Introducing

West 40

Board President

Harold London

Harold London is beginning his third year as President of the West 40 Governing Board. London is also the Principal of Ridgewood High School in Norridge. Despite a hectic work schedule, he makes the time to serve as Board President because of his strong commitment to West 40's work.

Serving as President of the Governing Board is among the many commitments to education that London has made throughout his career as an educator. He previously served as principal at Pleasantdale Middle School, Burr Ridge and at the Charles Hughes Elementary School on Chicago's West side. London was also the elementary mathematics coordinator for the Chicago Public.Schools and mathematics instructor at Whitney Young Magnet School in Chicago. Whitney Young valedictorians selected him as "the most influential person in their lives" for three consecutive years. He believes that his twenty years in the Chicago Public Schools helped him form a "unique perspective on education."

His involvement with West 40 began because of his advocacy of both staff and personal development.

He and his staff found West 40's workshops, classes and seminars to be extremely helpful. In 1993, when an opening came up on the Governing Board, London was recommended for the position and grasped the opportunity to serve. For the first year, he served on the Board as a member. The next year, he was selected to be its President.

"I am happy to be working with West 40. It is a mutually beneficial experience. West 40's work for school districts is increasingly important, as taxcaps make all districts more watchful," he stated.

At West 40 Board meetings, which are held seven times per year, the Board conducts the business of the Center with the input of West 40's Director Gretchen Alexander. "People who are considering serving on the board should realize that the time commitment is not great," London emphasized. "I would say it averages less than a day each month."

London stated, "The people who West 40 serves need to be aware that things are changing, as is the way we have to deliver services. West 40 will continue in the future, as we have in the past, to respond to the needs of our member districts. West 40 is only as strong as the willingness of the member districts to use its services. I hope they will continue to do so."

Educators: West 40 Will Recognize

Your Accomplishments in Future Issues of Westwinds!

For inclusion in future issues of this newsletter, please type information, includingyour name, phone number, school, district, job title and accomplishment and fax it to Gretchen Alexander at 708/ 447-6732. Mark it ATTN: Westwinds Educators' Accolades. We hope to hear from you soon.

West 40 Talent Search Calendar		Educators' Accolades
The West 40 Talent Searches are coming soon! Check the dates below to make sure they're on your 1997 calendar.		West 40 begins the year by recognizing two teachers for their recent achievements. The first is Joseph K. Antonelli, director of bands for Lindop School District 92 in Broadview. Antonelli's article, "Advocacy Alert" was recently published in The Illinois Music Educator. According to Antonio J. Garcia, Illinois Coalition for Music Educators, Antonelli's writing, ..."speaks eloquently of the power of music and music education: experiences we must aggressively preserve and cultivate for this generation of students and the next." Kudos to Karyn Lisowski, LD/BD Resource Teacher at Mannheim School District 83. Lisowski developed a computer font called "Tinkertype" which can help teach children how to print. According to Lisowski, "I use 72 point type or larger and the outline form of the letter. I then use a green colored marker to show children where to start and a red marker to show children where to stop. Tinkertype is decorative, childlike, and can be used to teach handwriting by connecting the dots. It has been quite successful in teaching my students with learning disabilities." Tinkertype is available for the Macintosh, Windows 31 and Windows 95. For further information, please contact Karyn Lisowski through the Mannheim School District at 708/562-6400
Event Speech and Drama Festival Submission Sheets	Date /Deadline Feb. 22, 1997 January 10, 1997
Math Olympiad Pre-Registration Deadline	Feb. 28, 1997 January 14, 1997
Writing Talent Search Writirlg Festival Awards Registration Deadline	Spring 1997 April 26, 1997 February 4, 1997
Science Olympiad Pre-Registration Deadline	May 10, 1997 April 2, 1997

First Avenue and Ridgewood | Riverside, IL 60546 | Phone: 708/447-6070 | Fax: 708/447-6732