Open house at Otto Engineering showcases talents of D300 students, faculty

Otto Engineering’s historic architecture will provide the perfect backdrop for the artistic achievements of District 300 teachers and students at an open house on Thursday, April 26.

From 6-9 p.m., the Carpentersville company’s two buildings at 10 and 11 W. Main St. will be open to the public during the second annual Cultural Arts on the Fox event, sponsored by the D300 Foundation for Educational Excellence.

According to Diane Magerko, foundation trustee and performing and fine arts chairwoman, the open house will showcase performing and fine arts from Hampshire, Jacobs and Dundee-Crown high schools, as well as art work and some performances by district middle schools.

The public is invited; a $1 donation is requested.

“We do snippets of performances, including ‘Beauty and the Beast’ by Dundee-Crown; “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Fifth Period’ by Jacobs,” Magerko said. “We’ll have jazz bands, chamber (music), and (an exhibit of) visual arts.”

Magerko said the open house is a chance for residents to see the best of what the district has to offer, in terms of fine arts.

“The teachers jury the artwork,” Magerko said. “This is all about students; it showcases their works.”

The foundation raises money to fund innovation grants on the classroom level. Innovation grants are awarded for projects suggested by teachers that bring something new and valuable to the curriculum.

“It has to be a program with an innovative way of teaching,” Magerko said. “(The foundation) works in committees with teachers.”

One grant recently awarded allowed selected art students from all three high schools to visit an alpaca farm in Elgin to learn about wet and dry felting and fiber arts, Magerko said. These are opportunities the students would not have otherwise had without funding from the foundation.

“Our goal is to enrich, enhance and extend the learning experience for students in all 27 schools in the district,” Magerko said.

Magerko praised Otto Engineering for opening its doors to the public for this event.

“(Otto Engineering) is just amazing,” she said. “Tom Roeser just renovated everything. He is allowing us to use the property. The architecture is a part of the setting.”

For details on Cultural Arts on the Fox or D300 Foundation for Educational Excellence, visit D300foundation.org or call (847) 426-1300.