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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEvanston Township High School District #202 - Public Financial ReportDIGESTETHS Evanston Township High School District 202 Evanston, Illinois Popular Annual Financial Report For the year that ended June 30, 2021 Welcome to ETHS District 202 Eric Witherspoon, Superintendent Snapshot of ETHS Mary Rodino, ETHS Chief Financial Officer 2 Cover photo: ETHS’s Wildkit Marching Band was named Grand Champion in a competition held October 10, 2021, the Marengo Settlers Days event, where the Wildkit performance of “2021: The Musical ‘’ took the top spot in the show. ETHS also placed first in Class 3A Field (Brass, Woodwind, Marching, and Percussion). More than 115 students are members of the Wildkit Marching Band. Known as the “Pride of ETHS,” the band represents the spirit and enthusiasm of the high school and plays at all home football games, the fall pep rally, and at competitions and parades in Evanston and beyond. This 10th annual ETHS Digest: Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) is designed to give Evanston/Skokie res- idents an overview of Evanston Township High School District 202—a snapshot of the district’s finances for the prior year, as well as general information that highlights student achievement, academic initiatives, partnerships, and programs. The selected financial information is taken from state- ments found in our audited Comprehensive Annual Fi- nancial Report (CAFR) for the last fiscal year, a detailed report prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The PAFR, however, is un- audited and summarizes, in an accessible manner, the financial data reported in the CAFR. For the 9th consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, which reviews this publication, granted last year’s ETHS Digest an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, a pres- tigious national award recognizing conformance with the highest stan- dards for preparation of state and local government popular reports. To receive this award, valid for one year, a government unit must publish a PAFR whose contents conform to program standards of creativity, presentation, understandability, and reader appeal. We believe this new ETHS Digest, which reflects the 2019-20 school/fiscal year, continues to conform to those standards. The ETHS administration and school board firmly be- lieve in public scrutiny and transparency of the district finances. Full copies of the district’s financial docu- ments, including the CAFR that contains detailed finan- cial information, are available in the ETHS business of- fice or at the district website: www.eths.k12.il.us. Call 847-424-7100 for more information. This ETHS Digest is designed to be an easy-to-access annual report with short articles and helpful visuals, providing an abundance of information about Evanston Township High School District 202 (ETHS). Whether you are just becoming familiar with this extraordinary high school district or your family has been part of the Wildkit family for multiple generations, I trust you will enjoy learning more about one of our nation’s premier high schools. Even as we continue to confront the COVID-19 pandem- ic, ETHS returned to full-time in-person instruction at the beginning of this school year. This pandemic has present- ed challenges and difficulties for many in our community and in our nation. Teenagers have truly been affected. Our teenagers have had to deal with the fears of this vi- rus. They spent over a year in their homes and their bed- rooms attending school virtually. They have returned to a school situation requiring them to wear masks all day to protect one another. Yet, with all these pressures, they attend school daily, actively participate in their classes, participate in extracurricular activities, and exhibit teen- ager enthusiasm. I am very proud of our Wildkits. I hope this ETHS Digest stimulates your curiosity to learn even more about ETHS. Today’s Wildkits enjoy bound- less school spirit and, just like generations before them, proudly wear the orange and blue. They excel in academ- ics, in the fine and performing arts, in competitions, and more. But most of all, our students excel in being good human beings who are learning and growing in a chal- lenging and nurturing environment, reflecting on their own mindsets and experiences, developing their skills, and recognizing they are highly valued for their individu- ality, talents, and aspirations. ETHS is a place of belonging for our students as they learn and grow. ETHS has a powerful story to tell. Enjoy. ETHS by the numbers 2020-21 Meet the ETHS Board of Education 3 Students • 3,729 students (2020-21) • Student ethnic distribution: Am. Indian–0.3%, Asian–5.6%, Black/African American–25.1%, Hispanic-Latino–19.5%, Native Hawaiian–0.1%, Two or more races–3.8%, White–45.6% • Low-income enrollment – 35% (2019-20) • 4-yr. graduation rate – 93% (2020) • 5-yr. graduation rate — 94% (2019) • College attendance rate – 76% (Class of 2018) ETHS class of 2021 profile • 8 National Merit Semifinalists, 37 Commended Students President—Pat Savage-Williams Vice Pres.