Personnel and students from Danville District 118’s Kenneth D Bailey Academy spoke during Wednesday (Sept 25th) evening’s school board meeting about their involvement in the Youth Participatory Action Research Program, also known as Y-PAR. This program sprouted from the academy’s involvement with the U of I Extension program. Following the presentation by teacher Libby Schnepel, Assistant Principal Jamie Skovran explained further.
AUDIO: About six years ago the U of I approached us about doing some gardening, partnering with gardening. But not just gardening where they came into the classrooms; and they taught kids about soil and about different kinds of plants. And so we tied it to our science curriculum; and from that, other different parts of the U of I started talking to each other. And we have now the Science Department hooking up with us, the Agricultural Department, the 4-H.
The students involved in this program have taken trips to Springfield, as well as Washington, D.C. with separate groups the past two summers through 4-H. Student Krissa Sims says, this program has given her a new outlook.
AUDIO: It’s boosted my self-confidence a lot. I’m able to, partially, speak in public now; and stuff like this like interviews and stuff. I would not be able to do this without something like Y-Par.
Principal Mitzi Campbell says, once Kenneth D. Bailey Academy expands to students younger than seventh grade someday, they hope to get younger students involved in Y-PAR as well
AUDIO: We look forward to expanding. Currently we service 7th through 12th grade, and the plan is to service 5th through 12th in the very near future.
By the way, while academy students have been taking their classes at the Carle building at 2300 North Vermilion, now rented by the district, so far this school year, while some work at the academy building is being finished; the plan is to have the students back in the academy building after fall break in October.
Meanwhile, by a 5-0 vote, with Board President Dr. Randall Ashton and Elder Tyson Parks absent; the board approved the new budget for the 2024-25 school year. It comes in as a deficit budget, with expenditures estimated in the $106 million range and revenues estimated in the $101 million range. But as Director of Finance Narcissus Rankin explained to be board, district savings will be used to help even things out. And as Superintendent Dr. Alicia Geddis explained, there are still a lot of factors up in the air for this school year, such as what bids will actually go out for the planned work at the now district rented Carle building on North Vermilion
AUDIO: With the change that we’ve had to make, because it now houses KDBA, until they can go back to their building; we haven’t made the decisions that we would normally have made already; about the future plans for it and what we’re going to do and what construction pieces we will handle.
The district’s three major plans for the Carle building call for early childhood Pre-K services, additional space for alternative programs, and a daycare for District 118 employees. But with Kenneth D. Bailey Academy students having to use it for the first part of this school year, the overall process has been forced to slow down.
