On Oct. 24, students and staff across District 99 celebrated Unity Day, showcasing the District's dedication to kick bullying to the curb.

Though Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a celebration in remembrance of loved ones who have passed, Cicero District 99 wanted to remind its community that the holiday is also one of thankfulness for the gift of life — and those who give their lives to help save the lives of others.

For generations, the people of Mexico have honored the memory of their family and friends through Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos — a celebration during the first few days of November which includes decorating sugar skulls (calaveras), creating an altar (ofrenda) of photos, mementos and favorite foods of the deceased, and time set aside for prayer.

To honor Cicero students' predominantly Mexican culture with art, history and Cicero District 99 values, the District hosted a Day of the Dead celebration Saturday, Nov. 3 at Unity Junior High School.

Over the past few years, Cicero District 99 has placed heavy emphasis on bringing its students and staff up to speed on the latest, most innovative programs and technologies for learning and instruction. So to showcase its progress with educational technology and assist other school districts in achieving their technology goals, District 99 hosted a Lunch and Learn program on Oct. 26 at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School.

In Cicero District 99, administrators and staff place great emphasis on holistically supporting Cicero students and catapulting learning initiatives into the 21st century. Students already utilize one-to-one technology in the classroom, and teachers place priority on incorporating STEAM lessons into their curricula.

Though the District provides plentiful access to various technological and classroom support resources, it does not change the fact that many students who come from low-income homes may not have the same opportunity to continually support their school supply needs.

Instead of hosting just an ordinary elementary school Halloween party, staff at Woodbine Elementary School decided to kick things up a notch and make this year's celebration part educational, part community service.

When the Cicero District 99 athletics department decided to introduce an interscholastic cross country program for boys and girls over the summer, they probably had no idea how successful the teams' inaugural year would prove to be.

At Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, gone are the days of mundane book reports where students simply regurgitate facts from an assigned book and write a page-long report on the theme of the story.

The brand-new doors at Sherlock Elementary School may be months from opening for the first time, but that didn't stop members of the Cicero District 99 administrative team and the Town of Cicero at the school's reconstruction site in the 5300 block of 22nd Place earlier this week to witness a historic moment for the District.

Even though Halloween is still a few weeks away, teachers, students and families from Woodrow Wilson Elementary School came together to celebrate the season with party games, costumes and snacks Wednesday, Oct. 17 at the school's first Fall Carnival event.

This past Friday, Oct. 12, hundreds of local parents and community members packed the first floor of Unity Junior High, 2115 S. 54th Ave., during Cicero District 99's popular biannual community education program, Parent University.

Members of the Cicero District 99 community gathered for the 50th annual Houby Day celebration in Cicero and Berwyn.

Watch our short video recap here:

This month, Cicero District 99 recognized administrator Jennifer O'Connor and district technology staffer David Nunez for making a difference in the communities they grew up in.

In Cicero District 99, the district motto of "Igniting the road to excellence" is not taken lightly.

So, when kindergarten teachers from across the district learned of the opportunity to ignite a spark of innovation in their students, they immediately jumped at the chance to hear more about it.

From Sept. 5-27, the 16 schools across Cicero District 99 opened their halls up to students and their families to spend an evening mingling with faculty and discovering the lessons learned behind the classroom walls every day.

For nearly 10 years, adults from the greater Cicero area have flocked to one of Cicero District 99's school buildings each fall and spring to attend the popular Parent University program — an initiative developed to connect local parents with guest speakers and provide educational resources to help bridge the gap between socioeconomic barriers and academic success.

To demonstrate strong partnership with both the Town of Cicero and families across the community, dozens of administrators, teachers and staff from throughout Cicero District 99 turned out for Cicero's annual Mexican Independence Day celebrations, held this year from Sept. 13-16.

To demonstrate unique classroom activities and lessons learned thus far in the new school year to the Cicero District 99 board of education and superintendent, students and faculty supervisors from two District schools delivered special presentations at the board's regular meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at McKinley Elementary School.