Glenbard News for Dec. 12, 2024

In this issue:

• North honors academic achievement, good citizenship
• Cookies & Carols concert set for Dec.12 at East
• Takeaway from GPS program about college costs
• Board of Education to meet on Dec. 16
• Reminders

North honors academic achievement, good citizenship
Glenbard North honored its PAWS recipients for the second quarter with a breakfast celebration. The PAWS program recognizes students’ academic excellence, academic improvement, improved attendance and acts of good citizenship.  Students who receive this honor represent a cross-section of the student population at Glenbard North.

Congratulations to the following PAWS honorees: Julian Aguayo, Gaby Alaniz, Mariam Ali, Pricilla Alvarado Barajas, Miguel Arreguin, Kassidy Baffa, Andrea Bello Parra, Ohm Bhatt, Imani Blue, Christina Bui, Jack Byrne, Jonathan  Cruz, Rachel Diaz, Gabriel Early, Luca Filice, Kacper Filipczyk, Treat Forrest, Lisbeth Garcia, Emily Garling, Cole Gonzalez, Jose Gonzalez Jr, Vito Jimenez, John Knecht, Kim Le, Andrea Lopez, Peyton Marshall, Sophiyah McPherson, Gian Melendez, Ashley Mondragon, Marium Mustafa, Ha Nguyen, Mason OConner, Alyssa Passero, Dhruvin Patel, Mason Pawelek, Alexa Perez, Fernando Ramirez, Alyssa Roman, Stephanie Romero Bautista, David  Rosales, Jay Shrimali, Kaily Solis Martinez, Aaryan Soni, Lucas Spadavecchia, Ayesha Tahir, Bentley Taumoefolau, Ethan Taylor, Itzel Torres Manrique, Carter Weston, Eric Wilson, Alyssa Yim, Imaan Zafar and Batool Zaidi.

Cookies & Carols concert set for Dec.12 at East
Glenbard East will host its annual Cookies & Carols concert Thursday, December 12, at 7:00 pm in the fine arts foyer. This intimate event features the Eastwind Vocal Ensemble and Eastrings orchestra and includes a wide mix of holiday favorites. The program closes with an all-community carol sing-along and cookies and cider. Tickets are $3 for adults and free for students. Tickets are available at this link.

Takeaway from GPS program about college costs
Recently, the GPS Parent Series welcomed personal finance columnist for the New York Times Ron Lieber in a program based on his bestseller, “The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Roadmap for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make.” 

View the entire program for a limited time, or you can visit Lieber’s speaker page under Past Programs on the GPS website to view the Q&A from his presentation. The full presentation will be available until Jan. 5, and the Q&A will remain on the GPS website. 

Glenbard North Principal John Mensik hosted the program and shared the following takeaway: 

“Lieber offered a guide on determining the value and choice of a good school. Families should start as early as 8th grade to have the honest talk about money and the family’s ability or willingness to fund college costs. Lieber cautioned us to be self-aware of the emotional pull of fear, guilt, and elitism that can come into the equation. Determine what your student’s priorities are: the learning, the kinship of meeting different people, or the credentials that may give them a leg up in the marketplace. Consider whether the cost is worth it to your family. The common data set is a list of statistics colleges are required to keep on their websites, and it can be a useful way to compare schools. Definitely research the schools that offer mentoring and internship experiences. 

Schools assess your ability to pay when applying for financial aid. Your willingness to pay that amount might be different, and that’s where merit aid can come into play. Don’t be afraid to have a polite conversation to seek reconsideration about a potential increase in merit aid, especially if you have extenuating circumstances or unique talents.”

Board of Education to meet on Dec. 16
The Board of Education will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16, at the Administrative Center, 596 Crescent Blvd. in Glen Ellyn. The meeting agenda and Zoom link will be posted at this link. 

Reminders
The GPS Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families will host psychologist Timothy Wahlberg in a program titled Strengthening T(w)een Socialization Skills for Better Interpersonal Relationships at noon and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, via Zoom. Go to the GPS Parent Series website for information and the links to these webinars.

B-PAC: Glenbard Bilingual Parent Advisory Council and the GPS Parent Series in Spanish will present Strategies to Help Healthy Families and Teens Thrive with psychologist Ferney Ramirez. This program will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at Glenbard North. It will be presented in Spanish only. A holiday celebration will follow the presentation. For further information, contact Luz Luna at [email protected] or 630-942-7447.