Evanston residents of all ages are invited to celebrate the back-to-school season at the 'Kits, 'Cats and Kids Block Party! The annual event will take place on Thursday, September 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Evanston Township High School Lazier Field, located at Church Street and Hartrey Avenue.

Enjoy games, arts and crafts, family-friendly activities, music, the ETHS and NU marching bands, a rousing pep rally, and plenty of great dining options. Come hungry to dine at a variety of food trucks serving savory and sweet fare at the event.

The Block Party is sponsored by the City of Evanston, Northwestern University, Downtown Evanston, the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, Evanston Township High School, and Evanston/Skokie School District 65. For more information, please visit cityofevanston.org/kitsandcats or call or text 847-448-4311.

D65 Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) would like to invite our bilingual families to attend our upcoming virtual meeting on Sept. 20, 2022, at 6pm. Agenda items we will be discussing include:

• Meet the BPAC Team
• What is BPAC?
• Learn about the Bilingual Service Plan
• Tell us what you want BPAC to cover this year

Register for the meeting by Sept. 19 using the BPAC meeting registration form, and you will receive a Zoom link to attend. We look forward to seeing you!

Nichols Middle School Visual Art educators Lisa Reitman and Yeefah Thruman were awarded a grant from the Evanston Arts Council to provide an 8-week Artist in Residency program for District 65 middle school students. 

Middle school students selected to participate in this opportunity will have a cross-cultural experience that explores the strength and resiliency of descendants of the transatlantic slave trade (Mexico and the US) while learning art techniques and understanding the stages from idea and creation to an exhibition.

Participants will also explore the history of the first self-liberated Black town in the Americas (Yanga, Mexico) and the first city in the Americas to give reparations to Black people (Evanston, Illinois).

After completing the residency, students will hang and display their work in a traveling exhibit throughout Evanston.

All meetings will be held at Nichols Middle school, room 100:

• October 4, 11, 18, 25 (Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00)
• November 1, 15, 29 (Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00)
• November 5, 12 (**Saturday morning 9:30-11: 00)
• December 6 (Tuesday from 3:30-5:00)



**If artists need extra time to complete the project

Fifteen selected artists will be notified by September 30, 2022. All D65 middle school students are welcome to apply. 

Application due September 24.

District 65 has received the top honor in school communications, called the Golden Achievement Award of Excellence, for their outstanding work in ‘Student Assignment Planning: Fostering Equity and Access in Education.’ In addition, they received two merit awards for ‘Miracles in Action Community Report’ and “Student Assignment Planning Hype Video’ in the annual communications contest sponsored by the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA).

Golden Achievement awards are given to projects that encompass all aspects of a public engagement program, from research to planning, implementation, and evaluation. Each entry is evaluated by judges against a rubric of excellence, with awards given to those that scored within the established ranges for merit and excellence. The achievements were honored at the INSPRA award ceremony on Sept. 9 in Oak Brook.