Thursday, July 31, 2003

Richard Owens Conference Sponsored by JNMFL

At forum, the teachers will be the students Conference aids Nicarico memorial fund.(News)
Article from:Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) Article date:July 31, 2003Author:Hartman, Kari More results for:jeanine nicarico Literacy

Byline: Kari Hartman Daily Herald Staff Writer

Teaching is not a stagnant profession.

Instructors often need to rethink what they're doing in the classroom and change over time.

To help that process along, the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy and Naperville Unit District 203 are sponsoring a literacy conference next week in Naperville.

The Nicarico fund, which is part of the Naperville Education Foundation, will receive 10 percent of the money collected from each registration.

"This gives teachers the chance to dig deep into their theories of education," said Chris Roy, a kindergarten teacher at River Woods Elementary School in Naperville.

Roy's sister, Jeanine Nicarico, was 10 years old when she was abducted from her home and murdered in 1983. The fund, set up in Jeanine's memory, goes toward literacy grants in both District 203 and Indian Prairie Unit District 204.

So far, about 90 educators have registered for the Richard Owens Summer Institute, "Literacy Learning: Teachers as Professional Decision-Makers."

The conference is open to educators across the country and registration is still open. The first day will focus on reading, the second on writing, and the third on organizing and managing the classroom, preparing lesson plans and teaching approaches.

"This gives you the chance to reflect on what you're doing and gain new knowledge," Roy said.

The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Madison Junior High School, 1000 River Oak Drive, Naperville.

Registration costs $350, which includes breakfasts and lunches. Educators can register for the conference at Madison before the first session Monday or can call (800) 262-0787.

Sunday, March 2, 2003

Jeanine Nicarico Literacy grant recipients announced

Literacy grant recipients announced
Article from:The Sun - Naperville (IL) Article date:March 2, 2003More results for:jeanine nicarico Literacy

The steering committee and grant readers of the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Literacy Fund recently announced grant awards for 2003. Twenty-five grant applications were received and 11 were selected for funding at this time, with awards totaling more than $8,000. Recipients of the 2003 awards are: [] $1,500 to Jeaneen Benhar of Ellsworth Elementary School (District 203) for "Expanding Classroom Libraries to Improve Independent Reading."
[] $400 to Hugh and Sandi Flanders of Neuqua Valley High School (District 204) for "Picture Books: Not Just for Elementary School."

[] $450 to Paula Schuler of Prairie Elementary School (District 203) for "Prairie Dogs, Parents and Poetry."

[] $1,200 to Patricia Schmitt of Kingsley Elementary School (District 203) for "Oral Poetry Reading for Fluency."

[] $300 to Patsy Johnson of Washington Junior High School (District 203) for "Picture This! Picture That!"

[] $1,511 to Tanya Hughes and Deb Coulter of Mill Street Elementary School (District 203) for the "Tote a Tale Literacy Program."

[] $353 to Faye Peterson of Mill Street Elementary (District 203) for "Taped English as a Second Language Home Reading Packs."

[] $127 to Kathy Smirniotis of St. Raphael Catholic School for "Books Plus -- A Home-School Reading Experience."

[] $489 to Virginia Jamnicki and Debbie Joyce of Ranch View Elementary School (District 203) for "Enhancing School-wide Strategy Instruction."

[] $1,300 to Robin Miller Young of Prairie Children Preschool (District 204) for "Sowing the Seeds of Early Literacy Skills to Grow a Garden of Readers."

[] $450 to Christine Peterson of Lincoln Junior High School (District 203) for "Exploring Contemporary Social Issues through Literature and Research."

Since its inception, the Literacy Fund has awarded 59 grants totaling more than $56,000 to schools in Naperville, including parochial schools. The goal of the committee is to create an endowment fund that will allow Naperville children to benefit from literacy grants for a long time to come.

Upcoming fund-raisers include an annual cookbook sale and sale at Great Harvest Bread and a Run for Reading fund-raiser to take place May 18. Members of the steering committee also are working with artist Laurie Allen to produce artwork to sell.

