIGH

Naperville 203 had a volunteer greeter program, usually made up of parents. But in one case, at Lincoln Junior High, there was a special retiree, who was beloved by students. Louis Trierweiler used to come early to his weekly post to greet and check in visitors before the school had its security check-in system.

He had a ready smile and always had candy and cookies on hand to give to students and staff who stopped at his station. He always carried a pocketful of coins so students could make change for a single or a $5 bill so they could buy something from the vending machines. Trierweiler was one of Naperville 203’s HURRAH (Happy, Upbeat Retirees [& other] Residents Actively Helping) volunteers. In addition to his job as a greeter, he could be found at the Springbrook Golf Course working with Lincoln Junior High’s intramural golf team.

Madison Principal Retires After 38 Years In Naperville 203

“I’VE taught generations of students,” said Sally Pentecost in a June 14, 2002 issue of the Naperville Sun Newspaper. “The kids I’ve taught are all over this community, they’re at McDonald’s, they’re stock brokers, they’re bankers.”

She also influenced some of their careers. One former student told her how a newspaper class Pentecost taught helped her choose journalism as a career path. Another young boy created a computer-generated synthesizer as part of an independent study in one of her classes. Years later, Pentecost ran into that boy’s mother, who informed her that the former student’s class presentation led to him conducting research that eventually earned him a Nobel Prize.

“You don’t know, sometimes, the influence you have on kids,” Pentecost said.

There were some big changes in administrative staff at the start of the school year. The District welcomed new Superintendent Alan Leis, who had served as deputy superintendent for Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. He followed the retirement of superintendent Dr. Donald Weber. Jim Caudill began his new role as principal of Naperville Central High School and Tom Paulsen, former principal of Naperville Central, began his new position as associate superintendent of secondary education.

For a new superintendent, stakeholders had said they wanted a superintendent with superior collaborative and communication skills. In the initial years of Leis’ tenure, those skills were put to the test. First, there was a controversy about an alleged over-collection from the 2002 tax-rate increase. About the same time and a few hours before the first day of school was to start, the District averted a teachers’ strike. Then, there were concerns about the age and condition of the buildings.

Parent concern started to swell about the inadequacy of the swimming pool at Naperville North. A change in official IHSA rules had forced a change in the pool by requiring “all pools under four feet to remove their diving blocks.” Parents complained that swim teams at North were put at a great disadvantage both in competition and safety compared to all other swim programs in the state. Competitions could no longer be held at Naperville North and parents felt that the team had suffered as a result.

Other Highlights

• In late fall, the District launched a new email notification system that allowed parents and residents to stay informed about what was going on in the District. Called Talk 203, the system allowed people to register following construction. and tailor what type of information they would like to receive from the school district.

• After months of negotiations and following mediation, the 540-member Naperville Education Support Professionals Association (NESPA) filed an intent to strike notice with the state. The issues were health insurance and salaries. Later, the two sides were able to go back to the table without incident and agree to a new contract.

• A virus infected the schools’ 5,000 computers, putting the system down for a few days. The bug arrived by email and each computer had to be “cleaned” and a patch had to be installed to prevent further damage. The problem, though annoying, didn’t disrupt any services such as grade distribution. Officials also said no private student data was infiltrated.