News | Mechanics Grove

School spirit wins at MG's Spelling Bee

Jan 17, 2025

On their way to the gymnasium for the Mechanic’s Grove Spelling Bee on Jan. 14, a group of third graders were asked if they were participating in the event. “Yes, we are,” one answered. “We’re just not spelling.” While just 28 of MG’s 486 students competed in the Bee, all the students played a role in helping turn the traditional event into a spirited contest with an exciting finish.

Young cancer patient trades balloon art for smiles

Nov 15, 2024

There’s nothing that 12-year-old Misheel enjoys more than seeing other people smile. It makes her smile - and giggle. So when she found herself battling cancer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the seventh-grader from Springman Middle School in Glenview began making balloon art for others. Misheel told her story to students at Mechanics Grove School Friday morning as a special guest of Principal Tanya Fergus.

First-time apple event both healthy and fun

Oct 18, 2024

Mechanics Grove 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.

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.

High School Spanish students visit elementary dual language classroom

A few years ago, when David Martinez Sanchez was a student at Mechanics Grove, he remembers being nervous when high school students visited as part of a Spanish Pen Pal program. On Wednesday, the Mundelein High School sophomore was back at MG, this time to visit his fifth-grade pen pal.

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.

D75 libraries work together to update book collection

School libraries these days, often called multimedia centers, and are equipped with computers, video screens, art supplies and games. But amidst all the new gadgets and high-tech equipment are books. Shelves and shelves of books.

Jill Unger, Ryan Zak and Dr. Laura Ascenzi Moreno pose near a stack of books.

Bringing a new mindset to assessing dual language students

A teacher slowly crouches next to a young student who just finished reading a short book. The student’s home language is Spanish and he’s just beginning to read English text. The teacher asks, in English, what the book is about. The child looks up, hesitates and tries to find the right words to describe what he has just read. But he struggles to explain what he’s thinking. Gently, she asks him to answer in Spanish. His answer is short, but telling.

MG welcomes five new staff members

MG welcomes five new staff members this year. They are: Kathryn Frank; Heather Hoftizer; Lisa Kubiak; Oralia Campos and Claudia Brownlie.

MG students stick to reading, principal sticks to wall