In the News - 2007

[doctorwho]

Article today from Herald:

( edited for just 204 items) link to full article attached

www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=101994&src=76

Tide shifts for Naperville, Lisle and Aurora in 2007
Published: 12/28/2007 12:07 AMSend To:


There is a place in eastern Canada called the Bay of Fundy. Its claim to fame is its wildly changing tides.

Walk to the shore at one point in the day and you can see boats bobbing in the water along the docks. Return a few hours later, when the tide has retreated, and the same boats are resting on the sea floor -- still tied to the very same docks.

That's what it was like this year in Naperville, Lisle and Aurora. The tide always seemed to be shifting, making it difficult to get your bearings.

One minute Indian Prairie Unit District 204 was making plans to break ground on its new high school, and in the blink of an eye no one knew where the school might be built, when it might be built or even if it will be built.

One minute Naperville City Manager Peter Burchard was singing the city's praises, the next he was hurriedly resigning.

One minute Naperville Councilman Richard Furstenau was being acquitted of a battery charge, and the next he was suing the very city he represents.

When the year started, Barbara Heller was heading Naperville Park District, Howard Crouse was superintendent of Indian Prairie and Peter Lueck was in charge of Lisle Unit District 202. By year's end, they were all either gone or leaving.

It was that kind of year. A year of change and uncertainty. A year of changing tides.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Metea Valley High School

A jury delivered a blow to Indian Prairie Unit District 204 in September when it decided the land where it wanted to build Metea Valley High School is worth $31 million -- double what the district anticipated.

The district already owns 25 acres at the site off Route 59, near 75th Street and Commons Drive, in Aurora and had hoped to purchase an additional 55 acres to build its third high school.

Officials say the additional school is necessary to relieve overcrowding at Neuqua and Waubonsie Valley high schools.

About a month after learning the verdict, the school board decided it cannot afford the property and began negotiating with several other landowners.

The school was supposed to open in fall 2009, but that no longer seems likely.


New boss in District 204

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 leadership changed hands this year as Howard Crouse retired as superintendent in June. The school board chose Stephen Daeschner as his replacement.

Daeschner's resume includes 41 years in education, including the past 14 years at the helm of Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Ky., where he oversaw about 98,000 students and was named the state's Superintendent of the Year in 2006.

At Crouse's final meeting in June, the school board voted to name the district's administration officers after him as a tribute to his 26 years in the district.



Peterson opens

The doors to Peterson Elementary School in Naperville finally opened in August.

The $11 million building sat empty for a year when development in the area lagged. However, the school board decided to move students from Wheatland Elementary into the new facility this year.

Wheatland, the oldest and smallest of the district's schools, became a space for early childhood education and storage.

The new school is named after Danielle-Joy Peterson, who attended District 204 schools and went on to work for the district's human resources department. After battling cystic fibrosis and rheumatoid arthritis for much of her life, she died in 2002 at the age of 22.

[Arch]

Wow, I was clueless about the naming of Peterson Elementary until reading that.

[doctorwho]

archwinsome said:

Wow, I was clueless about the naming of Peterson Elementary until reading that.

Have to admit, I did not know that either.

[slp]

I understand that her Mother was in attendance on the first day of classes this year and welcomed kids to the school. I have heard from several people what a fine young lady Ms. Peterson was.

[we4]

slp said:

I understand that her Mother was in attendance on the first day of classes this year and welcomed kids to the school. I have heard from several people what a fine young lady Ms. Peterson was.

There was an article in one of the papers about her mother and I think father also, but not sure about that, were at the first day of school.

[gatormom]

Here is one of the articles.

'I learned so much from that beautiful young lady'
Peterson Elementary remembers its namesake on first day of school

August 28, 2007
By BRITT CARSON Staff writer

Ben and Ann Peterson beamed with pride Monday as they stood alongside parents taking pictures and greeting students at the first day of school at the new Peterson Elementary School.

The Petersons cherished every hug and high-five they received from students filing off the buses. At the same time, many of the smiling faces stirred vivid memories of their daughter, Danielle-Joy Peterson, for whom the school is named.

"Seeing her name on the sign for the first time was more emotional than seeing the building," said Ann Peterson. "I can visualize her in the hallways, zipping up and down beeping the horn on her wheelchair."

Danielle-Joy Peterson was Ann Peterson's daughter. "We can just feel (Danielle-Joy) so much here," Ann Peterson said. "You can just kind of see her in (the children)."

The Petersons were touched when the new elementary school in south Naperville was named after their daughter, an animal lover and product of Indian Prairie School District 204 schools. Danielle-Joy Peterson was 22 years old when she died in 2002 after a courageous battle with cystic fibrosis.


A new start


Ann Peterson arrived at the school about 7:30 a.m. so she and her husband could be ready to greet the first children off the bus later that morning. Ben Peterson was poised by the front entrance to the school, video camera rolling, capturing the excitement of the first day.

"Her presence is here," Ann Peterson said. "The enthusiasm, the energy is evident in the faculty and staff. I hope the kids feel the positive vibe too."

The road to the opening of Peterson has been a bit rocky. The school was originally slated to open in the fall of 2006 to handle growth from the Ashwood development next door. However, the school, which was built with a state construction grant, sat empty for a year due to the slow development of Ashwood.

In 2006, the school board voted to send the entire staff and students from nearby Wheatland Elementary School to Peterson. Although the move was met with initial protest from some parents, on Monday, students and parents were all smiles at the new 850-student building.


Part of the family


Rudy Bacani held back tears and took pictures as she said goodbye to her first-grader Max and fourth-grader Cole.
"It's a little heartbreaking to send him (Max) off for a full day this year," she said.

However, the Bacani family was excited to see the Petersons on hand.

"I think it is wonderful that she (Ann) is here," Bacani said. "We already learned about Danielle and I told the kids she loved animals and they do too so that was a neat connection for them. The kids are so excited." Ann Peterson started volunteering at Wheatland in November. This summer, she was a regular at Peterson as the final touches were put on the building.

"This is more than just a school named after somebody, it is named after our daughter," Ann Peterson said.

Peterson Principal Terri Russell said the first day went smoothly.

"I am so thankful the Petersons are a part of this," she said. "They are the Peterson family and that is what we are all about."

Danielle-Joy Peterson attended Clow Elementary School, Gregory Middle School and graduated from Waubonsie Valley High School. She went on to work at what is now the Crouse Education Center from 1997 until she died in 2002. The day before she died, Danielle insisted on going to work.

"Parents should never doubt their children's aspirations," Ben Peterson said. "I learned so much from that beautiful young lady, my daughter."