District 30 Board Brief

Board President Mr. Ammar Rizki, Dr. Tammaru and the Board recognized Maple’s Math Team for their outstanding performance this season. Coaches Mrs. Sarah Arends and Ms. Cora Byrne said the students went above and beyond during practices, scored exceptionally well in competitions, and put in an extraordinary effort into advancing their logic and problem solving skills.

The team participated in the AMC8, where students scored in the top five percent nationally. Fourteen students also represented Maple in the MathCounts Chapter Competition at Oakton Community College and finished 2nd place as a team. Based on their performance in MathCounts, a record breaking number of students qualified to compete at the state level among the brightest middle school students in Illinois.

State qualifiers were: Elaine Mei, Stella Huang, Devin Fuh, Joseph Hong, Lincoln Tang, Shreya Sharma, Brighton He, and Robert Tang. At the state competition, the full team finished together in 9th place, and 8th-grader Elaine Mei finished 16th overall as an individual and advanced to the Countdown Round.

Additional team members are: Alonso Amora, Stella Huang, Alexander Zhang, Joshua Jiang Jiho Jiang, William Hu, Lincoln Tang, Joseph Hong and Caleb Deng. Congratulations to all!

Board Member Mr. Adan Galvan, Dr. Tammaru and the Board honored the Maple Science Olympiad team for achieving remarkable success in just its second year under Coaches Mrs. Tricia Kearns and Ms. Rachel Rayborn. They earned 163 medals across the season and placed 2nd overall in their respective divisions at regionals for both Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. The Varsity team fell just five points shy of first place, demonstrating that Maple can compete with the most established programs in the region.

The team also qualified for the state competition and earned an impressive 12th place finish.

Throughout the season, every event earned at least one medal, and nearly every team member earned individual recognition. Their coaches said that through their grit, determination, and teamwork, these students have built a strong, supportive team culture and established Maple as a rising force in Science Olympiad.

Congratulations to: Amay Agarwal, Arya Akash, Owen Amonlirdviman, Paxton Barnett, Maximilian Barszczewski, Noah Bi, Jayden Chadwick, Jiho Chang, Hanzhe Cheng, Timothy Fong, Devin Fuh, Soren Galvan, Riyaan Grandhi, Brighton He, Joseph Hong, Lucas Jing, Dariya Kendy, Wesley Kim, Isaac Lau, Maya Lee, Anthony Lee, Connor Lu, Eli Mathew, Rei Matsunaga, Elaine Mei, Oliver Mohyla, Jonathan Oen, Owen Paik, Sammy Perpinyal, David Pham, Hazel Roh, Shubhavi Saiprasad, Shreya Sharma, Marian Shidenko, Asha Singal, Ava Sinjoanu, Johnny Song, Jonathan Sussman, Soheil Tabatabaee, Swara Talavia, Tyler Upchurch, Angeli Yadav, Alexander Zhang, Daniel Zhang, and Tai Zhu.

Board Member Mr. Patrick Wang, Dr. Tammaru and the Board congratulated the Maple Wrestling Co-op, which had four state qualifiers. The co-op includes students from Maple, Northbrook Junior High School in School District 28, Wood Oaks in Northbrook School District 27 and Field in West Northfield School District 31.

In their stellar season, they earned a second straight regional title under Coaches Thomas Ingram Jr. and Steve Alfredson. At the state tournament, 6th‑grader Preston Berger (Northbrook Junior High) battled hard despite not coming away with a win. The 8th‑grade competitors — Evan Rosenberg (Wood Oaks), Austin Hoesly and Illia Kellikidis (both of Northbrook Junior High) — each finished 1–2, and all three were just seconds away from reaching the placing rounds. Evan, Austin, and Illia will be continuing their wrestling careers next year as they join the Glenbrook North Wrestling Team. Congratulations!

Board Member Mrs. Zivit Blonder, Dr. Tammaru and the Board recognized the District 30 Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) co-presidents for their dedicated support and significant contributions throughout the year:

• Wescott PTO co-presidents Maria Milicevic and Eleni Katsoulis
• Willowbrook PTO co-presidents Janet Rothwell and Anne Wright
• Maple PTO co-presidents Jahnavi Rao and Sneha Srivastava

"Our school PTOs are committed to improving the educational environment and enriching the lives of our students and families," Dr. Tammaru said. "These individuals are vital to maintaining a strong connection between home and school."

She added: "Throughout this year, they have devoted countless volunteer hours to organizing events, raising funds, and collaborating with administrators and staff. It is a privilege to work alongside these exceptional women; their partnership enhances my leadership and helps make District 30 an outstanding community."

Thank you for your outstanding contributions to our schools!

Maple Principal Dr. Sam Kurtz and Assistant Principal Mrs. Angela Jaeger shared the Maple School 2025-26 Report, detailing progress on the school's three improvement goals this year.

Click below to view the report:

Dr. Melissa Hirsch, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, presented an overview of the first year of the new K-5 English Language Arts curriculum. She presented in collaboration with District 30 Literacy Coordinator Dr. Amy Copeland, Willowbrook 2nd-Grade Teacher Ms. Eileen Mulroe, and Wescott 4th-Grade Teacher Mrs. Jessica Thiergart.

The report highlighted the strengths and advantages of the new program and how it's working in real classroom situations, while also outlining areas for improvement. Click below to review the report:

The Board unanimously approved a contract with to provide new visitor management system across all District 30 sites over a three-year period. This system will provide a new layer of safety in all schools starting next fall.

