Returning Park View School Board Members Take Oath

It was not unlike musical chairs on Monday night, as the president and vice president of 's school board swapped places Monday at the district's monthly meeting. 

Mary O'Connor, Paul McGivern and Tony Stegich were all re-elected to four-year terms in the April 5 election, which required them to be sworn in again. Supt. Gary Zabilka administered the oath. The board also had a reorganizational meeting and elected former vice president Tony Hofeld as president. Stegich, who was the previous president, became the new vice president. Jan Lombardo will continue to serve as secretary.

The board also organized itself into committees:

• Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) representative: Connie Travis
• Niles Township Department of Special Education (NTDSE) representative: Mary O'Connor; alternate: Connie Travis
• Facilities: Paul McGivern, Tony Hofeld
• Policy: Aneta Greiner, Daniel Metz
• Finance: Aneta Greiner, Tony Hofeld and Tony Stegich

Board approves leave of absence

The board granted a one-year leave of absence to Nancy Irvin, a teacher in the school's enrichment program. Irvin's husband accepted a job in Denver for the upcoming school year.

"She has a tremendous amount of appreciation, respect and compassion for this district," Zabilka said. "Even though she doesn't know what the future holds, she would love to come back to this district if this doesn't work out."

McGivern praised Irvin for her teaching abilities.

"I think the world of Nancy Irvin," McGivern said. I think the district is better off with her in it. I don't know if any of you have had the chance to have her [teach your kids], but she's fantastic."

Since the previous board meeting, the facilities committee heard exploratory suggestions from architects about possible additions to the school, which included adding classrooms into the courtyard and connecting the west wing to the offices.

"There were very interesting suggestions," Hofeld said. "If we have current needs, great. If we have future needs, then we've got it. They really explored, I think, how to get the most, and they had kind-of-genius little ways of getting two or three classrooms at a time if that was what we needed."

Winners in the Illinois Science Olympiad

Assistant Principal Dave Pump reported that Park View students won fifth place out of 40 schools in the Illinois Science Olympiad, which was held on April 16 at the University of Illinois. The school sent 20 students, seven of whom won individual medals.

"We're not only in the stratosphere of Illinois, but we're in the stratosphere nationally," Hofeld said, praising the school's performance. "Illinois is consistently in the top 10 in the nation."