Heritage CUSD #8

Dear Heritage Staff, Families, and Community,

February has been a meaningful and busy month across Heritage. Each day, we see students learning, growing, competing, performing, and supporting one another in ways that make our district such a unique and special place.

Within this update, you will see celebrations of student success, from strong winter athletic seasons and activities to engaging classroom learning and community events. Our students continue to shine, reflecting the incredible staff and supportive families who surround them.

We continue important work focused on the future of our district, including strengthening student supports, expanding programs and opportunities, and planning for long-term instructional and facility needs. Our goal remains clear: providing high-quality learning experiences, strong relationships, and meaningful opportunities for every student.

We are also excited to welcome our incoming principals, Mr. Michael Gourley and Mrs. Kristin Shanks, who will begin their leadership at Heritage on July 1. Their experience, collaborative approach, and student-centered leadership will help guide our schools forward while building on the strong foundation already in place. Families will have an opportunity to meet them at Parent and Student University on March 3 at 5:15 PM.

Parent and Student University will offer families opportunities to explore sessions on college planning, careers, student supports, science experiences, and more. Our Physics Van team is returning, and we are grateful to the staff and community partners who help make this evening possible. Smith Burger will also be joining us again. Students who register in advance for Parent and Student University will receive a Smith Burger voucher for a sandwich and fries.

We also invite our families to participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey. This statewide survey provides valuable feedback on five key areas that support student success: effective leadership, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environments, and ambitious instruction. Family voice is an important part of our continuous improvement work. Currently, participation is at 2% at the high school and 6% at the elementary/junior high. When at least 20% of families participate, Heritage receives a detailed parent report that helps guide planning and decision-making. We encourage all families to take a few minutes to complete the survey and share their perspective: https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/

Thank you for the partnership, encouragement, and trust you show every day. Heritage is strong because of its people, our students, staff, families, and community, working together to support one another.

We are proud of where we are, excited about where we are going, and grateful to do this work together.

With appreciation,

Dr. Kimberly Norton

At the February Board of Education meeting, several important items were approved that support the continued growth of our students, staff, and programs.

The Board approved the recommendation of Mr. Michael Gourley as Heritage High School Principal and Mrs. Kristin Shanks as Heritage Elementary/Junior High Principal, effective July 1, 2026. We are excited to welcome both leaders and look forward to the experience, collaboration, and student-centered leadership they bring.

The Board approved the football cooperative agreement. This decision expands opportunities for students and supports the long-term sustainability of the program. Next steps and program details will be shared directly with families, including a future parent meeting.

We appreciate the Board’s continued support of opportunities that strengthen programming, expand student experiences, and support our staff.

Ethan Lyons
Student Thoughts on Football:
Ethan gathered student feedback regarding football and shared perspectives on student interest, school spirit, and ideas for supporting a positive athletic experience for all students.

Tatum Morgan
Tatum shared several exciting leadership updates:

• FCCLA Dance planning and promotion

• Serving in a Section 7 FCCLA Presidency role

• Preparing for state-level candidacy, representing Heritage and expanding student leadership opportunities

We are proud of our Student Ambassadors for elevating student voice and leadership!

Winter benchmark data indicates strong overall progress. Response to Intervention (RtI) efforts have resulted in a reduction of Tier 3 support areas across most grade levels in reading and math, reflecting positive instructional impact and student growth.

Parent Teacher Conferences will take place the week of March 9-12, marking the end of third quarter. Fourth quarter begins after Spring Break on March 23. IAR testing is scheduled for March 24–27 and March 30–April 2. The attendance goal for March is 96.5 percent.

Jaycee Stierwalt and Ava James recently served as Principals for a Day after earning 200 Behavior Bees. Students participated in planning activities, attended the Principal’s luncheon, and helped oversee the PEP Assembly.

Orientation night for incoming kindergarten families and upper grade level groupings for next school year will be held Tuesday, March 10. Orientation begins at 5:00 pm in the MP Room, followed by grade level meetings from 5:30-6:00 PM for grades 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8.

Students participated in a PEP Assembly celebrating winter athletics, featuring junior high cheerleaders, band performances, and a staff versus 8th grade volleyball game. Upcoming activities include FFA Week beginning February 23, Read Across America celebrations during the first week of March, and Storm Science returning May 20 for Fun Day.

8th grade promotion is scheduled for May 18 at the high school. The 8th grade trip will take place May 20.

Our Heritage Junior High and High School Cheerleaders participated in Night to Shine and we could not be more proud.

They represented Heritage with kindness, energy, and servant leadership: cheering, dancing, and helping create a truly unforgettable experience for every guest.

Jacy and Ava stepped into their roles as Principals for the Day and quickly showed they are ready to take on a challenge. Their leadership, confidence, and enthusiasm were on full display as they carried out their important responsibilities.

