Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a series examining the ever-changing technology used within Washington’s schools.

Sixth-grade Central Intermediate School teacher Jessica Uftring said she utilizes some sort of technology in her classroom on a daily basis, something that did not happen when she first started teaching eight years ago. 

“This is all they know,” she said of her students. “This is something they’ve grown up with, so for them to be able to bring in something that they use on a regular basis at home is exciting. They’re so excited to use these devices, so they’re really engaged in what’s going on in the classroom.” 

In an effort to serve an ever-changing population and community, the Washington District Library is trying to stay ahead of the curve and offer residents the best there is in terms of programs and educational assistance.

One such group library organizers have decided to give more assistance to is Washington’s home-schooled children.

Haiti, for Becky Reeser, has become a second home. 

The Germantown Hills woman has been going to the destitute island nation often to make a difference in the lives of the people there through her non-profit organization called Life’s Path.  

Life’s Path Corp. was formed in October 2010. Reeser holds the position of founder and chief executive officer. The titles are fancy but there is nothing fancy about the work she and her volunteers do. 

Parents and teachers spoke out Thursday in support of Central Primary School Principal Molly Kosbab and administrative assistant Marilyn Brown, who reportedly have been on paid administrative leave since school resumed following the holiday break.

Washington District 50 is getting a state energy grant to upgrade 37 of its gas furnaces.

The district learned recently of the $120,000 matching grant. The money will be used to replace 26 wall-unit furnaces at Beverly Manor School and 11 at John L. Hensey School, said District 50 Superintendent Patrick Martin.

Washington Community High School junior Dani Boley received an early Christmas present this year — a trip to New York City with a price tag for about $1,500. 

Boley traveled to New York, along with classmate and friend Paige Zimmerman, and more than 200 student musicians from around the country, to march in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as part of the parade’s Great American Marching Band. 

While the standards to meet No Child Left Behind’s Academic Yearly Progress differ between grade school districts and high school districts, the results appear to be very similar — every school district in Washington is “failing” according to AYP.

Testing methods differ between the high school and grade schools however; every students’ score in the third-eighth grade on the Illinois Standards Achievements Test is included. At the high school level only juniors are tested on the Academic Core Testing and the Prairie State Achievement Exams.

Scores are then tabulated and compiled with the end result being a percentage of students who either meet or exceed AYP standards and a percentage of students who do not.

While District 308 only had to worry about its juniors’ scores, the grade school districts had to meet at the not just the district level, but each individual grade school had to meet AYP standards as well.

Although a project summary for Washington Community High School’s $10.2 million referendum project shows expenditures of just over $11 million, Superintendent Dr. Jim Dunnan said he believes the district will come close to breaking even.

The November 2010 referendum allowed the school board to increase the number of classrooms to keep up with projected district growth and accommodate current students and programs, link the high school’s three separate buildings to improve safety and security, construct a new kitchen and multipurpose area, create an outdoor learning area and improve the student drop-off and pick-up area on Jefferson Street. 

Construction on the referendum project is expected to be completed in June.

District 308 Superintendent Dr. Jim Dunnan told school board members Dec. 12 that he plans to retire June 30, 2014.

The board approved an addendum to his contract during a school board closed session, extending his employment until that date.

Due to low Academic Yearly Progress scores for the second year in a row, District 308 is considered a failing school district. 

The 2011 Illinois District Report Card released in November showed the high school with 60.5 percent of its students meeting standards in reading and 60.1 percent in mathematics, while the goal for both subjects was to have 85 percent of students in a district meet or exceed the standards.

While many will debate the validity of having such standards that are supposed to result in 100 percent of a district’s students meeting or exceeding standards in 2014, the district’s cumulative scores have declined the last three years from 69 percent to 65 percent to 59 percent last year.

As if Santa Claus already didn’t have enough to do at this time of year, due to the ingenuity of 16 Washington Community High School students, Santa Claus will now be making semi-personalized phone calls to children of all ages come Christmas Eve.

In its first year, Tricia Gardner’s Business Entrepreneurship class has set up what she considers, “a direct line to the North Pole.”

Karen Stevens, director of student services at Washington Community High School, said she was taught it takes three years to have a trend in anything.

Come next fall, District 308 might be trending as a failing school, according to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. 

For the second year in a row, the district failed to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress percentages in both reading and mathematics.  

A consolidation study is in the works for four Washington school districts, but its results — comprised of a 200-plus-page report — will not be made public until January.

That is when District 51 Superintendent Chad Allaman said Springfield-based Midwest School Consultants will make a recommendation on whether the districts should consolidate.

District 308 school board members adopted a resolution at its Nov. 14 meeting which gives preliminary approval to increase the district’s 2012 property tax levy by 4.98 percent, to about $9.2 million.

While Dani Boley and her family often watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while cooking for Thanksgiving dinner, they have other plans this year. 

The Washington Community High School junior has been selected to join more than 200 other student musicians from around the country to march in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. She will be a member of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band, joined by fellow Washington junior Paige Zimmerman, who was also in the band last year. 

Joanna Strubhar and MaKenna Campbell both love Good News.

The two Lincoln Grade School students have each attended the Good News Club after-school program since it started at their school when Strubhar was in kindergarten and Campbell was in first grade.

In a special meeting of the Washington School Board Wednesday, members accepted an offer for asbestos abatement and approved a demolition contractor for the G.W. Bayler home at a total cost of $32,210. 

Ironhustler Excavating was approved as demolition contractor to remove the 127-year-old home at a cost of $23,410. 

As the Trojans, Central’s colors are blue and white, but during these past two weeks there have been swarms of pink making its way through the halls at both the primary and intermediate schools.

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Central Student Council decided to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of the story said District 308 was going to vote on the proposition at the Nov. 2 meeting, but that is not the case. Things are currently just in the discussion phase. The Times-Reporter apologizes for the mistake.

District 308 members are aware of a proposal that could save the G.W. Bayler residence as well as save thousands of dollars in demolition costs as the high school is ready to bulldoze a piece of Washington history, but it is unlikely to ever get that far according to School Board President Tim Custis.

Steve Havy, former Washingtonian and now CEO of a building company in Georgia, has offered to take the house off of the high school’s hands and move it somewhere else.

Parents of WCHS students will have the opportunity to meet with teachers, counselors and administrators from 4-8 p.m. Nov. 3 and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 4.