Back to School Meet and Greet Celebrates New School Year
On Saturday, August 22, CCSD59 partnered with D214 to help kick off the new school year at the Oasis Mobile Home Park in Des Plaines.
Dr. Art Fessler, Superintendent of Schools for CCSD59, said, “This event is a great way to welcome students and families to the new school year. It was quite impressive to see a community of people and agencies working together to support our students and families as we celebrated the start of the school year with support and caring.”
Both students and their family members were able to participate in a variety of great activities, which included many generous donations from both districts and the community, including the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago Northwest Indiana council, Harper College, and Alexian Brothers.
The celebration included free food, outdoor games, music, and a raffle. Two Nexus 7 tablets, an iPad mini, gift cards for student spirit wear, gift cards for local grocery stores, and more were awarded at the raffle.
Students enjoyed interacting with Cook County Sheriffs and Elk Grove Rural Fire Protection District firefighters and paramedics. Oasis Mobile Home Park is located in unincorporated Elk Grove Township and is served by Elk Grove Township agencies.
Representatives from both CCSD59 and D214 were present and spoke to the families about the upcoming school year. Griselda Pirtle, Director of the Bilingual Program in CCSD59 said, “Our goal for this event was for everyone to come together in an effort to make the families feel more connected to our district and our community, and it was a great success.”
Dr. Fessler agreed, “We were extremely pleased with the overall turnout of students and families, the involvement of community agencies, and the great partnership with District 214’s Elk Grove High School. It truly was a great day.”