For the second year in a row, the members of Unity Junior High School's Special Olympics basketball team can call themselves state champions, as the team won the state title early on Saturday, March 16 at the Horton Fieldhouse at Illinois State University in Normal, Ill.

To showcase a combined effort in ensuring students feel appreciated and thought of, sixth-graders from Warren Park Elementary School hopped onto school buses and headed over to Unity Junior High School on Friday, March 15, for a short Exchange of Kindness program, creating messages of affirmation on sticky notes on the windows of both the east and west cafeterias.

In celebration of Pi Day on Thursday, March 14, Unity Junior High School students who had enough positive behavior support (PBS) HERO points were eligible to enter their names into raffles during their lunch periods to throw a pie into the face of select teachers and administrators.

Parents from Cicero East Elementary School met up in the school's gymnasium for a friendly competition against one another Wednesday, March 6 during the school's Battle of the Books event.

To showcase the fun of combining dual language literacy skills and multiculturalism, Columbus East and Columbus West elementary schools joined forces Tuesday, March 5 for Camp Read-A-Lot, a family evening event at Columbus West which featured s'mores treats, crafts and an interactive bilingual storytime with Mama Edie Armstrong, who shared stories of Latin America and Africa with interactive stories and song.

Parents: Summer school invitations have been sent home with students all week. Look out for the flyer in your child's take-home folder.

This year's summer school dates are Monday, June 10-Wednesday, July 3.

Tuesday, March 5 marked quite the experience for District 99 students who were a part of Inner City Education (ICE) Program this winter as they were able to join students across Chicagoland as special VIP guests at Chicago Blackhawks player Brent Seabrook's 11th annual Celebrity ICE Bowl at Lucky Strike bowling alley in downtown Chicago.

To celebrate the joys of reading and importance of literacy as a goal for students of all ages in Cicero District 99, the entire community at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School celebrated National Read Across America Day one day early on Friday, March 1.

Producing honey, pollinating flowers and giving a mean sting are probably the biggest ideas that come to mind when people think about bees.

But for a group of fifth-graders at Cicero East Elementary School, finding a newfound passion for bee conservation and researching the various ways to bring awareness to their survival has been all the buzz in the classroom for the last month.

Congratulations to Cicero resident and Cicero District 99 graduate Hector Freytas for making headlines a few towns over for being hired as Riverside Brookfield High School's first Hispanic principal.

Several individuals from Cicero District 99's faculty and board of education joined Town of Cicero trustees in serving meals and smiles to Cicero seniors Feb. 20 at the Town's annual Hearts and Shamrocks senior luncheon at the Cicero Senior Center, 5631 W. 35th St.

To kick off the 10th season of its popular, high-energy family outreach event, Cicero District 99 will travel out of this world — literally — March 23 as it brings retired NASA astronaut Dr. Jose Hernandez to Parent University to help parents celebrate bilingual education and inspire students' future journeys into science, technology, engineering and math careers.

For some teachers, a goal of getting their students to experience an overwhelming amount of growth in regards to reading skills is no easy feat.

But for Cicero educator Marissa McDonald, not only has such a challenge been met with high personal success, but national recognition as well.

Like students across Cicero District 99, children at Cicero East and Cicero West elementary schools are guaranteed the opportunity to start each day with a free breakfast and refuel their bodies midday with a free lunch.

But for many of these students, the meals they are provided with during the school day may be the only times they are ensured to eat during the day. For those from families that struggle to purchase groceries or provide nutritious meals at home, skipping dinner and not eating until the next school day is their harsh reality.

Since 2015, Cicero District 99 has undergone a great transformation toward creating a 21st-century digital learning environment for all Cicero students.

So to both showcase its progress and demonstrate the strengths that come from solid education and corporate tech partnerships, District 99 hosted a free Education on Tour program with Google for Education and CDW-G Feb. 13 at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, inviting tech directors, educators and school leaders from across the are to spend the day learning from Google and discovering the latest digital resources for helping cultivate modern learning.

Administrators from each school across Cicero District 99 give their 2018-2019 mid-year updates on each of their buildings and campus happenings.

Students from each school in Cicero District 99 asked their teachers what they love most about their schools, just in time for Valentine's Day!

This month, Cicero District 99 recognized Dorene Cherry, Cicero District 99's accounts payable manager, and Laura Licea, a social worker at Liberty Elementary School, for making a difference in the communities they grew up in.

On Thursday, Feb. 7, students from across District 99 flocked to Unity Junior High School for the District's third annual Academic Showcase.

