This weekend was the State track & field meet in East Peoria and Westview had three runners competing!
On Friday, George Z was the first to compete in the 8th grade boys 400 meter run. George finished in tenth place and ran his fastest time ever of 54.27 seconds.
Santiago L competed next in the 7th grade mile run. He ran his fastest time ever of 5 minutes and 1 second and finished in fifth place. Santi earned an all state medal for his performance!
On Saturday, Kasper competed in the 7th grade boys 800 meter run. Kasper also ran his fastest time ever of 2 minutes and 21 seconds while finishing in twelfth place.
Qualifying for the state meet is a huge accomplishment and all three runners running their best times ever on a hot weekend was very impressive. Way to represent Westview in such a positive way!
There’s still time left in the school year for Ask An 8th Grader!
Darian G credits his time in Maercker D60 for some wonderful friendships and cites Ms. Pervan as his favorite teacher. He looks forward to starting high school at Downers Grove North and wants a future focused on helping people. His advice for current middle school students is simple: “Do your homework!”
Let’s check in with another former Wildcat who is a member of the Class of 2024!
Marko Ivanisevic is graduating from Hinsdale Central High School and will be attending the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign where he will be joining the wrestling team and has been awarded the Chick Evans Scholarship for Caddies. Great job Marko!
Email d60communications@maercker.org if you would like your Class of 2024 student featured!
Make no bones about it, students at Maercker got to compare skulls and skeletons from different animals in science during a comparison walk! #d60learns
Fifth grade band students did an amazing job at their Spring Concert! Thanks to all who came out to support our talented students! #d60learns
Our eighth graders are probably counting down the days to the end of their middle school years, but we love hearing from them! Today’s Ask and 8th Grader features Jinhua Z who will be attending Hinsdale Central next year and wants to pursue a career as a first responder. He says his favorite teacher is Mrs. Lathrop because she gave him the chance to give tours to new students who then became good friends.
His advice for future Westview Hills students is simple and meaningful. Jinhua says, “Don't be scared and have fun.”
It’s time for another Ask an 8th Grader!
Aman S shared that his favorite teacher at D60 was first grade teacher Mrs. Yopchick and his favorite subject is recess!
He also shared a great list of advice for future Westview Hills students:
1. Be kind to everyone
2. Be careful with what you say
3. Don’t take things personally
4. You don’t have to be friends with everybody
5. Find your tribe/group of friends
6. Grades aren’t everything, so don’t stress too much about them, but don’t forget them
7. Work hard and persevere!
Last week, Principal Kassir got demoted for a day while Meera took over as Principal for the Day at Holmes. She did a fantastic job and took care of business! #d60learns
Families and students are invited to come to view all the great work done by Maercker students in Fine Arts and STEM on Thursday, May 16 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Students will also be able to kick-start their summer reading with the Book Fair and can hear from Indian Prairie Public Library about their summer program!
Ask an Eighth Grader: What are your best memories of your time in D60?
Emily M said: “There is more than just one memory from my time in the district, but some of the best memories came from my time in Scholastic Bowl with the team and Mrs. Lathrop!”
What advice do you have for future Westview Hills students?
Emily shared: “There is so much advice that I would love to give to incoming Westview Hills students. I want to start by saying that there is nothing wrong with being scared or nervous because starting middle school is kind of a big change. If there is one thing I know is that the teachers are all going to be really supportive and kind. They will help guide you in anything you need help with, and they will make sure that you are comfortable. There are many adults in the building that you can count on such as the social workers-Mrs. Yackle and Mrs, Hans- your teachers, and Mr. Meehan and Dr. Scott. It may be scary to start because it's a big school with a lot of people, but I can assure you that the Westview Hills community created by the students and staff is really welcoming and helpful, so please don't hesitate to ask for help. I also want to say that you will be successful in school if you really try your best and put your effort in. Change is always going to be scary, but that doesn't mean that you should let that block your path of having a great school year. Try to join clubs and sports! They will help you interact with people of other grade levels and you will get to know more teachers. Once you begin your school year, you will realize that it isn't as hard as it seems.”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! We checked in with Director of Student Services Maureen Kidd about the resources provided in Maercker D60 to support the mental health needs of our students. https://www.maercker.org/article/1589964
Students at Westview sent over 70 letters to a children’s home in Haiti called Be Like Brit. We are so proud of our students for taking the time to write to children in another country! #d60learns
It’s time for a new feature here at Maercker D60, “Ask an Eighth Grader!”
We checked in with a few of our soon-to-be high schoolers about their time in our district about their best memories of their time so far.
Steven S says, “everything that has happened at Maercker District 60 has left an impact on me one way or another so all of them come together to shape me who I am today. The biggest one would be when I joined cross country and track. Those have shaped me into what type of athlete I am today.”
His advice for future Westview HIlls students?
“For them not to be scared because you get more freedom, but with that freedom you do have more responsibilities to take care of,” said Steven. “School isn't all about learning and if you add some fun to it you'll be more than fine, but the priority is doing your school work!”
It’s time again to check in on some of our former Wildcats as they prepare to graduate from high school!
Austin Eldridge is graduating from Hinsdale Central and will be attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for music performance where he received a scholarship for French Horn performance. Austin is playing a horn concerto with the Hinsdale Central Philharmonic Orchestra on May 14 and is finishing his time with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra with a concert at Orchestra Hall on May 19. Way to go Austin!
Last week was the Illinois Principals’ Association Awards Breakfast which recognizes outstanding eighth graders from across the state for their strong academics, leadership skills, service and dedication to others, and consistently following the school’s expectations. Congratulations to Colin Vavra and Diya Patel from Westview who were honored! #d60learns
A huge shout out to the amazing teacher volunteers at Holmes, led by Mrs. Blake, for organizing the launch of One Book, One School last week! #d60learns #d60reads
There have been some amazing cards shared for Staff Appreciation Week! You can still send a personalized digital card to show some gratitude to the amazing D60 team. Get the details at the link: https://www.maercker.org/article/1583173
Wednesday, May 8 is School Nurse Day! Thank you to the amazing team of professionals who work so hard every day to make sure our students are feeling well and ready do their best!
Westview Hills hosted the oboe and bassoon professors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to work with our double reed students. What a great opportunity! #d60learns
Students at Maercker partnered with Media Technology Specialist Stephanie Walker to gather research for their science project. They researched biomes utilizing a variety of resources including books and online research and were able to explore using Virtual Reality!
