Urbana Board of Education seeks to fill open board seat

URBANA - The Urbana Board of Education #116 is taking applications to replace former member Dr. Ravi Hasanadka, who resigned at the Feb. 26 special board meeting. The prospective board member must live in Illinois and Sub-District #2 for at least one year to be eligible. The individual appointed to the seat will serve until April 2025.

The sub-district primarily includes the areas surrounding Urbana High School and Blair Park in Urbana.

"Applicants should show familiarity with the Board’s policies regarding general duties and responsibilities of a School Board and a School Board member, including fiduciary responsibilities, conflict of interest, ethics, and gift ban. The Board’s policies are available on the USD #116 website," says a press release released today.

Candidates for the position are required to complete a statement of interest, submit a current resume, and a letter that addresses their reasons for wanting to serve on the district school board. Applications materials should be placed in a sealed envelope to the attention of School Board President Paul Poulosky by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 at 1101 E. University in Urbana. Application materials can be submitted via email to Board Recording Secretary, Lori Johnson at lajohnson@usd116.org.

Follow this link for more information.


Attention consolidated election candidates

Are you running for a seat on your village board of trustees, an open or contested spot on your school board, or a position on the county board?

The Sentinel is currently welcoming Letters to the Editor from area candidates in Urbana, St. Joseph, Tolono, Ogden, Philo, Sidney, Royal, Ivesdale, and Pesotum who are running for office in the upcoming consolidated election.

Tell us and our readers, in 1,200 words or less, which office you are running for and why. Explain what you hope to accomplish or fix during your tenure, and, of course, why you are the right person to serve them and your community. Submissions that have an axe to grind, threats, senseless tirades, or self-serving advocacy in nature will not be considered for publication.

Please include in your cover email a short note containing your name, address, and daytime/cell phone number. An editor will contact the authors for all submissions prior to publishing to verify that you submitted the letter we have received. A short biography, two sentences at most, to run at the end of your letter would be appreciated but not mandatory.

The deadline for your submission so it is published ahead of Tuesday's election is noon on Thursday, March 30. Email your Letter to the Editor submission to editor@oursentinel.com.

Urbana Board of Education to hold special meeting on Tuesday

URBANA -- The Urbana District #116 Board of Education will hold a special meeting in the Board Room at 205 North Race Street in Urbana on Tuesday, March 29, at 7:30pm. The agenda includes four key topics for discussion with three related to the school's mask policy and Covid-19 mitigation.

The Board will hear a presentation from Dr. Ivory-Tatum, who will revisit previous discussions on the masking and metrics for the district. An updated or modified return-to-school plan will also be discussed.

The meeting will be live-streamed on YouTube here.

Members of the public can participate during the Public Comment portion of the meeting in person or by emailing their public comments to publiccomment@usd116.org by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. A district administrator or board member will read comments submitted by email.

Meeting attendees are required to wear a mask. The Urbana School District currently follows a universal indoor masking policy. All students, teachers, staff, and visitors are required to comply with the policy, regardless of their vaccination status.

If you forget to bring a mask, lose it on your way into the building, or do not have one, a mask will be provided and must be worn during the meeting.

SJO Hall of Fame welcomes Stan Harper

Stan Harper inducted into SJO Hall of Fame
Stan Harper receives his Hall of Fame plaque from St. Joseph-Ogden superintendent Brian Brooks during halftime during the Spartans' home football game against Central Catholic. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Stan Harper was one of four individuals inducted into the St. Joseph-Ogden Athletic Hall of Fame at Friday's Homecoming game Bloomington Central Catholic. He is joined by Dick Duval, Kelly Duitsman Hunt, and Keith Sjuts in the Class of 2021 inductees.

Harper earned nine varsity letters as a student at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. After graduating from the University of Illinois, he went on to serve his community as president of the Ogden-Royal Fire Protection District and president of the Prairieview-Ogden school board.

Learn more about Harper's contributions and accomplishments in his bio below.



Biography

Stan Harper is a 1973 graduate of St. Joseph-Ogden High School. In high school, Stan was a member of the National Honor Society. He also earned 9 varsity letters; 3 in basketball, 3 in football, and 3 in track.

After high school, Stan graduated from the University of Illinois in 1977 with a major in Agriculture Industry. He has been farming the Harper family farm since 1977.

For 22 years, he was a Trustee of the Ogden-Royal Fire Protection District and was President of that district for 17 years. He was also a member and the President of the PVO School Board for 22 years. For 9 years, he was a member and the President of the Illinois Shorthorn Association. He was an SJO Golf Outing chairman for 10 years, and he ran the clock/scoreboard for SJO boys basketball for 16 years.

Currently, he is serving his 9th year on the Champaign County Board.

Stan has been married to his wife Sandy for 41 years. Their son Michael and daughter Laura are both SJO graduates. Michael, his wife Samantha and their son Max live in Royal. Laura, her husband Mitch and their children, Shane and Jillian live near Flatville.



* Biography provided courtesy of St. Joseph-Ogden High School

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Reaching more than 500 readers a day, The Sentinel is mission is to keep people we care about informed by sharing local news and views to the readers in the communities we serve. We encourage village board and committees, school superintendents, and local organizations in the six villages we cover to send us your press releases, latest news and special event announcements.

To the village government and civic organizations who have put us on your contact list, thank you and keep the news coming. To the schools that have proudly send us honor roll and National Honor Society announcements, a high-five.

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