Their decision followed an April presentation on the system from District 30 Buildings and Grounds Coordinator Mr. Jason Borst and Willowbrook School Principal Mrs. Katie Compagno. They noted that District 30 conducted a third-party safety audit in summer 2025 across all schools, and a visitor management system was recommended to enhance security in all buildings. This step aligns with the District 30 Strategic Plan goal to allocate finance and operations resources according to the district's educational, staffing, safety and wellness priorities.

Board President said, "This safety measure is paramount for our students" and urged patience from families as the new system is implemented.

The Board voted in favor of a resolution approving the President's Award for Educational Excellence. This national award is presented to Maple 8th-graders who have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher through 6th, 7th, and the first two trimesters of 8th grade. Additionally, each student must also have received recommendations from a teacher and a second staff member. This is the 43rd anniversary of this award program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education & the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

This year, the awards were presented during a breakfast ceremony at Maple School and recipients will also be honored for their achievement during graduation in early June.

Dr. Tammaru highlighted the staff who were celebrated at this year's District 30 Family Dinner in late April, which included District 30's 2026 retirees: Wescott Administrative Assistant Mrs. Debra Grundy; Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Melissa Hirsch; Instructional Assistant Mrs. Susan Jaffe; Maple Guided Studies Interventionist Mr. David Karnoscak; Willowbrook 4th-Grade Teacher Ms. Jennifer Lund; Maple Technology and Project Lead the Way Teacher Ms. Michelle King-Mulvihill; Maple Art Teacher Mrs. Dawn Nettelhorst; Maple 6th-Grade Social Studies Teacher Mrs. Mary Norquist; and Willowbrook Library Assistant Mrs. Chris Wawrzynek.

The event also honored over a dozen staff members celebrating milestone anniversaries.

She offered special thanks to Natasha Ciric, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools and Board Secretary, for her tireless role as the primary organizer of the dinner that drew over 175 people this year.

Teacher Appreciation Week was May 4-8 this month, but Dr. Tammaru reported that this year the recognition started a bit early on Friday, May 1. On that date, she traveled to each school sharing flowers with every single staff member for May Day, to kick off the week with face-to-face appreciation for their tremendous work and dedication.

Staff also enjoyed breakfast provided by the District 30 Board of Education at each school, notes and gifts from parents and students, honors from Principal teams and our PTOs, and recognition across social media. Dr. Tammaru expressed extra gratitude to each of these groups for the tremendous efforts they put into recognizing our teachers with special experiences throughout the week.

This marked the 25th anniversary of the annual Lew Blond Memorial 5K Run/Walk, held in honor of former Maple Applied Arts Teacher Lew Blond, who passed away from ALS in 2000. Despite a rainy start, Dr. Tammaru reported that this year's run attracted nearly 600 participants, plus those who were on site to support them.

Overall, the run netted nearly $15,000 to benefit the Les Turner ALS Foundation, along with funds for scholarships for students studying the applied arts and District 30 special projects.

Dr. Tammaru highlighted that registration for all District 30 students is in progress, with a discount through May 31. Parents also received details by mail on how to get a discount on bus service for 2026-27.

Dr. Tammaru encouraged families who have not registered to do so as soon as possible, in order to ensure optimal staffing for each school. She added that administration is monitoring kindergarten enrollment to ensure proper staffing for fall 2026.

Mr. Rizki and Dr. Tammaru reported on this month's meeting of the TrueNorth Governing Board, made up of a Board of Education member from each school district in the cooperative, as well as the Executive Committee, which includes superintendents from each member school district.

They shared details on TrueNorth's ongoing reorganization process, including the recent presentation of the organization's 2026-27 calendar and budget. Dr. Tammaru said the budget reflects reduced spending in line with the ongoing reorganization efforts.

Board Member Pamela Manicioto reported on the PTO Presiden't Council that occurred this spring, stating how impressed she was to directly observe the PTOs' impact on school events. She also noted their admirable fundraising efforts that support teacher needs, school projects and experiences for students. The PTOs will meet once the school year ends to plan their calendars for the 2026-27 school year.

Mrs. Manicioto reported on the policy meeting that happened just before Thursday's regular meeting, led by herself and Mr. Galvan. The meeting focused on reviewing PRESS Issue 121 policies and adopting an insurance management policy. She noted no significant changes to the PRESS policies and highlighted the standard insurance policy that is adopted annually by District 30.

The Board approved the hire of the following individuals for the 2026-27 school year: Wynne Hague, Willowbrook Instructional Assistant - Complex Learner; Michelle Hettel, Maple Learning Behavior Specialist Maple; Amy McDonald, Wescott Speech Language Pathologist; Jessica Nienhueser, Maple/Willowbrook Speech Language Pathologist; Mariana Reyes, Maple/Wescott Occupational Therapist; Kierstyn Setter, Willowbrook Math Academic Enrichment Teacher; and Ann Warner, Wescott Learning Behavior Specialist. Please welcome them to District 30!

The Board also approved the following in-district role changes: Lena Amerazian, Willowbrook Instructional Assistant; Evie (Trisevgeni) Ligka, Wescott receptionist. Please congratulate them on their new roles!

Additionally, the Board also approved three resignations, three leaves of absence, and the roster of temporary staff roles for Summer School.

The Board of Education consists of seven members elected from the general public to serve the entire Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 Community. The Board provides governance for the district by hiring and evaluating the superintendent and approving a budget, policies, and goals that align with the district's strategic plan. Board members are:

• President -Ammar Rizki
  
• Vice President - Jeff Zuercher
• Zivit Blonder
  
• Adan Galvan
• Pamela Manicioto
  
• Patrick Wang
• Dr. Stephanie Yohannan

Northbrook/Glenview District 30 exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follows all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Email: communications@district30.org
Website: district30.org
Location: 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA
Phone: 847-498-4190