Growing up in Switzerland as the child of American missionaries, author L.B. Tillit was constantly reminded of everything that made her different — her trouble balancing German and English, her struggles with writing and grammar, her overall "Americanness."

But instead of letting those obstacles get in the way of her future, Tillit found a way to embrace her struggles through channeling her energy through teaching struggling, at-risk youth and writing books that urban teens could better identify with.

To demonstrate to Chicago-area youth the importance of perseverance through tenacity, former NFL and former No. 1 collegiate wide-receiver Kyle Prater stopped by Unity Junior High School on Wednesday, Feb. 6, speaking to students about chasing their dreams, no matter what obstacles come their way.

On Monday, Feb. 4, Cicero District 99 sixth-grade girls volleyball teams competed against one another in the annual intramural tournament.

On Friday, Feb. 1, more than 250 seventh- and eighth-graders from Unity Junior High School were honored with certificates and a family breakfast for achieving straight A's during the second semester.

Congratulations to all students for their demonstration of academic success in Cicero!

All Cicero District 99 schools will be OPEN tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 1.

Todas las escuelas de Cicero Distrito 99 estarán abiertas mañana, viernes, 1 de febrero.

For the second time this school year, Cicero District 99 has had the chance to celebrate being selected as a lucky recipient of school supply and other student donations from Enchanted Backpack, a Chicago-based charity which donates classroom goods to schools and students in predominantly lower-income neighborhoods.

Click the link to read the District's newsletter from happenings across District 99 during the first half of the 2018-2019 school year.

Ignite 99 — 2018 Fall Newsletter

During the week of Jan. 14-19, physical education teacher Lanette Wolford led students at McKinley Elementary School through a heart adventure challenge in which students maneuver through athletic obstacles arranged like the four chambers of the heart.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his legacy, this video features students from across District 99 sharing facts about King's life and legacy.

Students from the beginning, intermediate and advanced Cicero District 99 student bands provided an evening full of music entertainment Thursday, Jan. 17 during the District's annual winter band concert.

Congratulations to the Unity Junior High School Special Olympics basketball team on its regional championship at Oak Park and River Forest High School on Jan. 13.

The Tigers defeated teams from Proviso Township and Lincoln-Way Township to capture the crown.

When Cicero District 99 looks to forge a strong working relationship with an outside entity, it does so with the hopes of not only providing potential business and fiscal support to the District, but maintaining a connection complete with role model and mentorship opportunities.

That's why for the past 11 years, the District has been proud to call ExxonMobil a valued community partner for its monetary and personnel support towards various curriculum initiatives, including those within the STEAM curriculum.

When science is practiced in the real world, methods are learned and projects are completed through real-time observations and hands-on practice.

So, since seventh-grade students at Unity Junior High School are encouraged to actively learn their science curriculum practically through project-based learning, students had the opportunity to expand their practice this year through Project Lead The Way, a national, nonprofit project-based engineering initiative which develops STEM instruction for elementary through high-school age students.

This month, Cicero District 99 recognized Kristina Moreno, a first-grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, and Anel Sanchez, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Warren Park Elementary School, for making a difference in the communities they grew up in.

On Dec. 3, students across the district celebrated the State's 200th birthday by researching historic landmarks, politicians and events and showcasing their projects for their classmates to see.

For 524 students living on Cicero's northeast side, the joy of Christmas came a few days early this year as Santa Claus and his crew of local police and fire personnel and area Walmart employees flocked to Liberty Elementary School on Thursday, Dec. 20, bringing games, presents and smiles.

Throughout December, students, teachers and family members from across Cicero District 99 came to school to celebrate the holiday season with snacks, games, crafts and of course, music and song.

The members of the executive council in Cicero District 99 wish all of our families and staff members a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We can't wait to see everyone back at school in 2019!

In a proud display of community pride and Christmas spirit, Cicero District 99 partnered with the Town of Cicero and the Cicero Mexican Cultural Committee for its annual Cicero Christmas Posada celebration Friday, Dec. 14 at Cicero Stadium, 1909 S. Laramie Ave.

During the Cicero District 99 Board of Education's regular meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at Liberty Elementary School, several students were recognized by the District for their commitment to education and demonstrations of interactive learning.

Last month, Unity Junior High School was proud to announce three of its students were named recipients of the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund — a Chicago-area scholarship which grants area teens the finances necessary to attend a private or boarding school of their choice for high school.

Now, Unity has the pleasure of adding the names of four more eighth-graders to the coveted scholarship's list — Lisani Calderon, Mario Cortes, Monserrat Flores and Evelyn Salgado.

Parents of students at William McKinley Elementary School were invited for an afternoon of interactive math games and math lesson practice Friday, Dec. 14.