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New Dist. 44 tailgate gives fun introduction to middle school

In the name of school spirit and community togetherness, Lombard Elementary District 44 teachers and administrators endured pies in the face, served yards worth of pizza and competed to eat watermelon at the district's first Back-to-School Tailgate.

And in the name of welcoming future students to the district's highest grades at Glenn Westlake Middle School, Chief of Staff Ted Stec planned the new event as an introduction to ease the transition.

"We want to get families in early," Stec said, surveying the crowd of kids and parents on the pavement and open field behind the school. "This is a great turnout."

Hammerschmidt Elementary fifth-grader Connor Peckham was the first to line up to aim a plate full of whipped cream at his school's Principal, David Danielski. By the time Connor hit Danielski square on the left shoulder and grinned at the mess, he already had tried a scavenger hunt around his future school with his friends.

"You had to explore the school to try to find stuff," he said.

Teachers at the back entrance to the cafeteria handed out a set of 10 clues, which led future students to important destinations at Westlake including the front door, nurse's office, band/music room, main gym, art room, library resource center, computer lab and sixth-grade wing.

"It's awesome that we've got our fifth-grade kids and parents here," said Courtney Long, school board president.

Stec, who is in line to become the district's superintendent once he completes his certification at the end of October, said he got the idea to host the tailgate after convening a middle-school focus group of students, parents and teachers during the summer.

"Even the parents don't feel comfortable," he said. "That's a big transition."

Long praised Stec's leadership in creating the event, which also raised money for the Red Cross to give to survivors of Hurricane Harvey by accepting donations at the pie-in-the-face table. Stec is set to become superintendent after the district parted ways with former superintendent Michael Robey two years into a four-year contract.

"With Ted at the helm, there's true collaboration. People are coming together," Long said. "Three weeks into the school year to have something like this is a great testament."

As the tailgate concluded much of the crowd planned to head north on Main Street to Glenbard East High School, where many of the district's students progress after they graduate. The school gave free tickets to tailgate attendees to cheer on the Rams at their football game against South Elgin.

  Sam Tameling, 9, dances during the Lombard Elementary School District 44's Back-to-School Tailgate Friday at Glenn Westlake Middle School in Lombard. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
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