Vernon Hills senior and student reps press board on engineering curriculum, lunch access and tutoring

During the public‑comment period and the student board‑representative reports, several students urged curricular and resource changes and described student initiatives.

Paxton Makaitis, a Vernon Hills High School senior, testified that the district’s adoption of Project Lead The Way (PLTW) reduced students’ access to electronics, advanced design drawing and multi‑semester engineering pathways. Makaitis said he ‘‘had already learned everything that the Project Lead the Way course taught in a year’’ from earlier coursework, told the board the district spent about $30,000 on the PLTW program and asked trustees either to reinstate the previous engineering curriculum or ‘‘give the teachers more free reign to act as they would like’’ so veteran teachers can continue deeper instruction and advanced CAD or drawing offerings.

Multiple student board representatives reported on student life and supports. Ashvaramesh summarized student interest in opening ‘‘cafe 145’’ after school and concerns about equitable food access across lunch periods; Olivia Bush described an ongoing 'Speak Up' training that students said made them more comfortable intervening against bias and noted that lunch is provided during sessions. Annika Talati said student‑run KIT Outreach raised $20,000 this fiscal year to fight hygiene poverty and highlighted a student drum‑line community event; Ruheep Patel and Andy Trobe described cross‑school exchange days and participation at a FutureAI Leadership Forum where student reps presented to superintendents and IT leaders.

What happens next: Paxton requested program reinstatement or curricular flexibility; the comment was entered into the public record. Curriculum changes would require staff review and formal action by the board and administration.