Wednesday, February 26, 2003

Nicarico Fund Fosters Love of Reading in Naperville

Nicarico Fund fosters love of reading
Article from:The Sun - Naperville (IL) Article date:February 26, 2003Author:Melissa Franic More results for:jeanine nicarico Literacy

English as a second language teacher Fay Peterson was one of three instructors from Mill Street Elementary School awarded a grant this year from the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy. Every year, hundreds of children from Naperville School District 203, Indian Prairie District 204 and local private schools benefit from the foundation's grants.

It wasn't until late in her short life that Jeanine Nicarico found a love for reading. Through the passion of teachers at Elmwood Elementary School, Nicarico became an avid reader, Barb Jansz said. "She loved to read about horses and things like that," Jansz said. "She had found teachers Irene Rahder and Terry Elkin Pocius, who really fostered her love of reading."
Jansz is the chairman of the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy, which was established in 1995 to honor the memory of Nicarico, an Elmwood Elementary School fifth-grader who was slain in 1983.

The idea for the literacy fund began with a group of River Woods Elementary teachers who were friends with the Nicarico family, Jansz said. Chris Nicarico Roy, Jeanine's sister, also teaches at River Woods.

"It was during a time when there were a lot of trials and nothing really positive happening," Jansz said. "We did this to celebrate Jeanine's life and to celebrate her memory."

Using donated funds, the Nicarico Fund steering committee gives grants once a year to educators who submit proposals for projects that will enhance reading, writing and speaking. The fund works in conjunction with the Naperville Education Foundation.

The steering committee includes Naperville educators, community representatives and members of Nicarico's family, Jansz said.

This year, 11 out of 25 grant proposals were awarded to schools throughout Naperville. Of those, two grants were given to teachers at Mill Street Elementary School.

When Fay Peterson got the phone call at home that the grant she applied for was awarded, she said she was "totally excited."

"Everybody knows about (the Nicarico Fund). It's well-respected," Peterson said. "It's such an honor to receive this."

An English as a second language instructor at Mill Street, Peterson will use the $353 in funds she was awarded to create audiocassette reading packs for children to take home.

Reading specialist Deb Coulter and instructional coordinator Tanya Hughes also were awarded a grant at Mill Street for a similar program. Their $1,510 will fund books and cassettes for children who are reading below grade level.

"Research has shown the more fluent reading children hear, the more learning occurs," Coulter said. "(Recorded) books ... enable families to sit down, and children are finally reading books they wouldn't be able to otherwise."

Peterson already had established a similar program for her first-, second- and third-grade ESL students. The grant money will allow her to expand the program to kindergarten students, she said.

This program will familiarize the younger children with the rhythm of the English language, Peterson said.

Coulter's program fills a need for older students who are reading a little behind their grade level. She tries to keep them from falling through the cracks, she said.

"A lot of times during independent reading, students will carry around a book they would like to read, but they can't because it's at a higher level," Coulter said. "The whole goal is not just to listen to the tape, but to hear the words and read along."

Coulter used to run her program by checking out audiotapes from the library, she said. The grant, which she applied for with the help of Hughes, will allow her to expand the program.

This is the first time both Peterson and Coulter have written grant proposals, Hughes said. A lot of times, teachers are afraid to write for grants because they find the process intimidating. However, Hughes said the Nicarico Fund for Literacy is a "teacher-friendly" grant process and she encourages more teachers to apply for grants.

"These grants support teachers and students in so many ways," Hughes said. "It's wonderful to know they're out there."

Since its inception, the Literacy Fund has awarded 59 grants totaling more than $56,000 to schools in Naperville, including parochial schools. The goal of the committee is to create an endowment fund that will allow Naperville children to benefit from literacy grants for a long time to come.

Teachers also give back to the fund, Jansz said, by finding new ways to raise money. As a way to show her appreciation for the Nicarico Fund, Mary Bazan, of Silver Mortgage, and Mary Kelly, a teacher from Hill Middle School, started a Run for Reading last year at the school to raise money. This year's run takes place May 18.

