WEDNESDAY
Au gus t 19, 201 5 • $1 .0 0
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
NORTHWEST
HERALD
Jacobs’ Kosy, Hampshire’s Hougland enter senior year looking for 4th straight state qualification / C1 NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
Facebook.com/NWHerald
HIGH
LOW
70 53 Complete forecast on page A10
@NWHerald
D-155 to eliminate class rank
Recognition of top performers, details of new grading philosophy still to be decided By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Community High School District 155’s Class of 2018 will be the last with valedictorians and salutatorians. The School District 155 Board unanimously voted Tuesday evening to eliminate the system of ranking students by their grade point averages for the incoming freshmen and
to adopt a new grading philosophy designed to emphasis what students know, not penalize them for the learning process. The next step is figuring out how the top of the class will be recognized moving forward, said Corey Tafoya, the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services. The plan is to take the conversations to the buildings where staff, parents and stu-
Council member acquitted of DUI Hart found guilty of causing, leaving scene of accident By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – A Woodstock city councilman and local bar owner was acquitted Tuesday on a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge, but a judge found Dan Hart guilty of causing and leaving the scene of an accident. Hart, 35, must complete a low-level DUI treatment as punishment for the traffic matters. He also must complete six months of supervision and pay $1,000 in fines Dan Hart and court costs. The verdicts and sentences were issued by McHenry County Judge Joel Berg, who determined there was not enough evidence to sustain a guilty verdict on the DUI charge. By his admission, Hart drank one 12-ounce Stella Artois beer about 12:45 a.m. July 14, 2014, before closing Hart’s Saloon, a bar he owns in Hebron. Tammy Adams of Hebron said she was driving to work about 1:30 a.m. that morning when Hart came up behind her on Route 47. Adams testified that Hart was swerving and weaving, speeding up and slowing down. Adams said she got scared for her safety, so she quickly pulled into a parking lot along Route 47 in Woodstock, when Hart clipped her rear bumper. Adams and Hart were uninjured. Adams said Hart came up to her passenger side door, but then left without giving her his information. Hart said he asked if she was OK, and she yelled at him to leave. Police eventually caught up to Hart a few blocks later and arrested him in his driveway. Hart said he didn’t call for help because his cellphone died. Two Woodstock police officers testified Hart smelled of alcoholic drinks and had mildly slurred speech and glassy eyes. Hart was mostly polite and cooperative, they said.
dents can get involved and the different cultures and traditions of the schools can be taken into consideration, he said, adding that he expects to bring a proposal to the board in January. Several board members also asked to be involved in the process, two of them making their yes votes contingent on that happening. “I’m in favor of this for the college advantages, but I
still want to recognize – and I think the other board members feel that way – our very top achievers,” board member Ann Somers said. Besides the college application benefits – students can’t be penalized for a rank that looks lower than that of students at less competitive high schools – Tafoya pointed to students feeling freer to pick classes based on rigor and their career aspirations.
The school board also approved moving ahead with another teacher-initiated project aimed at shifting the district’s grading philosophy, putting most of the emphasis grade-wise on summative assessments, such as unit exams, essays and final exams, and not on formative assessments, such as homework, quizzes and other assignments designed to gauge where students are along the way.
The shift means students won’t be penalized for the learning process and not understanding something right away, said Prairie Ridge High School Vice Principal Lisa Connell, who served on the committee that did the research and developed the philosophy. It also means the grading system will recognize that
See CLASS RANK, page A7
PROGRAM ADDRESSES SAFETY IN ONLINE HABITS, NEW TECHNOLOGY
THE DIGITAL AGE Illustration by Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Cary parent creates presentation to teach responsibility By HANNAH PROKOP hprokop@shawmedia.com McHENRY – Bullying on Yik Yak was so bad that Cary resident Matt Batt said his neighbor’s daughter skipped school for three days. The location-based application allows people to anonymously post messages, and it can be used as a forum for sharing funny comments or spreading rumors. Yik Yak is one of the many applications Batt advises parents be aware of and children use responsibly in his social media education program, The Parent Feed, and Project B3, which is starting in Community Unit School District 300 this fall. Batt also is bringing The Parent Feed presentations to towns including Cary, Algonquin and Carpentersville this fall, and he plans to reach all the school districts in McHenry County before eventually spreading the program even further. As soon as a child gets a mobile device, parents need to think about the habits they are forming with them, Batt said. “I feel like these devices have completely changed the
Upcoming The Parent Feed presentations 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Cary Junior High School 6:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Cary Park District, $24 residents/$36 nonresidents 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at Algonquin Middle School 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at Carpentersville Middle School 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at Dundee Middle School 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at Hampshire Middle School 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at Westfield School
way that we need to parent,” Batt said. “... And whether we like it or not, it’s an ingrained part of our kids.” What’s important is for parents to stay engaged rather than be restrictive with children in the “digital generation,” who have grown up using digital devices, Batt said. Batt, a father of three boys, started The Parent Feed last year to educate other parents on new technology and to teach children about being responsible with their devices. Online predators, sexting
and bullying are some of the problems children might face while using their digital devices, Batt said, and the most popular applications children use constantly are changing. Crystal Lake Police Cmdr. Tom Kretschmer said problems with devices have increased in the past few years. “It seems like they’re more comfortable doing the bullying stuff online because I think they feel like they’re not going to get caught,” Kretschmer said. The Parent Feed hosts 90-minute seminars for parents and children who want to learn more about being responsible with mobile and online communications. At McHenry West High School, Batt gave a brief presentation for the school’s freshman orientation night Aug. 11. He said some key aspects of having success while working with the new digital generation include setting ground rules, having open communications, continuously reviewing devices, having a balance of accountability and trust, learning constantly and being understanding.
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
On Tuesday at McHenry West High School, Matt Batt discusses the plight of keeping children safe in a digital generation that relies so heavily on technology.
See DIGITAL, page A7
See HART, page A7
TASTE
LOCAL NEWS
STATE
WHERE IT’S AT
Great grain
3 more years
‘It’s a big deal’
High in protein, fiber, minerals, Freekeh can help add flavor / D1
D-47 extends contract for superintendent Hinz, who will get raise, bonus / A3
Rauner asks Senate not to undo veto in union-strike talks / B3
Advice ................................ D3 Buzz.....................................C6 Classified..................... D6-10 Comics ...............................D4 Community ........................B1 Local News.................... A2-9 Lottery................................ A2 Nation&World...................B5
Obituaries .........................A9 Opinion...............................B2 Puzzles ...........................D3, 5 Sports..............................C1-5 State ................................... B3 Stocks.................................A9 TV listings .........................D5 Weather ........................... A10