Winner of Fourth D229 Board Seat Up In Air

Write-in candidates for the Oak Lawn Community High School Dist. 229 school board will be hand-counted next week by Cook County Clerk's Office.

Oak Lawn Community High School Dist. 229 will not know who will fill the fourth open board seat until next week. Five candidates vied for four open seats on the D229 school board, including two write-in candidates. Balloted candidates won easily. Voters retained Jim Melnik for a four-year term on the D229 school board, with first-comers Robert Loehr and Katherine Berry also receiving a nod. Certified write-in candidates Stephen Greene and Dan Sodaro fought for the fourth open seat on the board, when not enough candidates filed nominating petitions for all four open seats in December. The Cook County Clerk’s Office said that write-in candidates for the D229 school board received a total of 456 votes. Only votes for write-in candidates …

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andy capped

4:03 pm on Friday, April 12, 2013

I think Burt Odleson has been there just as long as Mike. prophet- i think oltimerol is talking about the number of classes (periods) a student can take in a day. oldtimerol- briscoe did recommend a contract with 45% salaries increases over five years, so yeah some of the blame goes back to him. I am not sure how much of that 45 was meant to make up for the extra period if any at all. Hopefully …   more ›

Oak Lawn School, Park and Library Board Races Take Shape for April 2013

Most local races are uncontested, and some boards can't find enough candidates to run for vacancies.

D229 School Board Seeks Candidates

Nominating petition forms are now available for those interested in running for one of four seats on the Oak Lawn Community High School Dist. 229 school board on April 9, 2013.

Nominating petition forms for the April 9, 2013 consolidated election in the Oak Lawn Community High School Dist. 229 are now available. The forms may be picked up from the board secretary in the superintendent’s office in the administration center at Oak Lawn Community High School at 9400 Southwest Highway, Room 123, Monday through Friday, between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sign up for the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. A school board candidate's petition must be filed in the same office no earlier than 7:30 a.m., Monday, Dec. 17, and no later than 5 p.m., Monday, Dec. 24. Four full-term seats on the seven-member board of education will be filled at the April 9 election. Terms for the four elected positions will run from…

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Lorraine Swanson

6:02 am on Thursday, October 25, 2012

As soon as I get it.   more ›

OLCHS Introduces New Student Deans

OLCHS will see two new faces around the halls of learning in the new 2012-13 school year.

Oak Lawn Community High School recently appointed two new dean of students for the 2012-2013 school year: Lauren May and Derek Sefcik.  Lauren May has taught for thirteen years in the English department and has served as the school’s data coordinator for two years.  May also served as the school’s scholastic bowl coach and newspaper adviser.  Derek Sefcik has taught for six years as a teacher in the Business Education Department.  Sefcik coached baseball and track/field, and currently coaches football.  May and Sefcik filled the vacancy created when Kathleen Murphy was promoted to Student Services Director and Kevin Walery was promoted to Athletic Director.  Lauren May said, “I’m looking forward to having a positive school-wide impact.”

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D229 Board and Parents Battle Over Student Cell Phone Policy

Oak Lawn Community High School students will no longer to be able to access their phones during school day after board votes to go back to old policy.

Students at Oak Lawn Community High School will have to go back to turning off their cell phones during the day and keeping them out of sight in their lockers starting next phone. Over the strenuous objections of some parents, board members voted 4 to 3 to return to the former cell phone policy starting in the fall of 2012 during their board meeting on March 21. We want to hear from OLCHS students: Did the board act correctly in reverting back to the former cell phone policy? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS. OLCHS has currently been operating on a policy of allowing students to use their cell phones such as between classes or during lunch in the cafeteria. The school’s discipline committee comprised of administrators, teachers, parents and …

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diabetic student with a cell phone

1:34 pm on Saturday, March 31, 2012

Im sorry but who are you? I am a diabetic... If you dont know 90% of being diabetic is about communication and the fact that one can communicate with their parent in the hallways during school is fantastic because I would rather text my parent in the hallway about a low blood sugar then go down to the nurse and miss class then watch a grade drop because my bloodsugar is continually going low at …   more ›

Back to School 411: Oak Lawn Public Schools

It's that time of year again. Important back-to-school information for parents and students attending Oak Lawn public schools.

Forget where you stashed your kid's school supply list in May? Still not sure when the first full day of school is for your children? Here are some important dates and other helpful links to help your family start the new school year off on the right foot. Aug. 24 -- first day of school (Grades 1-2, Lawn Manor), early dismissal Aug. 17 – first full day of school, freshman Check Oak Lawn Patch on Tuesday for Oak Lawn parochial schools' back-to-school schedules.    

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Lorraine Swanson

11:14 pm on Monday, August 15, 2011

OK. Thanks. We'll make that correction.   more ›

D229 Adopts More Stringent Student Athletic Policies

Student athletes must take athletic ability baseline tests before participating in sports.

In addition to paying sports participation fees, student athletes at Oak Lawn Community High School will now have to undergo a baseline test of their normal athletic abilities before being allowed on the field or court. Before students will even have the opportunity to play sports, they will have to undergo a baseline test of their normal athletic abilities. The baseline test is part of recent changes in the high school’s athletic program, specifically policies for students who suffer a concussion while playing sports. The high school has teamed up with ImPact, a provider of computerized neurocognitive assessment tools. Student athletes who are injured during play will now need formal consent from a health care profession, the school …

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D229 Initiates Newest Board Members

Superintendent and senior board members give official welcome.

With their right hands raised, Mike McCarthy, Tim Burke, Jim Melnik and Matt Egan were formally sworn in as District 229 school board members Wednesday evening. As full-time representatives of Oak Lawn Community High School, they pledged their support to not only their colleagues, but also the community at large. Elected by community members, each man has now assumed a position that will place them on the forefront of potential budget debates, union negotiations, and other deliberations that may be addressed in the near future. From understanding the developing structure of the school administration, to familiarizing themselves with past board resolutions, the job at hand seems daunting. “It’s a serious case of information overload for …

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Quinlan Hangs On; Challengers Win School Board Seats

Upsets add some excitement to otherwise lackluster election.

Quinlan Elected to Second Term Oak Lawn Trustee Carol Quinlan won a second term on the village board by 129 votes against challenger Pete Quattrocchi in the fifth district. Quinlan prevailed despite several mailers by her opponent that cast her as an ineffective trustee unable to bring new business to Cicero Avenue, resolve flooding issues and for supporting a referendum petition to change the village’s form of government that was withdrawn amid claims of fraudulent signatures. “I think a message has been sent,” Quinlan said at her victory party Tuesday night at the Goal Post. “Voters are tired of what’s happening at [the village board] meetings,” she said of arguing among village board members at public meetings. Quinlan said that she …

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QC

3:45 pm on Monday, April 11, 2011

polkjhydvrg = SPAM   more ›

D229 Teachers Union Accepts Cuts to Scheduled Raises

Oak Lawn Community High School's teachers union votes in favor of amendment to five-year contract to accept cuts in raises and avoid layoffs.

Watch the video of the historic vote in the gallery. Oak Lawn Community High School's Teachers Union voted overwhelmingly in favor of a contract amendment to cut teachers’ raises by 6 percent over the next two years. Teachers voted throughout the day on Tuesday 146-29 to accept the D229 Board of Education’s proposal to cut raises, thus avoiding layoffs of 33 staff members. The school board approved the amendment to teachers’ 2008 collective bargaining agreement at a special board meeting on Tuesday night. “Clearly, the union, board and administration put students first in this entire process,” D229 Supt. Michael Riordan said. “This was certainly a meeting of the minds. We all worked very hard together to find this alternative solution …

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