Winning a conference championship is no easy feat.

But at Unity Junior High School, athletes from the school's volleyball, softball and soccer teams make such an accomplishment seem easy after all three were named No. 1 following conference play this past week.

Students, staff and parents at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School gathered at the school Thursday, May 16 for the community's annual End of Year Carnival.

This month, Cicero District 99 recognized two teachers from Daniel Burnham Elementary School, Angela Caravetta and Evelyn Sanchez, for making a difference in the communities they grew up in.

On Tuesday, May 14, seventh-grade students from Unity Junior High School were inducted into the National Elementary Honor Society (NJHS). New students were initiated into the chapter by eighth-grade members for showcasing responsibility, service and leadership skills as students.

To showcase the musical growth of district band students and entertain Cicero families, the beginning, intermediate and advanced bands performed in their annual Spring Band Concert on Thursday, May 9.

To celebrate the special bond between children and the mother figures in their lives, Abraham Lincoln Elementary School hosted a Mother's Day Dance on Thursday, May 9. At the afternoon program, students brought the special women in their lives to school for an afternoon of dancing, photo booth photo shoots, snacks and laughs.

This past Saturday, Cicero District 99 students and staff teamed up with Cicero Town President Larry Dominick, Town Assessor Emilio Cundari and other Cicero business partners and educators for the Town's annual spring cleanup week.

Teachers educate, encourage and inspire their students each and every day, and this week in District 99, students from each school shared messages of gratitude for their teachers in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week.

Teachers — thank you for your hard work! In Cicero, it does not go unnoticed!

On May 8, Cicero District 99 and the Cicero Council hosted a special Route 66-themed banquet for 30 district staff members that are retiring at the end of the school year at Crystal Sky Banquets in McCook.

Retirees include a mix of teachers, administrators, custodians, secretaries, bus drivers, nurses and program assistants. Combined, these individuals have dedicated more than 450 years of providing educational services to the Cicero community.

Though some students may be anxious for the end of the school year, the children at Warren Park Elementary School continue sharpening their reading and writing skills throughout the month, as the school has designated May as Young Author's Month.

Along with creating short stories in their classrooms, students of all grade levels have been invited to hear from professionally published authors during small assemblies throughout the week of Monday-Friday, May 6-10.

Students, parents and staff members of Liberty Elementary School stuck around campus after the end of the school day on Friday, May 3 for the school's annual Lollapalooza event. The program featured games, raffle prizes, live music and a chance for families to mingle with their kids' educators for an afternoon and celebrate the end of the school year.

On Thursday, May 2, parent volunteers worked alongside the staff at Woodbine Elementary School to host the school's first Dia del Niño (Day of the Child) Fest, celebrating the cultural significance of children in the school's Mexican-American community.

Along with taking turns at striking piñatas, students and their families enjoyed snacks, carnival games, dancing and martial arts performances by other area children.

To help spread awareness to the water crisis happening around the world, District 99 students and staff came together, in partnership with the WE organization, to raise funds to provide clean water for Kenya on Saturday, April 29 during a Walk For Water at Unity Junior High School.

On Monday, April 29, the Cicero District 99 Board Of Education held a special meeting to reorganize roles and swear in newly elected officials.

To showcase its passion for honoring students' Mexican heritage, embracing English/Spanish biliteracy and demonstrating culture as a tool for strengthening family communities, Cicero District 99 teamed up with the Town of Cicero and Cicero Mexican Cultural Committee to host its first district-wide Dia del Niño, or Day of the Child, event Tuesday, April 30 at Unity Junior High School.

Sixty students from grades 2 through 8 were recognized at Cicero District 99's annual Outstanding Student Awards reception Wednesday, May 1 at Unity Junior High School.

Students nominated were selected by their teachers for school volunteerism and community service; proven classroom leadership; display of the Positive Behavior System characteristics of being respectful, responsible and safe; and excellent attendance.

Joelle Charbonneau, a New York Times bestselling author, spent the morning with seventh- and eighth-graders at Unity Junior High School on Thursday, April 25, sharing everything from insight into the writing process, where she draws inspiration from and the long journey she took to becoming a successful author.

Parents of students at Drexel Elementary School spent the afternoon with their children in the classroom on Friday, April 26, working through complicated math equations and playing math games.

For Unity Junior High School science teacher Michelle Smith, the best part about the school's annual STEM Night is the fact that students willingly come back to campus in the afternoon to engage with the science curriculum.

"Out of all events, this has one of the best turnouts at Unity, and students are here for fun, not for extra credit," she said.

On Tuesday, April 23, Liberty Elementary School service club members went over to the Cicero Senior Center to play cards, look at old family photos and share stories.

Unity Junior High School administrators recognized seventh- and eighth-grade students who achieved straight A's for the third quarter of the academic year with a special breakfast and recognition ceremony for them and their families on Wednesday, April 17 in the Commons.

Additionally, students who received straight A's for the first three quarters were awarded with two tickets to an upcoming Chicago White Sox game.

If you ask John Gervase what his least favorite thing to do as a kid was, chances are, he'll say reading.

"I avoided it," he said.

But, decades later, the Burr Ridge resident's outlook on reading has made a complete 360 — all following a charity event seven years ago when Gervase learned how many children in America lack quality access to books, negatively impacting literacy rates.