Blackhawk Middle School’s eighth graders celebrated the completion of their District 2 careers during their promotion ceremony held May 26 at Fenton High School.

Among the more than 230 eighth graders who participated in the ceremony, the following students were recognized with special awards:  

• PRINCIPAL’S AWARD | Julia De La Cruz and Emir Yabukoglu

• SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARD | Peter Anagnos and Angela Sokolowski

• FENTON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AWARD | Nathan Yerian and Michelle Chavez

• BENSENVILLE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AWARD | Anelli Estrada

• BLACKHAWK FACULTY MEMORIAL AWARD | Marina Di Tullio and Logan Krajecki

Click here for more BMS 2022 Eighth Grade Promotion photos.

During its May 18 meeting, the BSD2 Board of Education recognized the District's retirees and teachers who earned tenure this year, and it named the newest recipients of the District's Founders Award.

RECOGNITION OF RETIREES

• The District also celebrated the careers of two long-time BSD2 employees who retired this year: Mary Alvarado, a secretary for 26 years, and Felix Rivera, a bus driver for 20 years.

TENURE RECOGNITION

Tenure is the highest honor the BSD2 Board can bestow upon a teacher. The District celebrated 13 teachers who earned this honor this year:

BLACKHAWK MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Ashleigh Dunbaugh, Sixth-Grade Math Teacher
• Lauren Fabbri, Eighth-Grade Science Teacher
• Katelynn Klingler, Special Education Math and English/Language Arts Teacher
• Jennifer McGraw, Special Education Math Teacher
• Suzanne Richardson, Art Teacher

W.A. JOHNSON SCHOOL

• Nicole Brodsky, Fifth-Grade Teacher
• Mia Gutsell, Instructional Technology Specialist
• Bridget Tello, Kindergarten Teacher
• Jacqueline Valenzuela, Bilingual Second-Grade Teacher

TIOGA SCHOOL

• Ana Delgado, Bilingual Speech/Language Pathologist
• Elizabeth Esparza, Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher
• Amanda Hannapel, Fourth-Grade Teacher
• Marie Lizak, Pre-Kindergarten Special Education Teacher 

Big ideas earned big checks during the District's first Young Entrepreneurial Student (YES!) Pitch Contest, held May 13 at Blackhawk Middle School.

For the contest, students from Deanna Berardi’s STEM Lab classes and the school's YES! After-School Club were tasked with coming up with a product or service that would solve a problem.

Among the more than 20 entrepreneurial ideas pitched during the contest were colorful and shapely bandages, footlights to help you find your way at night, chip sealers to keep your snack food fresh,special lunch bags that heat and cool to keep foods fresh, and more!

In the end, the winners were ...

• FIRST PLACE | "Design Daids" by Analia Arteaga and Angela Bahena, who received $1,000 from the Bensenville Community Foundation
• SECOND PLACE | "The Bag Buddy" by Kiley Dec, who received $500 from the Bensenville Community Foundation
• THIRD PLACE | "Compound" by Val Gomez and Maya Ortiz, who received $300 from the Bensenville-Wood Dale Rotary Club
• PEOPLE'S CHOICE | "Foot Lights" by Alex Gomez, who received $250 from Innovation DuPage

"No matter the winners, all students that participated were touched with the entrepreneurial spirit," said Lara Schwarz, BSD2 Community Liaison. 

Special thanks all those who volunteered to judge the pitch contest: Jim Stoltman, District 2 Board of Education Vice President; Anne Paonessa, District 2 Interim Director for Teaching and Learning; Frank DeSimone, Village of Bensenville President; Tom Earley, Bensenville Community Foundation President; Sam Guerrero, Innovation DuPage Programming and Events Manager; Betsy D’Onofrio, Inland Mortgage Business Development/CRA Officer.

On May 17, District 2 celebrated a quarter century of Project CARE -- 25 years and hundreds of mentors volunteering to help BSD2 students refine skills they’ve been taught by their classroom teachers!

Project CARE has resumed this meaningful work in person, but it faced unique challenges throughout the COVID pandemic. So the 2022 Project CARE Appreciation was special thanks those mentors who stuck it out and worked remotely with our teachers and students.

During the celebration, Project CARE mentors Nancy Budnik and Eva Knightly (pictured above) were recognized for volunteering since the beginning of the program 25 years ago at Tioga. Also, mentors Deb Roan and Tim Rounds were recognized for 20 years of service, George Reinhold was recognized for 15 years, and Theresa O'Connor and Carol Rounds were recognized for 10 years. 

Bensenville Community Public Library, which hosted the celebration, and Semblex Corporation, were also recognized for their strong support of Project CARE throughout the years. So were Elmhurst University and College of DuPage, as dozens of BSD2 teachers have been introduced to the District over the years by serving as mentors to earn community service hours or meet student teaching requirements.

"We are grateful to all of our mentors, now and over the last 25 years.," said Lara Schwarz, Project CARE Director. "You gave the students of BEnsenville School District 2 the tools to become successful learners. The students are achieving greater success because of your commitment to them." 

Please join our Virtual Job Fair on Wednesday, June 8, from 3-7 p.m. 

• Click here to participate in the Virtual Job Fair: 

District 2 is looking for qualified applicants to fill these vital roles: 

• Teachers
• Substitute Teachers
• Classroom & Special Education Aides
• Lunch & Recess Attendants
• Crossing Guards
• Bus Drivers
• Custodial & Maintenance Staff

Click the links above to learn more about the employment requirements and compensation details for these positions. 

At the job fair, you’ll be able to explore employment opportunities with District 2. We're eager to meet you!

Bensenville School District 2 will serve FREE meals to anyone 18 years and younger during summer school. 

• Location: Tioga School, 212 W. Memorial Road
• Dates: Monday-Friday, June 6-24
• Breakfast: 8-8:15 a.m.
• Lunch: 12:15-12:35 p.m. 

The school year is winding down, but it is not too late to check out the new BSD2 family directory through DirectorySpot. 

• Click here for directions to set up your DirectorySpot account.

DirectorySpot can help BSD2 families stay in touch this summer by providing them access to the following directory information on the web or their mobile devices:

• Students’ names, grade levels and teachers
• Parents’/guardians’ names, phone numbers and email addresses
• Families’ home addresses

The DirectorySpot app is very secure. Only participating families have been granted access and must log in with their authorized email addresses and set their own passwords. The directory cannot be printed or downloaded, and its data will not be sold to third party groups. The directory will be exclusively for use by BSD2 families, and may not be used for promotional, commercial, or solicitation purposes. 

• Click here for more information on the DirectorySpot app’s security features.

Data and users in the Directory Spot app can be updated throughout the year by contacting webmaster@bsd2.org, so families can opt in or out at any time.