Inkspot

The Unit 5 District Office was closed Monday, August 31 for a deep cleaning before reopening on Tuesday.

Unit 5 Executive Cabinet member tests positive for COVID-19; District officials quarantined

September 1, 2020

A member of the Unit 5 Superintendent's Executive Cabinet tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, August 29, according to Director of Communications and Community Relations Dayna Brown. In response to the positive test, multiple Unit 5 Cabinet members -- including Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle -- are quarantining; the next School Board meeting...

Unit 5 announces Return to School plan

July 21, 2020

Unit 5 released the Return to School plan for the 2020-2021 school year Monday afternoon which will be voted on during the July 22 School Board meeting at Normal West. An email sent to Unit 5 families included the Return to School plan and video explaining the available schooling options to ensure a safe learning environment for all students and staff. The video, released by incoming Superintendent ...

Four-year Lady Iron soccer player Courtney Dage ('20) plays during the 2018-2019 campaign.

IHSA cancels spring tournaments

April 21, 2020

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors announced its decision Tuesday, April 21 to “cancel all IHSA spring state tournaments” in a statement released at noon. Though the IHSA has made efforts to keep the slim possibility of a spring season alive, Governor J.B. Pritzker’s decision to suspend in-person schooling forced...

COVID-19 Update: In-person schooling suspended in Illinois through end of year

April 17, 2020

Governor J.B. Pritzker suspended in-person learning in Illinois schools for the remainder of the school year during his daily coronavirus press briefing Friday afternoon. The suspension of in-class learning comes as a result of the 27,575 reported cases of coronavirus in Illinois and 1,072 total deaths across the state. 1,842 new cases of the virus...

IHSA remains hopeful for return of spring sports seasons

April 6, 2020

In response to Governor JB Pritzker extending the ‘shelter in place’ order until April 30, the IHSA has announced that they are hopeful a shortened spring sports season will remain possible. “We continue to support the possibility of our member schools completing both regular and postseason spring sport seasons,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson sa...

Coronavirus Update: “Stay-at-Home” order [3/21 8:00 a.m.]

March 21, 2020

Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker issued a statewide stay-at-home order on Friday, March 20, which will begin at 5:00 pm on Saturday, March 21 and will remain in effect until the end of the day on Tuesday, April 7. Pritzker also announced that all Illinois schools will now remain closed until April 7, with Chicago Public Schools already closed until...

College Board announces AP testing revamp

March 20, 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board has announced a revamp of Advanced Placement (AP) testing. Keeping in line with recommendations for social distancing, there will be no in-person AP testing for the 2019-20 school year. Instead, students will have the opportunity to test online. Tests will be 45 minutes in length and can be taken at h...

Coronavirus Update: Local impact and Illinois’s response [3/20 2:35 p.m.]

March 20, 2020

The McLean County Health Department confirmed McLean County’s first case of coronavirus on Thursday, March 19. The man in his 70s with “no history of travel or exposure” is currently being treated for the virus at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Bloomington, according to WGLT. While preventative measures have already been taken across Illinois to tackle the spread of the pandemic, one essen...

The limited selection of fresh meat products available at Walmart served as an inconvenience for many customers.

Coronavirus impacts grocers shelves [photo gallery]

March 20, 2020

On Thursday, March 19, McLean County Health Department Administrator Jessica McKnight reported the county's first case of COVID-19. The man, in his 70s, is in good condition and being treated in isolation at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal. Before this report, the impact of Coronavirus could be seen at the local level. As Americans grow...

Bob Borchears of Thrivent Financial and Althea Shonn, a nurse at Saint Joe's and mother of Normal Community student Alexandra Shonn ('19), volunteer at the Hyvee pick-up station. The crew also featured Raquel Simmons, a Unit 5 stay-at-home mom (not pictured).

Local businesses partner to distribute free lunches amidst closures

March 16, 2020

A number of local businesses have partnered to create “FeedBlonoKids”, distributing free lunches in an effort to feed local students that are out of school after COVID-19 cancellations. Gill Street Eatz, Healthy In A Hurry and Central Image Car Wraps make up the three primary sponsors, along with a number of other businesses, large and small ali...

Coronavirus Update: Impact on Unit 5 and NCHS [3/16 11:35 a.m.]

March 16, 2020

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has ordered all schools throughout the state closed from Tuesday, March 17 until Monday, March 30 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the unprecedented nature of this situation, Unit 5 has released important information for students and families, which is laid out below. Information as of 3/16 - 11:35 a...

Transcript: Superintendent, Unit 5 district officials address Coronavirus

March 12, 2020

The following is a transcript of recorded statements at the Unit 5 Board of Education Regular Meeting on Wednesday, March 11 at Kingsley Junior High, where Dr. Mark Daniel, Superintendent; Dayna Brown, Director of Communications and Community Relations; and Michelle Lamboley, Executive Director of Special Services, addressed Unit 5's efforts in addressing ...

Co-founders Jathin Nama, Sivani Sayani, and Sunny Shaheen (left to right) present at the Showcase.

Coding meets community

March 9, 2020

Computer Science (CS) Honor Society members presented their projects -- highlighting the impact and importance of computer science and its related fields, while also showcasing members' creativity and community involvement -- during lunch hours on March 5. “The computer science showcase is our yearly community service project that allows members t...

Loving Valentines cards and decorations were made from the eco-friendly paper they created; a positive effort made to spread compassion while helping the planet.

Earth Club’s reusing and repurposing: Valentine’s Day

February 15, 2020

One for you, and you, and you. Walking around the classroom, elementary school students traditionally place their Valentine’s day cards into the decorated shoeboxes of their classmates, saving their favorite for a special someone. Decked out in red, pink, and white paper, the Valentines usually end up thrown away. The widespread wastage of paper...

The athletic trainers utilize the Healthy Roster App to insure a smoother system of treating student injuries.

Athletic trainers implement Healthy Roster

February 14, 2020

The 2019 fall athletic season marked the implementation of the Healthy Roster app into the athletic training program, allowing for improved communication of injury documentation between parents, coaches, and athletes. Through NCHS's partnership with The Orthopedic and Sports Enhancement Center, the trainers are now utilizing the Healthy Roster program. Head...