News | Carl Sandburg

CSMS Symphonic Band qualifies for SuperState

Several years ago, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Carl Sandburg students were forced to choose their first musical instruments in the school parking lot. Despite those humble beginnings, these current eighth-grade students have accomplished something not done at the school in the past 25 years: The 8th Grade Symphonic Band will perform at the University of Illinois Bands’ 2025 SuperState Concert Band Festival in May.

Sixth-graders enjoy "March Mathness" at Carl Sandburg

Mar 21, 2025

March Madness “brackets” originally referred to the groupings of teams in the NCAA basketball tournament. But eventually, people began making brackets for their favorite movies, songs or books. Now, brackets have crossed over into the world of mathematics, as small teams of Carl Sandburg sixth-graders compete in their own tournament. Let’s just call it “March Mathness.”

Mundelein school boards name next superintendent

Feb 19, 2025

School Boards from both Mundelein School Districts 75 and 120 on Tuesday named Dr. Corey Tafoya as the next superintendent to lead within its shared services model. Tafoya, currently the Superintendent of Harvard Community Unit School District 50, will take over the leadership of retiring Mundelein Superintendent Dr. Kevin Myers beginning on July 1.

CSMS students qualify for ILMEA bands

Oct 18, 2024

Six Carl Sandburg eighth graders qualified for the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA), making it the largest number of CSMS students ever selected for this prestigious honor. The students, Justin Carvalho, Stella Hunter, Kimberlyn Diaz, Noah Jarrett, Cami Plohr and Cassidy Langford, were selected from among hundreds of middle school musicians in the Lake County area. Only a handful qualified based on their audition scores.

First-time apple event both healthy and fun

Oct 18, 2024

Carl Sandburg students voted with their teeth when it came time to choose their favorite tasting apples. The choices were simple: green or red. The tasting was part of the Illinois Great Apple Crunch, an initiative of the Illinois Farm to School Network, brought to District 75 schools in October by the D75 Wellness Committee with support from the D75 PTO. The D75 Wellness Committee purchased local apples for the event from Goebbert's Farm & Garden Center.

"Lost Boys" present a lesson in overcoming hardship

Feb 06, 2024

The two men stood in front of sixth and seventh-graders, tall and smartly dressed, wearing brightly colored blazers. It was hard to imagine them as skinny 10-year-old refugees escaping war-torn Sudan. Yet here they were, two of the Lost Boys of Sudan, nearly 40 years after their lives were turned upside down by war, speaking to students at Carl Sandburg Middle School on Tuesday morning. Their positive message was accented by their smiles.

MHS senior creates backdrop for middle school musical

Jan 31, 2024

When Carl Sandburg Band Director Moulee Gupta was searching for a backdrop for the school’s annual musical, “Descendants,” she hoped to find something special to match the enthusiasm her students were putting into the show. “It was just about finding the right people to make the magic come alive,” she said.

D75 dual language teachers serve as a model for visiting educators

Dec 20, 2023

During the past few months, educators from school districts in Lake County and beyond have visited Mundelein schools to learn about best practices for teaching bilingual education. District 75 has become a model dual language district. In October, D75 hosted teachers and administrators from McHenry and North Chicago and showed them how it teaches bilingualism and biliteracy to students from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Author's message of kindness helps turn D75 readers into empathetic writers

In a special visit to District 75, Children’s author Trudy Ludwig used her book, “The Invisible Boy,” to inspire elementary students to be kind, inclusive and accepting. Then she invited middle school students to continue spreading her message by creating their own picture books.

Eighth-grade blogger becomes keynote speaker

A lot of middle school students struggled with remote learning during the pandemic. But only Carl Sandburg eighth-grader Kennedy Gallagher wrote a blog about it.