—Monique Parsons Members—Mirah Anti, Gretch- en Livingston, Patricia Maunsell, Elizabeth Rolewicz, Stephanie Teterycz, Barbara Tomatadze (Stu- dent Representative) Table of contents Welcome to ETHS, Supt. Eric Witherspoon 1 Snapshot of ETHS, Mary Rodino, CFO 2 ETHS by the numbers 3 Budget overview 4 Where does the money come from? 5 Where does the money go? 6 Excellence awards for financial reporting 6 ETHS ranked among top high schools 7 Supt. Witherspoon to retire 8 ETHS full-time reopening 9 12 years “going green” 10 Black Lives Matter Way official 11 Students build electric car 11 ETHS Foundation 12 Pat Savage-Williams District goals for 2018-22 Adopted by the Board of Education, May 23, 2016 The Board will begin working on new goals in 2022. GOAL 1 Equitable and Excellent Education ETHS will increase each student’s academic and functional trajectory to realize college/career readiness and independence. Recognizing that racism is the most devastating factor contributing to the diminished achievement of students, ETHS will strive to eliminate the predictability of academic achievement based upon race. ETHS will also strive to eliminate the predictability of academic achievement based upon family income, disabilities and status as English language learners. GOAL 2 Student Well-being ETHS will connect each student with supports to ensure that each student will experience social- emotional development and enhanced academic growth. GOAL 3 Fiscal Accountabiity ETHS will provide prudent financial stewardship. GOAL 4 Community Engagement and Partnerships ETHS will strengthen parent/guardian relationships to create an effective continuum of learning and seamless transitions into and out of ETHS. 4 Budget overview In these unprecedented times, ETHS had a challeng- ing 2020-21 school year (FY 21) in many ways. Not only did the state continue to implement its new Evidence Based Funding program, which leaves ETHS’s state-aid funding flat with no expected in- creases (and possible future decreases), but the COVID-19 pandemic caused all governmental agen- cies, including schools, to re-evaluate their bud- geted expenses and to make plans for the future unknown. As Illinois schools switched to remote learning in March 2020, ETHS finished the school year with a robust remote learning program. In addition, other major financial threats to the dis- trict remain on the horizon. The state continues to consider a property tax freeze to assist taxpayers seeking financial help due to COVID’s impact on the economy and their lives. A lingering financial threat from the state is the potential pension reform is- sue. If it would someday pass, the legislature could assess school districts a portion of normal pension costs for certified staff under the teachers’ retire- ment system. The costs for this shift could amount to over $2 million a year in new expenses. In ad- dition, tax-caps that don’t keep up with increased costs of supplies, energy, services, health benefits, and employee compensation are still in place. Despite these challenges, the ETHS school board adopted a balanced budget—for the 14th consec- utive year—of $91.4 million in expenditures, 1% more than the FY 20 budget. The operating reve- nue budget of $79.7 million was up 0.3% over the previous year. Typically, the budget is 2-3% over the year before. But, these modest increases are all scaled down in the wake of the pandemic. Balancing the FY 21 bud- get required conservative budgeting and deliberate containment of personnel costs, most of which are determined by contracts. When considering cost reductions, the school board and administration use Value-Based Budgeting, fo- cusing cuts as far from the classroom as possible. The fund balance in the General Fund increased by just over $300,000 during FY 21. Cash reserves and fund balances continue to be within the District’s acceptable ranges per the Fund Balance Policy. Local revenues were up due to an unexpected in- crease in corporate personal property replacement taxes. Other revenues were at expected levels but lagged a bit. Due to that lag, some of these reve- nues were actually recognized in the FY 22 year and will be recognized in that year. What continues to be of concern is not what is known but what is NOT known. We don’t know how much COVID will impact the budget and for how long. We don’t know what the legislature will decide about teacher pensions, whether a property tax freeze will be mandated, and how interest rates will react to the economic downturn. Our close monitoring of economic events and legislative deci- sions over the next year will continue to be critical. The revenue and expenditure charts on these next two pages reflect final budget numbers for the 2020-21 school year. For more comprehensive in- formation, see the district’s audited Comprehen- sive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) in the Busi- ness