Oct. 10 is College Night at Niles North

Is your child on their way to becoming a college freshman? Then check out this free event at Niles North High School on Oct. 10.

From the community ~ Niles North freshman students and their parents are invited to Freshman College Night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 10, in Room 1200 at Niles North High School, 9800 N. Lawler Ave.. Attendees can participate in discussions such as:  preparing a high school course schedule, creating a four-year plan, and researching careers and colleges, as well as learning about the services in the Niles North College Career Resource Center. 

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Niles North Presents Shakespeare's 'Love's Labor's Lost'

Check out the latest production by the uber talented Niles North theater department from Oct. 11 through Oct. 13.

From the community ~ The Niles North Theater Department presents “Love’s Labor’s Lost” by William Shakespeare on Oct. 11 through Oct. 13 in the Niles North High School Auditorium, 9800 Lawler Ave., Skokie. Performances are at 7 p.m. on October 12 and 13. Tickets are $10. To reserve tickets, please contact the Box Office at (847) 626-2122. A free community performance will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11. The King of Navarre wants to focus on his education and has declared that no women will be allowed at court—they are a distraction. He convinces his loyal friends to join him on this noble venture. But when the lovely Princess of France and her entourage come to court, how can the king and his compatriots resist? Staff, production…

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UPDATE: Senior Killed By Car Was Holocaust Survivor

Leon Goldberg, the 84-year-old man who was killed after being struck by a vehicle outside Niles North High School was also a Holocaust survivor. His friend said he would often speak to students about the atrocities he experienced.

Updated - 2:16 p.m. -  Leon Goldberg, the 84-year-old man who was struck and killed by a vehicle outside Niles North High School on Tuesday, was also a Holocaust survivor, according to close friend Sharon Perlman. Perlman said Goldberg was placed in a number of concentration camps during WW II. He was also recently honored at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie. "He would often speak to students and educate them about the atrocities he experienced," Perlman said. "I knew Mr. Goldberg for nearly 40 years." Perlman added that she was very close with his daughter, Lila. Goldberg was killed after a traffic crash at Lawler Avenue and Grant Street after a vehicle struck Goldberg as he was walking eastbound across Lawler …

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Senior Struck By Car in Skokie, Killed

An 84-year-old man was struck by a vehicle outside Niles North High School on Tuesday around 3 p.m.

UPDATE - 10/03 6:12 a.m. - See our update here  An 84-year-old man was killed just outside Niles North High School on Oct. 2 around 3 p.m., police said. The victim was identified as Leon Goldberg, according to the Chicago Tribune. Goldberg is not affiliated with the high school.  He was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to North Shore University Health System in Evanston. Police responded to a traffic crash at Lawler Avenue and Grant Street after a vehicle struck a pedestrian walking eastbound across Lawler Avenue, in front of Niles North High School, police said. The North Regional Major Crimes Task Force (NORTAF) is assisting the Skokie Police Department with the investigation. No further information is available at this …

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Katie Gudgel

4:55 pm on Monday, October 8, 2012

However, for pedestrian right-of-way a crosswalk is defined as either a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. So, if this was at "Lawler and Grant" as the article states (wherever Grant is) then it was within a crosswalk.   more ›

D219 Teachers Get New Contract, Students To Start School Earlier

The Niles Township Federation of Teachers and the Niles Township Support Staff approved a new collective bargaining agreement on Sept. 24. Changes include: A possible new school start date, salary increases and new teacher evaluations, among other things.

Teachers at District 219 will receive a salary increase of 1.2 percent as well as significant concessions on insurance and pensions, the district said on Tuesday. Patch reported earlier that the average teacher salary at D219 in 2010 was $97,000. According to those numbers, the average salary increase for each teacher should be around $1,164, plus increases for each of the three years of the contract. Meanwhile, employee contributions toward insurance and benefit plans was increased. D219 Board President Robert Silverman said the savings in the "plans alone will result in $1.8 million in savings over the contract period." In July, the board increased the budget by $11,403,600 - or about 7.31 percent - bringing the final number to $156 …

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Niles North Debate Team Gears Up For Second Strong Year

Did you know the Niles North High School debate team owned the competition last year? This year, they're gearing up for another strong year.