Upcoming fund-raisers also include an annual cookbook sale and sale at Great Harvest Bread. Members of the steering committee also are working with artist Laurie Allen to produce artwork to sell.

Monday, December 30, 2002

It takes two Program matches teens with younger students

It takes two Program matches teens with younger students
Article from:The Beacon News - Aurora (IL) Article date:December 30, 2002Author:Donna DeFalco More results for:jeanine nicarico Literacy

The Kid to Kid mentoring program pairs Melissa Bowden, Waubonsie Valley High School student, with Alexa McCoy of Young Elementary School in Aurora.

Lines of students going to and from their classrooms walk single file along the perimeter of the Library Media Center at Young Elementary School in Aurora, but the light chatter doesn't bother a trio engrossed in a book at one of the library tables. Two fifth-graders, Alexa McCoy and Devin Dean, and Melissa Bowden, a senior at Waubonsie Valley High School, are reading a book titled, Skeleton, Skeleton, All About Bones. The youngsters take turns reading each chapter and Bowden asks questions and offers suggestions as they read.
Teens don't usually frequent elementary schools during the school day, but Bowden has come as part of a program called Kid to Kid.

During this past semester, once a week during her lunch break, Bowden breezed into Young Elementary School, picked up a visitor's badge and a bag of books in the office. She walked up the stairs to bring the two fifth-grade students to the media center where the three read together for 30 minutes from books selected by Kathy Klees, Young's instructional consultant.

Bowden is a student in the early learning lab at Waubonsie and was eligible to participate in the Kid to Kid program. Because she teaches 3- , 4- and 5-year-olds twice a week, she wanted an opportunity to interact with older students, so she was matched with Alexa and Devin.

The two students have increased their reading fluency with Bowden's help, said Klees, who coordinates the program at the school.

"The more kids read at their instructional level, the more progress they will make at their grade level," Klees said.

The time spent with a high school student is beneficial for the elementary school children, Klees said.

"Time with a young adult is so powerful for all these kids," she said. "I think the teachers so value the additional assistance."

Some of the high school students will read with youngsters; others will help the teacher as needed. In addition to Bowden, there are several other Waubonsie students who also help out at Young, including Rachel Watterson, Bridget Glowskis, Arin Agase, Adam Roe and Laura Weir.

To give the teens a more structured way to help the students with reading, Young's reading specialist Pat Smith instructed them in the "pause, prompt and praise" method that has been used at the school.

Last year, Smith received a Jeanine Nicarico Literacy Grant to purchase books to implement the program in September that she discovered in the education journal Reading Teacher.

Klees said that the reading method has students not only looking at the phonetics in the words to help sound it out, but also looking at the word within the context of the sentence to help figure out the meaning.

Alexa and Devin may not know the ins and outs of the curriculum, but they do know that they love to read, especially with their high school reading buddy.

"I've learned to like reading more," Alexa said.

Her favorite book they have read together is "Flying Solo," which she explained is about skateboarding and how to do different tricks.

Devin said, "I read more here every day."

He said his favorite book is about the weather and features hurricanes and tornadoes.

Klees wishes the Kid to Kid program could be extended to all children in the district.

"It's the attention they're getting (that helps them learn). It's someone to look forward to," she said.

Hugh Flanders, social studies department chairman at Neuqua Valley High School, said the Kid to Kid program began in 1990. There currently are about 150 students participating at Neuqua.

"We began it very simply as kind of a way to get kids out of the boundaries of the traditional classroom and to get them to help out with and interact with the kids at the elementary schools," he said.

Students enrolled in the developmental psychology class participate in the program and apply what they are doing in the elementary schools to their class lessons.

Though it's not meant to be a teacher preparation program, Flanders said many students have such a good experience that they go on to be teachers.

Karen Morrow, social studies department chairman at Waubonsie, is in charge of her school's Kid to Kid program. About 75 to 80 students at Waubonsie Valley participate in the program.

