Valley View honors student athletes, announces Debbie Sikora Early Childhood Center naming

VALLEY VIEW, Ill. — The Valley View Community School District Board of Education set aside the June 16 meeting to recognize student-athletes and coaches from multiple district schools for state and regional athletic, academic and extracurricular accomplishments, and the board also approved a resolution naming the district’s Bolingbrook early‑childhood campus for longtime teacher and former board member Debbie Sikora.

Around two dozen coaches and student athletes from Bolingbrook High School, Romeoville High School, Jane Addams Middle School, Humphrey Middle School and other district programs received recognitions for IHSA state qualifiers, conference honors, record performances and national placements. Highlights included a valedictory presentation by Romeoville valedictorian Angela Darko, Bolingbrook boys track qualifying all four relays for state (a first in the school’s history), Bolingbrook boys volleyball finishing ranked in the state and a number of individual state‑meet qualifiers and medalists in track, powerlifting and swimming.

Why it matters: the recognitions acknowledge student achievement across athletics and career/technical programs and are part of district efforts to publicly celebrate student success.

Selected recognitions cited at the meeting: - Romeoville High School: student valedictorian Angela Darko (noted for college plans and extracurricular leadership); boys swimming and diving qualifiers and state participants Brandon Yedal (freshman) and Sebastian Labuda (senior); multiple state qualifiers and medalists in track and powerlifting (including state championships and national titles referenced by coaches). - Bolingbrook High School: boys track qualified all four relays for the first time in school history and finished 17th at state; individual qualifiers included Bruce Duncan (fourth in state, 400m), Edmund Ankema (sophomore qualifier), Oluakitomi (triple jump) and Jordan Lampkins (long jump, second place at state); boys volleyball finished the season with a 29‑8 record and had multiple players named to all‑state lists. - Jane Addams Middle School and Humphrey Middle School: middle‑school track qualifiers and a seventh‑grader achieving fourth place in high jump at state for his age group. - Career and technical education: Romeoville teams placed in the Capitol Hill Challenge stock‑market competition; one team ranked first in Illinois and sixth nationally, qualifying for the national trip to Washington, D.C.

During the meeting the board considered and passed resolution 24‑25‑46 to name the Valley View Early Childhood Center — Bolingbrook campus — the Debbie Sikora Early Childhood Center in recognition of Sikora’s 35 years as a Valley View teacher and service as a 12‑year board member, including time as board secretary. The resolution passed by roll call (recorded as seven yeas in the packet; the board later clarified an attendance correction and confirmed the naming by roll call during this meeting).

Debbie Sikora addressed the board and thanked members for the honor; several trustees noted they discussed the naming with colleagues prior to announcement because facility construction and signage needed to move forward on the construction schedule.

What’s next: the district indicated the Bolingbrook campus will open for early learners in the coming months, and the administration said signage and construction schedules are proceeding. The board said it plans a ribbon‑cutting and tour once the facility reaches substantial completion.