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Parents and students urge district support for science fairs; food‑service provider thanks board
Summary
During public comment at the June 9 board meeting, speakers urged Indian Prairie to support Illinois Junior Academy of Science participation and districtwide extracurricular science clubs and thanked the board for district food‑service partnerships.
Three members of the public addressed the board during the allotted 60‑minute public‑comment period.
Sue Ellen Gurchman, a former Krone Middle School Project Aeroscience teacher, described the educational value of student science‑research projects and asked the district to support participation in the Illinois Junior Academy of Science (IJAS) by having each of the district’s seven middle schools and three high schools join IJAS next school year. Gurchman said IJAS membership costs about $100 per school and that regional fair entry costs about $20 per project; she said teacher sponsors would be required and offered to support teachers who volunteer.
A rising Neuqua senior, Anveta Tyre, also urged official district support for IJAS and extracurricular science clubs, saying science fairs help students develop research and presentation skills and can lead to scholarship opportunities. Tyre said some schools in the district already have clubs and that students without school clubs sometimes find other ways to participate.
Jill Gossen and Bobby Murphy, identified as food‑service directors working with Organic Life, thanked the board, superintendent and community for the district partnership and said their operation served more meals this year than in any previous year.
Board members did not respond during public comment; administrators said follow‑up would be provided by an administrator as appropriate.