"(The teens) do a lot of journaling and recording of experiences and they do class discussions," she said. "You do a lot of extra work in the Kid to Kid program. You do have assignments for your classroom teacher as well -- everything from journaling to some analysis of your student."

Morrow knows firsthand the benefits for high school and elementary school students because her two sons were involved in the program.

Her older son is now an elementary school teacher in Palos Park and her younger son thought it was a really good experience.

"It's giving kids a taste of education who want to go into education," she said.

That's Bowden's goal -- to become a teacher.

"I want to teach fifth grade," she said.

The reason for her decision to go into education is that her fifth-grade teacher, Tracey Stiles (then known as Tracey Campbell), at Brooks Elementary School, was a role model for her.

"She didn't only care about how you were in class, but out of class. She treated everyone the same," she said. "Just the way she taught -- I want to be just like her."

Reading with the two fifth-graders proved to be not only beneficial for the students, but also for Bowden, who said the reward is "just knowing that I've helped."

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Fund-raising a success because people gave back

Fund-raising a success because people gave back
Article from:The Sun - Naperville (IL) Article date:June 12, 2002More results for:jeanine nicarico Literacy

We hear so much these days about takers -- people who somehow they feel entitled to receive, but pay little mind to the concept of giving back. How refreshing to know Mary Kelly, reading specialist at Thayer J. Hill Middle School (and one of the brains behind "Naperville Reads Gary Paulsen") and Mary Bazan, of the school business partner Silver Mortgage Corp.
These two dynamic women saw the need to give back, and boy did they! They believed that Hill Middle School, which has been among the recipients of funds from the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy, should help replenish the fund.

Runners themselves, the two Marys put together the 5K Run for Reading held recently at Hill.

In a matter of a few months, these women mobilized volunteers, sponsors and runners from throughout districts 203 and 204 and the entire community.

When the sun broke through the clouds on Sunday morning better than 400 runners and walkers (and a couple of dogs) took to the streets of the Brookdale subdivision and raised over $8,000 to support reading enrichment in our community.

The Nicarico Family were gracious hosts, Mayor Pradel and the legendary Al Carius of North Central College provided encouragement and inspiration, and the staff and parents of Hill Middle School provided much of the labor.

Our family was proud to lend a hand to such a worthy cause, with such wonderful people.

Many thanks to Silver Mortgage and all the sponsors, volunteers and participants for making such a wonderful day.

No wonder Principal Mike Raczak and the staff of Hill Middle School continue to reap so many honors as educators.

They inspire us all to great things!

David Roe Deb Newman Roe Naperville

Wednesday, August 1, 2001

First Prize in Recipe Contest!


Barbara Jansz of Naperville was a first-prize winner for her citrus pork chops recipe.

She submitted her recipe to Ducane's Web site at www.ducane.com for a chance to win.

She received a Ducane 2004 Gas Grill.

The winning recipes will also be featured in upcoming Ducane cookbooks

Wednesday, April 8, 1998

New York City Principal Keynotes Nicarico Literacy Conference

LITERACY SEMINARS CENTER ON UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN
Article from:Sun Publications (IL) Article date:April 8, 1998More results for:jeanine nicarico Literacy

New York City principal Shelley Harwayne and some of her New Manhattan School staff members will share ways to inspire children to lead "rigorous lives" as readers and writers at a District 203 conference in September. The conference is one of two fall events sponsored by the Jeanine Nicarico Memorial Fund for Literacy, an education grant-awarding organization that commemorates Jeanine Nicarico, a fifth-grader slain in 1983.
Harwayne, author of Lasting Impressions: Weaving Literature Into the Writing Workshop, is a national keynote speaker and serves as a consultant to school districts.

The conference will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, at Naperville Central High School, 440 W. Aurora Ave. The community may register on a first-come, first-serve basis through Sept. 18 at (630) 416-6349 (Lynda Roy) or at River Woods Elementary School, 2607 River Woods Drive.

The cost is $55.

Also, a Literacy Learning in the Classroom institute, conducted by Richard C. Owen Publishers Inc., will be held Aug. 3-6.