Cary Dist. 26 students adjust to new realities

More than 11,000 students returned to class in Cary District 26 and Huntley District 158 schools today, beginning their adjustment to a new, more Spartan reality that reflects ongoing budget difficulties in many Illinois schools.

Principals, teachers and students are finding ways to adapt to the changes in Cary schools, which have been among the hardest hit by the double whammy of the state's budget crisis and years of deficit spending.

Students in District 26 this year won't have art, music or gym classes.

Thom Gippert, principal of Deer Path School, has had a unique vantage point, working at Oak Knoll School before it closed and most recently leading Maplewood School before it shut its doors in June.

"I really don't know any of the students at all. I'm looking forward to getting to know the kids as much as I can," Gippert said. "If things change, we'll be flexible and change with them."

District 158, meanwhile, will witness the continued expansion of its Chinese language program this year, adding a fourth year of Mandarin. About 45 students are enrolled in fourth-year Chinese alone, according to the district.

"Every year, we're adding a new level," Chief Academic Officer Mary Olson said. "It means we're retaining kids."

This year, students in Huntley-area schools return to updated middle school technology curriculum, new elementary music materials and a new playground at Leggee Elementary School geared toward kids with autism.

Those changes are only the beginning. District 158 educators will work throughout the year to implement more than 500 new literacy standards recently adopted by the state and to build on recent gains the district has made on the ACT and other standardized tests.