  What is policy debate and why do so many successful leaders in the medical field, the law, the business world and government credit their success to being involved in policy debate? That question can be easily answered by Niles West and Niles North Debate teams, who had exceptional competitive seasons last year and now look forward to opening the 2012-13 season by hosting the Third annual Niles Township Invitational Debate Tournament. Earlier: Niles West students turn in strong debate performance The tournament is a Finals Tournament of Champions (TOC) Bid in Policy Debate, which means that in order to qualify for the national policy debate championship, debate teams must receive two TOC bids. The Niles Township Invitational Debate …

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High Schools Consider Starting 2 Weeks Earlier

Niles West and Niles North High Schools (D-219) are looking at a calendar change, requested by students, that would have them starting school two weeks earlier in August. But will it jive with grade schools, parks?

Students at Niles West and Niles North high schools could have a short summer next year, if the district moves ahead with a recommendation to start school in mid-August. The plan, which is included in the district’s annual review of programs, calls for classes to start about two weeks earlier than they do now. (School started on Aug. 21 this year; two weeks earlier would have been Aug. 7.) The first semester would end before winter break, and the second semester would end in May. “It was our own students who brought this to us,” said District 219 Superintendent Nanciann Gatta. “And it’s not the first time the idea has been raised. It’s been coming up for about 10 years.” Earlier: High school students skipping lunch to take more classes …

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Schoolmarm

11:08 am on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

This schedule change is being proposed for district 219 only. It will affect teachers at the high schools, which you are not. Even IF it is implemented at the high schools, it will be up to each individual feeder district to make its own decision regarding whether or not to follow suit. That is the time at which it would be appropriate for you to approach your own administration and school board…   more ›

Students Rush To Help Homeless School Teacher

The Chicago Tribune wrote about Henry Wolfson, a 66-year-old substitute teacher at McCracken Middle School who is now homeless. Now, three former students have started a fundraiser to help their beloved teacher.

The Chicago Tribune's Labor Day story on how a well read, highly regarded substitute teacher in Skokie became homeless may have a silver lining. Henry Wolfson, 66, has been a substitute teacher at McCracken Middle School for 19 years. He moved into a homeless shelter after he could no longer pay rent on his Evanston apartment, the Tribune reports. Wolfson told the Tribune that medical expenses were a big reason why he's now living at a shelter. In light of the story, several of Wolfson's former students have created a fundraiser on GiveForward.com, a website designed to help people overburdened with medical expenses. The former students, Adam Youhanna, Christina Audisho and Anita Zaia have left a message on the page: Let's help the best …

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Letter to the Editor

D219 Calendar Changes Could Burden Families

District 219 wants to change the start and end date of its school year. The problem: Other schools and park districts are not aware of the proposed change. This could seriously impact families with kids in D219 and elementary school.

The following is a letter to the editor from local parent, Michael B.  The following opinions are those of the author. Patch provides a platform for readers to express their views.  Niles Township District 219 High Schools have posted their annual review of programs for the 2013-14 school year. You can view what the district posted on their website here. There are a number of issues in the review to which the public should give careful consideration, but the item of greatest significance is the proposed change to the school calendar. It reads: "With final exams ending prior to winter break; school would start the second week of August and end at Memorial Day." While the district offers a number of sound reasons to consider making this …

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Niles North Teacher Pleads Guilty To Sexually Exploiting Minors

Jeffrey Tackes plead guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor today at the DuPage County Courthouse in Wheaton. He was accused of sexually exploiting two cheerleaders from Niles North High School in Skokie on Feb. 13, 2012.

Jeffrey Tackes, the former Niles North math teacher and cheerleading coach who resigned after being accused of sexual exploitation of a minor, plead guilty at the DuPage County Courthouse in Wheaton today. Tackes admitted to inviting the Niles North cheerleading team to his Bensenville home on Dec. 15. After the party had ended, two students stayed behind and played strip poker with Tackes, the Chicago Tribune reports. Tackes also exposed himself to the minors, who were 16 and 17. Tackes was sentenced to 250 hours of community service and probation, the Tribune reported. He will also have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years. The allegations were brought to light on Feb. 13, 2012 when Tackes was charged. He was accused of …

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