Volume 25, No. 9 | Monday, March 21, 2022
News from the March 15, 2022 meeting
AdHoc Committee to Review Pandemic Protocols
COVID-19 cases continue to drop to levels not seen since October and the district is awaiting updated guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health on the status of mitigation strategies that have been in place since August 2020, Supt. Dr. Larry Hewitt said in his report to the board.

Dr. Hewitt said he is forming an advisory committee made up of representatives from the Board of Education, school nurses, staff members and administrators that will meet once per week to review the day-to-day procedures and strategies used within the schools to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. The district will also monitor the impact of spring break travel and possible changes to health department protocols, he said.

The charge of the committee will be to analyze pertinent data, review recommendations from ISBE/IDPH/CCDPH and understand adjustments other school districts may be making. “My goal is to make thoughtful decisions by taking an ongoing holistic view of our conditions,” Dr. Hewitt said.

The volunteer committee will begin meeting after spring break. 
Greenbriar Classroom Assistant Nanette Adatto, center, back row, was recognized by Principal Dr. Ginny Hiltz, left, and kindergarten teacher Megan Roberts and her students for receiving a Meritorious Award in the Those Who Excel recognition program.
Classroom Assistant Honored With State Award
Nanette Adatto has spent 17 years in a kindergarten classroom supporting students as an instructional assistant at Greenbriar School, but her presence is felt throughout the school. That’s because she is also the morning supervisor on the playground for kindergarten and first grade, she has worked with 3rd- through 5th-grade students on Student Council and is in charge of the most popular bulletin board in school where she works with students to create designs that include the name of each child.

When her colleagues and Greenbriar families learned she planned to retire at the end of the school year, they nominated her for statewide recognition. She was recently notified that she received the Illinois State Board of Education Meritorious Award in the Those Who Excel recognition program. She is just one of 19 individuals to receive the award in her category in Cook County.

Dr. Hiltz read one tribute from a parent that was part of Ms. Adatto's nomination. “You bring imagination and play to life every single day that you are in the Greenbriar building and you have truly made a lasting footprint on so many lives over the years.” In recognizing Ms. Adatto, Dr. Hiltz said, “She will be terribly missed, and I’m really excited to send her off with this great recognition.”

Ms. Addatto has never been one to seek the spotlight and shared, “Thank you so much. I loved every minute I spent in the district and at Greenbriar. You don’t need to get an award when you have received so much more back. I have loved every single moment,” she said. 
New Staff 2022-23
The following certified staff candidates were approved by the Board of Education for the 2022-23 school year.

Jennifer Andersen - YE Early Childhood
Jennifer Andersen will be joining the Young Explorers Program at Westmoor School as an early childhood teacher. She has worked as a preschool teacher at Frances Xavier Warde School for the past two years and was previously a Master Preschool Teacher at Chicago Commons. She earned a master’s degree in early childhood and special education from National-Louis University. 

Sophia Halkias - NBJH Literacy Instructional Specialist
Sophia Halkias has spent the past 14 years with the Distinctive Schools network in Chicago as a middle school history and reading teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal and regional director of literacy. She will provide literacy instruction support to the core subject teachers at NBJH. She has a master’s degree in school leadership from Concordia University and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Alexandria Hibbard-Brown - Orchestra
Alex Hibbard-Brown will graduate with a music education bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in May. She completed her first student teaching placement at Vernon Hills High School and is currently in her second placement at NBJH under the guidance of Mike Govert. While at ISU, Alex was the chapter president of the American String Teachers Association and served as a lead teacher for the String Project that taught lessons to local middle school students.

Trina Newman - Gifted & Talented Coordinator, Westmoor School
Trina Newman is joining Westmoor after spending 22 years at Stephen K. Hayt Elementary School in Chicago Public Schools. She has taught 5th grade for many years and has experience with both departmental and self-contained teaching with an emphasis on gifted and talented education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with additional endorsements in ESL and Gifted.

Jamie Zimniok - Band
Jamie Zimniok has spent the last 13 years as a band teacher in District 64 at both Lincoln and Emerson Middle Schools in Niles School District 64. As a District 28 and GBN alumnus, she is happy to return to Northbrook. She earned a master’s degree in music education from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Want to Know More?
Livestream/Archive Video
The Board of Education meetings are live-streamed on the District 28's YouTube Channel. The live streams are also archived for later viewing.

Next Meeting is April 26
The Board of Education is holding in-person meetings at Northbrook Junior High in the library. The meeting will be held following health and safety protocols. The meetings will continue to be live-streamed on the District 28 YouTube channel. The next regular meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 26.
Board of Education