This special opportunity was earned by saving 200 Behavior Bees — a reflection of their positive choices, hard work, and commitment to our school community.

A special thank you to Mrs. Sanders for helping create meaningful leadership opportunities like this for our students and for supporting experiences that make learning memorable.

We are proud of these young leaders and grateful for the positive example they set for our school community.

We are proud to recognize our Students of the Month: Ryann McComas, Skyler White, Alex Bensyl, and Josh Stierwalt.

The National Honor Society will host a Blood Drive on March 6. Families can sign up using the link shared on social media, and walk-ins are welcome. Student Council is also hosting a Staff Member Pie in the Face fundraiser.

FFA officers recently visited the junior high to support recruitment, and FFA Week will be celebrated next week. The annual Farmers Breakfast will be held on February 24 from 7:00-9:00 a.m. FCCLA celebrated a successful week that included attending the Section event, electing new section officers: Tatum Morgan (President), Jayden Schrock (VP of Foundation), Willa Tatman (VP of Community Service), and Clair Davison (Treasurer). In addition, they hosted a Valentine’s Dance, and organized games during homeroom.

A schoolwide pickleball tournament was held with Rylan and Kaden White named champions and Christian Paul and Dylan Kirschner finishing as runner-ups. Rylan White and Kierra Dunlap represented Heritage at the SAR/DAR Good Citizen Luncheon, and Atticus Ashbrook attended the ILMEA All-State Festival.

Scholastic Bowl finished second in the LPC Tournament and lost three conference matches across the regular season and tournament play. Colby Schrock led the conference in toss-ups. The team will host the Masonic Tournament this Saturday, with regionals scheduled for March 9.

Girls Basketball finished the season 22-8 overall and 5-4 in conference, placing third in the LPC Tournament. Their season concluded last night with a regional loss to Georgetown. Boys Basketball finished 12-15 overall and 5-3 in conference. Rylan White broke the all-time scoring record, and the team will compete in regionals beginning February 23.

Congratulations to Rylan White on surpassing Brad Wilson’s career scoring record of 1,471 points and thank you to Brad for the mentorship and leadership he continues to provide our basketball programs.

Congratulations to Heritage’s Atticus Ashbrook, the newest member of the Music City Drum Corps!

Atticus successfully advanced through a competitive, multi-level audition process to earn his spot and will perform on Baritone with the corps during the summer of 2026.

Based in Nashville, Music City Drum Corps competes nationally, performing in more than 30 shows across the United States each season. Once the 2026 schedule is finalized, we will share performance locations so our community can follow Atticus’s journey.

To get a glimpse of this experience, you can view Music City’s 2025 show, It Tolls for Thee, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kEKL_vccGE

Kierra Dunlap and Rylan White were honored at the DAR/SAR Good Citizen Luncheon. Sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution, this recognition celebrates students who demonstrate outstanding character, leadership, service, and patriotism.

We are proud of Kierra and Rylan for representing Heritage and the values of our community.

FFA officers and members went to the elementary to do ag in the classroom lessons with the kindergarten through third graders. FFA members taught a lesson about flowers, followed by a hands- on activity where students got to fill a cup with soil, plant a flower seed of their choice and water their seed. We left them with flower coloring and activity pages as well as little goodie bags that were flower themed which included a pop-it flower, flower pencil, bouncy ball with a flower in the center of it and a variety of flower stickers. We greatly appreciate the elementary teachers letting us come and teach agriculture to their classes!

The February FFA meeting at the beginning of the month had a beach theme. For this meeting, students played beach volleyball in the gym. They also enjoyed a pizza dinner before heading to the gym for volleyball.

During FCCLA Week, our Heritage chapter attended the Section 7 Leadership Conference in Charleston, Illinois. Students had the opportunity to connect with peers from across the region while participating in a variety of leadership workshops and learning sessions.

As part of the conference, four Heritage students delivered speeches as candidates for the upcoming Section 7 officer team. We are proud to share that all four students were successfully elected to leadership roles.

Congratulations to our new Section 7 officers: Clair Davison, Treasurer; Willa Tatman, Vice President of Community Service; Jayden Schrock, returning as Vice President of Foundation; and Tatum Morgan, elected Section 7 President.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to Leigha Tatar for her dedicated service over the past two years as Section 7 Secretary.

We are incredibly proud of these students and look forward to the leadership, service, and positive representation they will bring to Heritage in the year ahead

On March 6, Heritage High School will host a Blood Drive from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Community members are encouraged to sign up in advance using the following link:

Blood Drive March 6th

Walk-ins are welcome and appreciated.

Read Across America is Coming Soon, March 2-6! Be on the lookout for more information!

Books about trailblazing women! Click the photo below to learn more.