South Elgin High to host fundraiser

South Elgin High School is well on its way to hosting athletic events at home instead of having to schlep over to Millennium Field in Streamwood.

The Elgin Area School District U-46 board this week approved a bid to install permanent, 1,500-seat bleachers at the South Elgin stadium site.

But the bleachers are only the first phase of the private fundraising effort. Later phases include artificial turf and a press box.

South Elgin High is hosting a fundraiser Friday, April 15, at the school, 760 E. Main St., as part of the continuing fundraising campaign. South Elgin's police and firefighters will face off against South Elgin football players in a game of basketball.

Tickets cost $5 and are available at the door. The game starts at 7 p.m. and features performances from the marching band and a halftime show.

U-46 gets new board members: U-46, as you may have read, will soon have two new board members.Maria Bidelman and Amy Kerber were re-elected, while Traci O'Neal Ellis and Jennifer Shroder won their first terms on the board.As I noted in a story last week, during the campaign, all four championed greater engagement with U-46 families and the community.Whether they will be able to keep those promises remains to seen, but both the newcomers, and Shroder, in particular, have been especially vocal about the need for board members to interact with the community directly, without any intermediaries.Meanwhile, two candidates were not among the top four vote-getters: Citizens' Advisory Council members Gary Percy and Mary VanSlyck.It sounds trite, but all the candidates truly brough a passion for education to the campaign. For Percy, it was his second time out (he ran in 2009), and at least in the eyes of the Daily Herald editorial board (of which I am not a part), it was his time.In the end, only a few votes separated Percy from Bidelman, who came in fourth.Given the abysmal turnout, it's difficult to draw many conclusions about the results, so it's hard to say voters rejected Percy. Perhaps Bidelman's greater name recognition gave her a slight advantage.Percy says he probably won't run again, but I think he would be a good candidate for a board vacancy if one opens up in the next two years.In the meantime, U-46 would be well served if Percy and VanSlyck continue their service to the district through the advisory council and other volunteer opportunities.