Office or online at the school’s website (www. eths.k12.il.us under Business Services). $- $10,000,000 $20,000,000 $30,000,000 $40,000,000 $50,000,000 $60,000,000 $70,000,000 $80,000,000 $90,000,000 $100,000,000 Year 2020-21 2019-20 2018-19 2017-18 2016-17 Annual Operating Expenses vs. Total Expenses Operating Budget Total Budget 5 Where does the money come from? ETHS District 202 receives funding from local, state, and federal sources. The operating budget includes the Education (General), Operations and Mainte- nance, Transportation Funds, and Working Cash Funds, as referenced in the district’s Comprehen- sive Annual Financial Report. The district’s operat- ing budget makes up 87% of all revenues as well as 88% of all expenditures. The funds excluded from the operating budget are the Municipal Retirement, Debt Service, Capital Projects, and Fire Prevention Funds. FY 21 operating budget resources from all sources totaled $79,703,000, a 0.3% increase over FY 20. Increased revenues come from small increas- es in the Consumer Price Index and also from new property development, both of which cause prop- erty tax increases. Property taxes, at 84%, continue to be the largest source of revenue. Property Taxes. Evanston property owners pay tax- es to several entities, including District 202. ETHS’s portion of the total property tax bill is just over 25%. This percentage has remained constant or slightly reduced over the past five years. For FY 21, prop- erty taxes represented 84% of the total ETHS oper- ating revenue. In addition, property taxes pay for the Bond and Interest Fund, which covers annual debt service on outstanding bonds, and the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, which pays retirement benefits for non-certified staff. The Operations & Maintenance Fund and Transportation Fund are also partially supported by property taxes. District 202 is subject to property tax caps, which limit the growth of taxes to 5% or the Illinois Con- sumer Price Index, whichever is lower. The district fiscal year straddles the current and previous years’ levies (1.9% for 2019 and 2.3% for 2020), so the dol- lars available for this bud- get were a blend of these rates. Property taxes for the operating funds were $68.6 million for FY 21. Corporate Personal Property Replacement Taxes (CPRT) are part of the state income taxes and gen- erally reflect the state of the Illinois economy. The CPRT goes into the Education, Operations-Mainte- nance, and IMRF funds. District 202 budgeted $1.67 million for FY 21 due to expected reductions in this revenue, but ended up actually receiving $2.6 mil- lion. Other Local Revenues come from tuition, interest on investments, food-service income, student fees, Tax Increment Financing revenue, and other local sources. ETHS budgeted $2.790 million in FY 21 in Other Local Revenues, at least 25% less than FY 20 due to the impact of Covid on ETHS. Evidence Based Funding has replaced General State Aid and incorporates general aid along with some former categorical aid payments. This reve- nue source remained flat for FY 21. Future declines are highly likely due to the state’s economy. State Categorical Aid is aimed at specific needs and programs, including special-education personnel, transportation, bilingual programs, and others. FY 21 budgeted categorical revenues were $778,000 compared to $1,028,500 in FY 20, or approximate- ly 24% less, mostly due to expectations during the pandemic. Federal Aid goes toward Title I, Title II, student meal subsidies. IDEA, and ETHS Health Center costs. Total funding for FY 21 remained nearly flat at approxi- mately $3 million. - 20,000,000 40,000,000 60,000,000 80,000,000 100,000,000 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 Revenue By Source - Excluding TRS Retirement Contributions Local State Federal 6 Where does the money go? Excellence awards for financial reporting The operating expenditure budget proposed for District 202 is $79.7 million. This includes all the operating funds—Education, Operations and Main- tenance, Transportation, and Working Cash funds. This represents a 0.3% increase over FY 20. For the operating funds, salaries and benefits continue to dominate the costs. Salaries represent 69% of the budget and fringe benefits are at 9%—therefore, 78% of the budget is personnel cost-related. Salaries are mainly determined by negotiated con- tracts with the six labor unions in District 202. Ac- tual salaries amounted to approximately $55.8 mil- lion, up 3.09% over FY 20. Employee Fringe Benefits include health, life, and optional dental insurance, and Social Security, Medicare, and pension expenses. Total fringe ben- efits costs for FY 21 were estimated to be $7.03 mil- lion, similar to the previous year. Purchased Services. These expenditures for FY 21 are estimated to be $6.87 million, down 0.6% from FY 20. The District makes every effort to maintain the significant reductions made here in previous years. Decreases in this category during FY 21 were mainly due to reductions attributed to