Superintendent: senior incentive trip, creative-arts scholarships and band trip to New Orleans were successful

Superintendent Abdullah Hyde reported to the Oak Park Board of Education on March 10 that the district recently held a senior incentive trip, that several students won scholarships at an advertising conference, and that the Oak Park band returned from a trip to New Orleans where students drew positive interest from college band directors.

"We had a successful senior incentive trip where over a hundred students qualified for an incentive based on attendance, grades, and behavior," Hyde said. He described the trip as an all-expenses-paid incentive tied to attendance, grades and behavior; more than half of the graduating class qualified, he said.

Hyde also noted that the district's creative-art instructor took students to an advertising conference and that three students qualified for scholarships on the spot. "For 3 of our seniors to... get scholarships, it was a huge success," he said.

Band director Akins (present at the meeting) gave a brief overview and said the band participated in parades and on-campus visits that drew positive recruitment interest; Hyde said college band directors approached Oak Park students with scholarship offers during the trip.

Hyde said he expected some reimbursement checks from the trip and that staff plan to return with a more detailed report at a future board meeting covering scholarship recipients and financial details. Trustees asked to schedule a fuller presentation that would include which students received scholarships and what colleges made offers.

The board did not take formal action during the superintendent's report; Hyde asked to return with a comprehensive item on a later agenda.