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D-428 plans on hiring more staff Huntley school to get 6 more teachers after student enrollment exceeds projections By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com DeKALB – School District 428 will hire six more teachers at Huntley Middle School this year to ensure an influx of students does not push class sizes above 35 students. Some teachers had raised concerns that because of the number of students, class sizes at Huntley would be higher than those at Clinton Rosette Middle School and could eclipse the district’s preferred class limit of 35 students. When confronted with those concerns in early August, school board members said they would wait until they
Evening out class sizes After Huntley Middle School adds six teachers to its staff, average class size at Huntley and Clinton Rosette middle schools will be 31, District 428 principals say.
had solid enrollment numbers before changing staffing levels. “The board had to see the kids are showing up,” Huntley Principal Latricia Dawkins said. “And they showed up.” Between early August and this
pal Tim Vincent said his school has about the same average core class size. Dawkins said she appreciated board members addressing inequities between the schools early. District officials still expect to welcome some additional students throughout the year, which Vincent said could put the class sizes in a precarious position. Eighthgrade classes at Clinton Rosette, he said, have an average 33 students. “It’s not ideal,” Vincent said. “But it’s what we’ve become accustomed to in these financial times.” The additional hires will put the district three staff members above the five additional hires anticipated in the
week, enrollment grew by 125 students at Clinton Rosette and 160 students at Huntley. Huntley Middle School’s enrollment is 892 students, more than an entire class more than the 850 students administrators expected. At Clinton Rosette, enrollment is at 556, less than the 600 students projected before registration closed. Both schools include sixth- through eighth-grade students. The final enrollment numbers and the additional six hires leave Huntley with an average class size of 31 students for core classes such as science, social studies, math and language arts, Dawkins said. Clinton Rosette Princi-
district’s budget, human resource director Jim Bormann said. With a firstyear teacher earning $42,000 a year plus benefits, the additional staff could cost the district upwards of $160,000. DeKalb District 428 has begun advertising for positions at Huntley, which include orchestra, art, science and social studies, special education and health teachers as well as a parttime guidance counselor. Dawkins is reviewing applications and plans to hold interviews next week. In the meantime, substitute teachers are in place. “Day one.” Dawkins said “We were ready to rock and roll.”
Joan Rivers dead at age 81
FITTING TRIBUTE Bronze statue to honor Pumpkin Festival founder
By LYNN ELBER The Associated Press
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Fine art craftsman Ryan Hartman (right) welds Wally Thurow’s left hand onto the statue while David Seagraves holds the registration points together Wednesday at the inBronze studio in Mt. Morris. TOP: The bronze statue of Thurow stands at the inBronze studio in Mt. Morris. Caster and owner of inBronze Jeff Adams explained that seperate pieces, like Thurow’s glasses, were cast in bronze after they were formed by molds and then welded together to form Thurow and his high-wheeled penny farthing bicycle.
By JESSI HAISH jhaish@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – Mr. Pumpkin’s likeness will be present at the Pumpkin Festival parade this fall and for many years to come. Wally Thurow Tribute Committee member Denis Jagodzinski looks forward to the day a likeness of Thurow, or Mr. Pumpkin, as he was known by many in the Sycamore area, will stand along the parade route. “I thought it was a really fitting tribute to someone who got this started,” Jagodzinski said. “I was
goal of $65,000 a few weeks ago to create a statue of Thurow’s likeness. The life-size statue should be Send donations to the Wally Thurow ready before this year’s Pumpkin Tribute Fund to the DeKalb County Fest and an unveiling ceremony Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb will be held. However, donations Ave., Sycamore; or to Denis Jagodzinsstill are being accepted to install ki, committee treasurer, 116 W. State the statue at the edge of the public St., Sycamore. parking lot at Elm and Somonauk streets. The statue will feature Thurow very pleased with what the artist as he is best remembered, donning did, and what the caster has done. a top hat with a wide smile and From what I’ve seen, I’m ecstatic proudly holding his high-wheeled about it.” penny farthing bicycle. The statue The Wally Thurow Tribute bears a likeness of Thurow with Committee met its fundraising specific details, including his
To donate
glasses, patches on his vest and even the weathered leather on the seat of his bicycle. The artist and caster used Thurow’s bike to make an exact replica, markings and all. Thurow, who died in 2012, is credited as the founder of the Pumpkin Festival, which is in its 53rd year and runs Oct. 22 to 26. The festival includes a parade, a carnival, booths operated by nonprofit groups and a pumpkin decorating contest, in which pumpkins are displayed on the courthouse lawn. This year’s theme is
See MR. PUMPKIN, page A4
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St. Mary’s completes 1st phase of Faith Formation Center / C1
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Joan Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday. She was 81. Rivers died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, surrounded by family and close friends, daughter Melissa Rivers said. She was hospitalized Aug. 28 after going into cardiac arrest in a doctor’s office following a routine procedure. The New York state health department is investigating the circumstances. “My mother’s greatest joy in life was Joan Rivers to make people laugh,” Melissa Rivers said. “Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon.” Under the immobile, plastic surgery-crafted veneer that became Joan Rivers’ unapologetic trademark as she aged, her wit remained as vibrantly raw and unruly as when she first broke her way into a comedy world belonging largely to men. In a 2010 “Late Show” interview, David Letterman broached the plastic surgery issue: “You don’t look exactly like the Joan Rivers I used to know.” Rivers was unapologetic. “Our business is so youthful. ... You do little tweaks, and I think if a woman wants to look good, or a man, do it,” she said. “It’s not about anybody else.” Fashion and acting were the early dreams of the woman who grew up as a self-described “fatty,” but it was humor that paid the bills and ultimately made Rivers a star. She refused to cede the spotlight as the decades passed, working vigorously until her death. “I have never wanted to be a day less than I am,” she said in a 2013 interview with The Associated Press. “People say, ‘I wish I were 30 again.’ Nahhh! I’m very happy HERE. It’s great. It gets better and better. And then, of course, we die,” she quipped.
Voice your opinion What do you think is Joan Rivers’ best work? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com.
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