remote learning during the pandemic. Supplies/Materials. These expenses are for office supplies and materials, and once again ETHS is try- ing to keep costs down. The total for FY 21 was $3.16 million, down 13% from FY 20 due mainly to cost reductions as a result of remote learning. Capital Outlay. Capital outlay expenditures in the operating funds for FY 21 amounted to $1.45 mil- lion, up 2% over FY 20. Other Objects. FY 21 expenditures amounted to $1.6 million, a 28% decrease from FY 20. Tuition. Tuition is expected to remain flat for FY 21. Significant reductions have taken place in the past few years due to decreased off-campus placements. This also reflects the opening of the ETHS Public Day School, which till result in less outside tuition paid. For the 13th year, the Association of School Busi- ness Officials (ASBO) International awarded ETHS its Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting award for its FY 20 Comprehensive Annual Finan- cial Report (CARF, annual audit), an award earned by fewer than 10% of Illinois school districts. Also for the 13th year, the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S./Canada (GFOA) awarded ETHS its Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, the highest form of recognition for excellence in state and local gov- ernment financial reporting. To earn the award, a government unit must publish an easily readable and efficiently organized comprehensive annual fi- nancial report, whose contents conform to program standards. This certificate is valid for one year only. These ASBO and GFOA budget honors are in addi- tion to its renewed award to ETHS for the Popular Annual Financial Report (ETHS Digest). ETHS has maintained its Moody’s Aaa bond rating since 2008. This highest possible rating allows the District to borrow at the lowest possible rates. - 20,000,000 40,000,000 60,000,000 80,000,000 100,000,000 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 Expenditures By Function - Past Five Years Instruction Support Services Community Services Payments to Other Governments Debt Service 7 ETHS ranked among top high schools In April 2021, U.S. News & World Report released its “Best High Schools” rankings for 2021, placing ETHS at 41 in Illinois and 827 in the nation. Overall, ETHS received a score of 95.37 out of 100 on the national rankings scorecard. The U.S. News report ranks nearly 18,000 public high schools, out of a review of nearly 24,000 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Accord- ing to the U.S. News website, the top-ranked pub- lic high schools around the country include a mix of traditional, charter and magnet schools. The highest-ranked schools are those whose students excelled on state tests and performed beyond ex- pectations; participated in and passed a variety of college-level exams; and graduated in high propor- tions. “I am so proud that ETHS consistently remains one of the top high schools locally and nationally, as our teachers and staff work to support the academic as well as social and emotional growth of our stu- dents,” said ETHS District 202 Superintendent Eric Witherspoon. “Ranking in the top three percent of all high schools in the U.S. including charter, mag- net, and selective enrollment high schools under- scores the commitment to our goals and vision for the future.” Six indicators were used on a weighted scale to pro- duce this year’s ranking: College Readiness (30% of the ranking); Math and Reading proficiency (20%); Math and Reading performance (20%); Under- served Student Performance (10%); College Curric- ulum Breadth (10%); and Graduation rate (10%). 3200 3300 3400 3500 3600 3700 3800 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 (estimated) Total Enrollment by School Year 0 200 400 600 800 1000 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade Off campus (various grades) 2020-21 Enrollment by Grade 8 Supt. Witherspoon to retire in June 2022 On September 13, Dr. Eric With- erspoon, ETHS Superintendent since July 2006, announced his retirement for the end of the 2021-22 school year. A lifelong educator, Witherspoon has served as a school superin- tendent for more than 30 years. He began his career as a high school English teacher and went on to serve as director of a gift- ed education program, assistant principal, acting principal, and assistant superintendent. Prior to Evanston, he was superintendent in Hobart and Indianapolis, IN, and in Des Moines, IA, where he was named Iowa Superintendent of the Year in 2001-02. During his ETHS tenure, he received several contract exten- sions from the school board. With equity and anti-racism as the hallmarks of his leadership, Witherspoon led the detracking and restructuring of the freshman experience and the acclaimed earned-honors model that increased rig- or and expectations for all ETHS students. Academ- ic performance rose and enrollment in Advanced Placement courses grew, particularly among stu- dents of color. Over the years, the earned-honors model has been expanded to most ETHS courses. During