Superintendent Update Apr. 23, 2021

To view past superintendent updates, please click here. To view weekly updates online, please visit our District Updates archive on our website.

We are thrilled to announce the hiring of a new Principal for Urbana High School. On Tuesday, April 20, the Board of Education approved Mr. Taren Nance as our next high school principal. Mr. Nance is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, and he is currently serving as an assistant principal in Pennsylvania. Mr. Taren Nance is a community-centered school leader who has established life-long relationships with students, faculty, staff, parents, and community stakeholders across the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Mr. Nance’s service-leadership style has led to school-wide positive transformations. He has served multiple years of administrative experience at elementary, middle, high school, and alternative schools on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He is excited to relocate to Urbana and start working with students as soon as possible. We are working with Mr. Nance to schedule a meet and greet to introduce him to the Urbana community. We will share event details once they are finalized. If you would like to see our Board of Education welcome Mr. Nance to Urbana, click here to view the April 6 Board Meeting (11:20). Go Tigers!

National Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated during the first week of May every year. This year we are celebrating our teachers, May 3-7, 2021. Our schools are also planning their own special treats and/or celebrations. If you want to participate, I encourage you to reach out to your PTA/PTSA for more information. As a District, we are looking forward to celebrating our fabulous educators throughout the week. We will be launching a social media campaign #ThankA116Teacher as a space to recognize a teacher or staff member who has made a difference in the life of a student or family member. Take a few minutes during the week of May 3-7 to share a post at #ThankA116Teacher to honor your favorite teachers. Keep an eye out on the District’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/USD116 and Twitter https://twitter.com/urbana116.

The Excellence in Teaching Award nominations are due next Friday, April 30th. We have many deserving staff who could be nominated. Please take a few moments to complete the application linked here.

In support of our students and staff,

Dr. Ivory-Tatum,

Superintendent

Our very own Lucia Maldonado, Latino Family Liaison, is being recognized as this year’s recipient of the Community Individual Award by McKinley Foundation. Ms. Maldonado has worked tirelessly to support our Latino families and youth over the years in countless ways, most recently navigating the challenges associated with COVID. We agree with the article, which describes her as a “true community treasure.” Read the full article or register for the virtual recognition celebration on April 29 at 7:00 p.m. click here.

The Virtual Parent Academy will occur on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. All Urbana families and staff members will receive the Virtual Parent Academy Website on the morning of Tuesday, April 21, 2021, via email. The Virtual Parent Academy is divided into two different web pages: one page that lists all of the sessions and one page that includes resources for topics families requested more information about via the Virtual Parent Academy Survey that Dionne Webster sent all families in February. We hope you are all able to join us for this event! https://sites.google.com/usd116.org/urbana116educationalresources/virtual-parent-academy-sessions

We will be vaccinating interested 16 and 17-year-olds on Wednesday, April 28. Any Urbana youth who will be 16 years old on or before April 28th are eligible to participate in the clinic. Please follow this LINK to register. USD116 parents, guardians, and staff members are also able to participate in this vaccination event. If you are interested, please sign up following the same Sign-Up LINK to attend the clinic on April 28th.

Dr. Gene Amberg began his career in public education in 1972 as an elementary school teacher in St. Louis, Missouri. He served as superintendent of Urbana School District #116 from 1992 until his retirement in 2007. In 2003, the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation (CUSF) Gene Amberg Excellence in Teaching Endowed Chair was established to honor Dr. Amberg’s leadership and dedication to children and educators throughout his career. Every three years, an Urbana School District #116 teacher is chosen to receive the Gene Amberg Excellence in Teaching Endowed Chair. This recognition comes with a monetary award from the Endowment held by the CUSF.

Nominations may be submitted by: 1) self 2) peer 3) student 4) former student 5) parent 6) supervisor 7) administrator.

There are many deserving USD teachers who could be nominated. The nominations require a letter of support from an administrator, and I hope you will have time between now and the end of April to make a nomination. The deadline is Friday, April 30, 2021, 4:00 pm. Please see the attached information linked here for more details.

Email: contactus@usd116.org
Website: usd116.org
Location: 205 North Race Street, Urbana, IL, USA
Phone: 2173843600
Facebook: facebook.com/usd116
Twitter: @urbana116