Own a Piece of GHS History; Purchase Auditorium Seats

Twenty sets are being offered for sale. They come in pairs, priced at $100 for the pair.

Want to own a piece of Geneva High School history? Want to relive the occasions sitting and either performing or watching a concert, play or National Honor Society induction? Former students may even want to preserve memories of taking notes or tests on the pull-up writing shelves. It’s possible, simply by purchasing a pair of the former auditorium seats. Even if people don’t want to purchase an old seat, “Save-A-Seat Sponsors” can leave a lasting impression in the auditorium by contributing money for improvements to the sound and lighting systems. The Geneva Theatre Boosters and Music Boosters started the Save a Seat campaign last year to help raise funds to replace broken seats in the GHS auditorium. The auditorium was built in 1976, and…

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Virtual Learning Solutions Slams Local School Boards in 1,080-Page Response

K-12 report: "(Local school boards) would stifle the openness and global reach of digital learning in the name of district empowerment and local monopoly."

A question posed at Thursday night's candidate forum in Geneva brought an interesting comment by Geneva School Board President Mark Grosso. In response to an audience-written query about the proposed Fox Valley K-12 virtual school, Grosso said he found it curious that, for an Internet-based company with experts in the technology field, Virtual Charter Schools was slow and conventional in bringing the proposal forward to local school boards. "All their communication was by U.S. Mail," he said. Grosso said he has to vote on the virtual-school issue Monday night and couldn't comment too much, but added "I have some real concerns regarding their accountatiblity." The comment echoes some of the distrust expressed by school board members and …

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Letter to the Editor

Retired Geneva Teacher Says, 'Re-Elect Mark Grosso'

Gib Thostenson: "Geneva has continued its tradition of excellence with his support and leadership."

Dear Editor: My wife, Kathy, and I are long time Geneva residents (37 years); and I’m also a retired Geneva High School English teacher and department chair.  We strongly support the re-election of Mark Grosso, current District 304 School Board President. We have known Mark for many years as a friend and neighbor and have worked with him on various committees for the Pepper Valley Homeowners Association. Four years ago we endorsed and supported Mark when he was running for the school board for the first time. We said, “Mark works hard, cooperates well with others, listens carefully, pays close attention to details, and uses common sense. He will bring the same leadership and problem solving skills to the school district.” He did not …

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Geneva School Board Candidates Rank Priorities—Now, You Can Rank the Candidates

Election 2013: What are your top priorities for School Board members in the coming four years? Ask yourself that question, then see which candidates priorities line up with yours.

I asked some strange and difficult questions of School Board candidates during the March 20 TaxFACTS/Patch forum. Several of those questions were flat-out failures, but there was one I liked a lot. It's the following—and I hope you take a minute to answer it yourself before you scroll down to see what the candidates said.  Please rank these issues in order of priority to your campaign and your concept of your role as School Board member: One of the candidates referred to the question as an "absolutely" false dichotomy. "We can walk and chew gum at the same time," he said. True. And we expect Geneva School Board members to do that. But we also have to decide which four of the eight candidates to vote for come April 9. I hope the answers to …

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Election 2013: Leslie Juby, Geneva School Board

Here's a detailed bio and in-depth questionnaire submitted by Leslie Juby, who faces off against seven other candidates in the April 9 race for four seats on the Geneva School Board.

  LESLIE JUBY — GENEVA SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE (8 candidates, four seats) Name: Leslie Juby Position Sought: Board member for Geneva Community Unit School District 304 Campaign Contact Information: None Family Members: Michael Juby, husband; Emma Juby, daughter, 18; Madelyn Juby, daughter, 16 Education: B.A. Language and Literature, Governor's State University, 1983 Current Occupation and Employer: Substitute Teacher, Batavia Public Schools What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? My most important priority will be to balance the demands of a high quality educational model with the financial constraints of the current economy. Why are you seeking office?      I have a strong belief in giving back to my community…

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Sad to See Coultrap Torn Down? 2 Walk-Throughs Remain

You can stroll through memory lane on Thursday, March 21, and Saturday, March 30, if you make an RSVP.

Geneva School District 304 has scheduled two opportunities for interested community members to walk through the Coultrap building at 1113 Peyton Street prior to its demolition. The guided walk-throughs will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 21, and at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 30. Those interested in attending a walk-through are asked to call (630) 463-3020 to RSVP. Anyone interested in scheduling a walk-through for a large group is asked to call (630) 463-3020 to schedule an alternate date/time. In January, the Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the demolition of the Coultrap facility. The area will be converted to green space, allowing for its eventual use for Geneva High School’s final expansion when it is needed.  SOURCE: …

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Geneva Patch Election Central: A Guide to the April 9 Campaigns

Let this be your one-stop guide to articles, websites and media outlets for the spring 2013 elections in Geneva.

Welcome to Geneva Election Central 2013! This is the "hub page" that will link to additional articles, websites and other media outlets to help youY get familiar with the Geneva candidates and the issues in contested races prior to the April 9 election. Please bookmark this page and refer to it often, as it will be updated regularly. If there's an error, omission or if you just want more information, please contact Rick Nagel at rickn@patch.com or call 630-886-0792. For more information, please like and visit our Geneva Patch Facebook page!   Click on the candidate's name to see his or her Patch profile/position statement. 1 seat open; 4-year term   4 open seats; 4-year term   Links below are to the Kane County Clerk's Office election …

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John R

7:31 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

When will we know the results and will they be posted online this evening? Rice   more ›

Mixed Reactions to 5:22 AM Emergency Call From Schools

Geneva School District 304's Emergency Notification System works great, but folks are split on why the decision to call off school had to come so late when the the weather report was warning so early.

Geneva School District 304's 5:22 a.m. emergency notification call announcing the Tuesday closing of Geneva Schools got reactions ranging from "love" to "hate" from commenters on the Geneva Patch Facebook Page.  Like a lot of other school districts, Geneva generally prefers to wait until morning to make a decision as to whether school will be cancelled or open for business. The radar information and up-to-the-minute forecasts are important to weighing the options, because the weather can change fast in these parts and no one wants to cancel school needlessly. Most of the time, that philosophy makes sense and carries a lot of water, so to speak, but the weather reports Monday night were pretty darned certain that a major winter storm was a-…

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Kurt Wehrmeister

11:03 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013

Good heavens, folks. If you don't want the early phone call, don't sign up for the early phone call. Pretty simple. Our late friend Dr. Turnbaugh once went almost a full decade without calling a snow day. (1967 to '75, if memory serves.) Would we prefer that?   more ›