his tenure, when all Illinois students took the ACT until recently, ETHS’s ACT results reached the highest level in the school’s history for nine con- secutive years. With a focus on career and college readiness, opportunities for students expanded to prepare them for life after high school, including students in therapeutic day-school programs. Under Witherspoon’s leadership, ETHS has been consistently recognized by U.S. News and World Re- ports and The Washington Post as ranking in the top 2-3% of all high schools in the nation. The College Board also named ETHS one of the eight Inspiration Schools in America. Long a proponent of equity in education, Wither- spoon has worked to provide professional staff training using an equity lens to facilitate conversa- tions about race and identity while re-examining policies, procedures, and practices. During the pandemic, Wither- spoon made sure high-quality re- mote instruction and innovative ways to educate students were in place. He ensured that all were informed as the district moved to reopen the school safely. The district has earned a balanced budget every year since Wither- spoon came to ETHS, annually winning top national budget and accounting awards, and receiving the coveted AAA bond rating. Striking a balance between preserving ETHS’s his- toric architecture and creating a 21st-Century learn- ing environment, Witherspoon ensured that facility upgrades and long-term strategic initiatives bene- fit students for decades to come. By careful fiscal planning and partnering with the ETHS Foundation and Alumni Association, he has focused on students having access to unprecedented resources such as a Geometry in Construction site, science labs and research center, literacy lab, planetarium upgrade, wellness center, athletics/physical education spac- es, entrepreneurship center, the Hub student suc- cess center, labs for auto technology, advanced manufacturing and engineering, and auditorium upgrades. Witherspoon is widely known for being student-cen- tered. Highly visible, he regularly connects with all students, throughout the day, in cafeterias and at school events. He also works with community lead- ers and local organizations to increase community involvement with the school. “It’s a great day to be a Wildkit” is more than a saying for Witherspoon; he embraces the special meaning of being part of the ETHS community. He shared video messages with the staff, students, families, and the community to thank everyone for their support throughout his years at ETHS. Witherspoon will continue to work this year to tran- sition leadership after the school board selects a successor. He plans to remain in Evanston and take an active role in serving the community. 9 ETHS transitions back to full-time reopening It finally happened! On August 16, ETHS reopened school to students, full-time and in person. In March 2020, due to the pandemic, all Illinois schools switched to remote learning from home. Following the Covid science, ETHS administrators chose to continue with remote learning until spring of 2021. As Covid metrics declined and vaccinations increased, on April 14, ETHS went to a hybrid mod- el—part remote, part in-person—for the rest of the school year. That process began on a smaller scale with the opening of summer school. Approximately 1,200 students attended—wearing masks and sitting in desks three-feet apart—including 600 incoming freshmen in orientation classes. But this fall, school is much different from busi- ness as usual. Given the difficult year experienced by the entire ETHS family—Covid, economic loss, racial trauma, enforced isolation, and loss of life— much thought went into meeting the needs of the affected individuals: the students, their families, teachers, and staff. And having everyone return to a space that is humane, built on a “foundation of love, empathy, and support,” is the New Normal, said Dr. Marcus Campbell, Asst. Supt./Principal. The most dramatic changes include: • wearing a mask throughout the day inside the school • using a block schedule to provide larger amounts of instructional time for more experi- ential, hand-on learning (85-minute blocks) • fewer disruptions and transitions each day (10-minute passing periods) • eliminating semester exams to allow more teaching time and less stress for learning • clearing all detentions and tardies from stu- dents’ records to give them a clean start when they return • focusing on restorative vs. punitive practices regarding discipline that help students take re- sponsibility for their own learning. But, the humanizing efforts, rooted in equity, are equally important and long lasting. Students re- turned to school with varying degrees of emotional disconnection, so a primary focus has been on their care and wellbeing, building relation- ships and a sense of belonging, and creating communi- ty in the classroom efforts that will be embedded in the curriculum. In ad- dition, teachers will be supported throughout the school year as they help students rein- tegrate