GV-NB Coronavirus Response
August 16, 2021 Updates for the District 34 Community
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We’re Still Here!
Masks Up
In our schools, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Executive Order 2021-18 requires that all teachers, staff, students and visitors to PK-12 schools in Illinois wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The other organizations that are part of the Glenview Northbrook Coronavirus Task Force also have mask protocols in place, though each may be a little different. Check the website of each organization before you visit (or follow instructions on the signs on the doors before you enter).
Take a Shot: Stop the Spread
The vaccination rate in our community is very high, a hopeful sign. But, despite the high rate of vaccination, COVID-19 cases and rates are increasing locally. You can find this information on the Cook County Department of Public Health website. Click “Data by Town” and select Glenview or Northbrook. You can view case numbers, rates for our combined towns, as well as in the dashboard that the elementary school districts track. In addition, Jesse Peterson Hall, president of Glenbrook Hospital, reports that hospitalizations are on the rise, especially for unvaccinated individuals, and the hospital is expanding the COVID-19 area of the intensive care unit. COVID-19 testing remains necessary, so the testing location at Flick Park in Glenview remains open.
For all community members age 12 or older, the best thing you can do for yourself, your family and the community is to get vaccinated. Your vaccination will protect those who can’t yet be vaccinated, which will help keep students in school, in person, every day, in the safest environment possible.
Walk-ins are welcome in many local pharmacies. Many of the school districts in our community will offer convenient vaccination clinics at their buildings. And you can use the CDC’s online vaccine search tool to find an appointment that works for you. Though we don’t have a prediction on a date when a vaccine for those under 12 might be available, the Task Force is discussing how we will provide opportunities for families to schedule convenient vaccine appointments for their children.
In addition, the “the three Ws” — wear masks, watch distance, wash hands — remain important for us all. And, we all are in this together. Together, we will get to the other side of this global pandemic.
Good News Stories
From summer fun to back-to-school excitement, there’s good news to share!
Summer Projects Underway As District 225 Prepares For Upcoming School Year
While students are away from the classroom, District 225 spent time updating parts of its buildings.
Glenbrook South Signage
On April 12, 2021, the Board of Education approved a bid from APCO for updating interior signage and wayfinding at Glenbrook South. The project is part of the District’s ongoing safety and security initiatives. The primary goals of this project include:
- Create a building numbering system that creates a logical flow throughout the building
- Develop a cohesive, aesthetically appropriate and unified wayfinding system that will help individuals navigate effectively into and throughout Glenbrook South
- Utilize signage that is timeless in its aesthetic, works with existing architectural elements, and can be easily, and inexpensively updated and maintained
- Bring signage into compliance with building code, ADA and life safety requirements
- Reduce the number of building fire zones and incorporate the fire zone colors into the signage to identify each zone
- Use universal symbols on signage to help improve the wayfinding experience
Glenbrook North Batting Cages
On May 10, 2021, the Board of Education approved a bid from Paddock Enterprise and Kloepfer Construction to update the two baseball cages at Glenbrook North. The project comes following a routine risk assessment conducted through the school district’s insurance consortium, SSCRMP.
The assessment found the current batting cages were deemed necessary to remove due to the poles having rusted and deteriorated. In addition, the poles have recently lifted out of the ground due to seasonal freezing and thawing. The poles were originally installed in the late 1980s.
Work to replace the batting cages is estimated to begin August 2021.
Glenbrook North Competition and Gymnastics Floors
On June 26, 2021 a PVC drain pipe traveling from the Glenbrook North competition gym’s roof to the sewer burst due to excessive water pressure during a severe thunderstorm. The accident caused severe damage to GBN’s competition (D104, D106) gym and part of its gymnastics gym (D102) floors. The pipe that broke was originally installed in the mid-1990s.
After investigation, our buildings and grounds team, a construction management firm and plumbing contractors confirmed the pipe was not clogged at the point of entry on the roof or the excit, which is located in the sewer.
Work to replace the damaged floors begins July 21. It is estimated that the gymnastics floor will be completed on August 13. The competition floors will begin August 20 and is estimated to be completed on October 15. During this time, a temporary hardwood gym floor will be rented to accommodate the girls volleyball season. The floor will sit in one of the three fieldhouse courts beginning August 2. The temporary floor is expected to be removed in late October. Physical education classes will be able to use the floor as a volleyball, basketball and fitness station.
GBS Alum Wins Bronze
GBS Alumna Olivia Smoliga Helps With Bronze for US Women’s 4x100 meter Freestyle Replay at Tokyo Olympics.
Smoliga won gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics for 4x100 medley. She is a 2013 graduate.
(Picture was taken at the Tokyo qualifiers earlier this year.)