into school and thrive during the year. Outreach to students and families of color and ac- knowledging their feelings of trauma are particu- larly important. Efforts will continue to help these students and their families reconnect with school through home visits and personal phone calls. Campbell has also convened a group of partner or- ganizations, including District 65 and Northwestern University, to develop a mentoring model that sup- ports Black male students in both D65 and 202. ETHS learned the value of current structures and practices during remote learning—academic sup- port programs, use of backchannels for students and teachers to share feedback, democratic class- room training that honors student voice, and keep- ing the full complement of course offerings. To measure the impact of the changes, the admin- istration has developed a multi-year plan to gath- er data to better understand what is working and where more support is needed. The research plan will hear from students, teachers, staff members, and families about their experiences reintegrating back into ETHS. The analysis will use surveys, focus groups, observations to measure classroom interac- tions, and review of semester grades and gradua- tion readiness. 10 ETHS celebrates 12 years of “going green” This year, ETHS is celebrating its 12th-year anniver- sary of going green—literally. Each fall since 2009, ETHS has daily served students and staff about 3,000 pounds of organically grown produce harvested from a school lot at Dodge Ave. and Davis St. From late August to November, and during summer school, the cafeterias offer home- grown lettuce, root crops, greens, herbs, cucum- bers, tomatoes, and even edible flowers. Dubbed the Edible Acre, the empty lot began as a joint venture with The Talking Farm, a local urban agricultural-educational organization. At the time, it was a learning lab for students in the Horticulture and Senior Studies courses, and the Green Team and Community Service Club, which built and main- tained the 5,000-square-foot plot. After three years, Urban Agriculture replaced Hor- ticulture, where students learn sustainable agri- cultural practices as the primary caretakers of the ETHS “Edible Acre” garden. In stepped Kim Minestra, ETHS Nutrition Services Di- rector, who felt there was more the school could do to expand the harvest in the Edible Acre. “I worked with Matt Ryan [former Talking Farm’s Operations Manager] to create a crop plan so we could get as much harvest out of it as possible.” More raised beds were built, more crops were planted, and the school’s empty greenhouse became a winter seed- bed for lettuce, herbs, and other vegetables. “It’s now year-round production,” said Ryan. The growing venues have also expanded. In 2016, 25 apple trees were planted near the ETHS foot- ball field—now named the Edible Orchard. During summer 2018, ETHS added 14 raised beds adjacent to the orchard, creating an additional 900 sq. ft. of growing space dubbed Edible Acre 2. Students are integral to the success of the school’s Local Garden Program. Ryan works with Urban Ag- riculture teacher Ellen Fierer using the greenhouse and Edible Acres as classrooms. Students in the Community Service Club can work in the gardens to fulfill service hours. ETHS hires students in the city’s Youth Employment Program to work in the gardens throughout the summer. Both Edible Acre plots use organic farming practic- es that prohibit the use of any synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. ETHS has become Natural- ly Grown Certified and has earned Wildlife Habitat Certification through the National Wildlife Federa- tion “by providing essential elements of a wildlife habitat including food, water, cover, and places to raise young,” said Minestra. The program extends beyond ETHS. District 65 con- tracts with ETHS to provide lunches for its students. During the pandemic, which shut down all Illinois schools for over a year, the ETHS nutrition staff pro- vided “Monday Bags” to families that lacked access to school-based meals. Each week, up to 150 bags were prepared that contained seven days of break- fasts and lunches (e.g., PBJ sandwiches, fruit, pro- duce, etc. and milk). Any family could pick up a bag, no questions asked. In addition, romaine lettuce from the gardens is used to make salads for the Evanston’s award-win- ning Summer Meal Program at nine local day camps. Any additional produce is sold to faculty, staff, and school board members during a 24-week summer/fall Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. “This allows ETHS staff to support the garden,” said Ryan, “and leaves no waste.” This summer, ETHS partnered with local businesses to include discounts or coupons, samples of fresh pe- sto or salsa, local unprocessed honey, “or just fun perks,” said Minestra, to add to the CSA boxes. Going green has been a cost-saver for ETHS. By growing its own food and expanding its growing venues, ETHS has annually saved up to $20,000 in fresh organic produce. Amaya Bonn, at left, pruned cherry tomatoes while Karel Pene watered zucchini this summer in the Edi- ble Acre on Dodge. 11 On July 3, 2020, ETHS basketball players brought the national social justice movement home to Evanston. Beginning at 7am, the team, current and alumni players, and many other ETHS alums paint- ed “BLACK LIVES MATTER” in vivid yellow capital letters along Dodge Ave. in front of the school. The project was initiated by four varsity players on the current boys’ team: Elijah Bull, Jaylin Gibson, Isaiah Holden and Blake Peters. Messages went out across the country to all ETHS boys’ basketball play- ers over the past 10 years inviting them to come back and participate in painting the mural. Local artists assisted with planning the mural proj- ect, which was done with the blessing of the ETHS administration, basketball coaches and staff, and the City of Evanston. Everyone wore masks during the day-long event, and lunch was provided by a lo- cal Evanston restaurant. On September 29, the Evanston City Council unani- mously approved a resolution renaming a portion of Dodge Avenue “Black Lives Matter Way” between Church and Lake Streets. The honorary designation was granted after an application was submitted by ETHS Head Basketball Coach Mike Ellis and Ald. Pe- ter Braithwaite (2nd), ETHS 1988. The street name designation will be displayed for 10 years. Black Lives Matter Way official at 1600 Dodge Photo by Frank Montagna Automotive technology is changing. A new indus- try trend is turning from gasoline power to electric. While ETHS has an advanced automotive lab, stu- dents didn’t have a way to learn about servicing electric vehicles…until now! In September 2019, the Career and Technical Edu- cation Department and ETHS Foundation partnered to obtain an electric vehicle kit and instruction- al materials. The kit is designed to be assembled, tested, driven (by the instructor in the ETHS parking lot), disassembled, and prepared again for the next school year. Tom Sprengelmeyer, Automotive Technol- ogy teacher, received extensive training with Switch Vehicles, the company that de- signed the kit. The Covid shutdown in 2020 delayed the introduction of the project for a year, but some of his students in summer 2021 were able to construct the car’s frame and paint it (ETHS orange!). Sixteen students in Sprengelmayer’s 2 Auto Tech- nology course are building the car during first se- mester 2021 and will continue into second semes- ter. Along with seats, the plastic windshield, and other relatively easy installments, the students will tackle installing brake lines, electronics, the pow- er control system, drive train, and more. They will also undertake the exacting process of balancing the battery. ETHS students build electric car Evanston Township High School District 202 1600 Dodge Ave. Evanston, IL 60201-3449 Website: www.eths.k12.il.us Facebook: facebook.com/ETHSD202 Twitter: @ETHSWildkits YouTube: youtube.com/ETHSWildkit The ETHS Foundation is the development department for ETHS. In partnership with District 202 and the Alumni Association, it is the primary source for advancement at ETHS. It is through the generosity of alumni, parents, and community partners that we are able to sustain the EQUITY & EXCELLENCE that is the pride of our Wildkit family near and far. On behalf of our students, we are grateful to donors who last year contributed $3.1M of support. ETHS depends on private contributions to the ETHS Foundation to build innovative learning spaces and provide resources that set students up for success with college and careers. When students arrived in the fall, they were welcomed back to a vibrant campus: THE ETHS LITERACY LAB The re-designed and expanded ETHS Literacy Lab opened in September thanks to the generous support of alumni and friends who provided over $600,000 for renovations, teacher training, technology, and resources. Unique comfortable furnishings and the latest technology make this new learning space inviting for the over 200 ETHS and D65 students who benefit from literacy empowerment annually. DYNAMIC LIGHTING AND SOUND - ETHS AUDITORIUM Student music and drama performances will be even more phenomenal with endless possibilities for lighting and sound design! The ETHS auditorium has been newly equipped with grid lighting, an oversized projection system, a digital sound board and theatre quality speakers to provide clear, amplified sound. Now stagecraft students will have hands-on experience with industry standard equipment. STUDENT ASSISTANCE During the pandemic, ETHS was able to meet critical student needs and that support is continuing, includ- ing Kit Care baskets delivered to students who were struggling with mental health issues and personal challenges, internet hot spots, registration fee forgiveness and an emergency fund for families in need. ALL GENDER LOCKER ROOM A bright new locker room provides privacy and a welcoming equitable space. If you would like to learn more about the ETHS Foundation or join our donor roll, go to supporteths.org or call 847/424-7158.