Riley CCSD 18

his week’s Level Up recipient is Mrs. Long! Over the years, Mrs. Long has played an important role in helping our students Level Up. As a junior high teacher, she sets high expectations for her students and challenges them to push themselves. She believes in holding her students accountable while providing the support they need to succeed. We often hear compliments from Marengo High School about how prepared our students are when they arrive as freshmen. Mrs. Long plays a huge role in that success. It’s common for students to thank her for pushing them to be better. This was evident at the Veterans Day Program at the high school when many former Riley students flocked to connect with our teachers. Mrs. Long has also Leveled-Up outside of the classroom! A longtime basketball player and coach, she has traded in that side of her career for a whistle and a patch as an official for our basketball games. She is committed to being a fair and consistent official on the court, making sure the teams play the game right while learning along the way. Mrs. Long makes a difference in and outside of the classroom for our students!

This week’s Level Up recipient is Mrs. Felde. We want to thank Mrs. Felde for the many different hats she wears at Riley School. This week, she not only ran the kitchen but also loaded her bus with her students, along with the basketball team, when we were short-handed. She chartered our music department students to Drury Lane for a production of Annie. She tends the Riley garden and runs our scoreboard. Mrs. Felde is always willing to lend a helping hand in almost every corner of the school because she understands the tradition, pride, and togetherness that this community has. She is committed to Being Here, Being a Good Person, and helping us do what we want to do after working hard. Mrs. Felde is usually one of the first people at the school and is often one of the last to leave. She also helps our students become good people by reinforcing Riley values wherever she goes. Whether she’s safely crossing a railroad track while driving the bus, keeping a fair clock during a home game, or rallying our students for the Riley Cheer, she finds ways to make a positive impact. Thank you, Mrs. Felde, for your high expectations, your wonderful presentations, and for helping raise good citizens!

These three amazing people among many others, step in at a moment’s notice to support Riley School. One of our Level-Up expectations is to “Be Here” and our substitute teachers help make that possible when staff members are sick, have family needs, or attend professional development. We are grateful for the flexibility, reliability, and peace of mind Mrs. Snelgrove, Mrs. Coffman, and Mrs. Kunde provide. Their willingness to jump in helps keep classrooms running smoothly and ensures our students continue learning. We are fortunate to have such a DEDICATED team of substitute teachers at Riley! To ALL of our substitute teachers, THANK YOU for Being Here, Being A Good Person, and making a difference for our students and staff. For you ALL have Leveled-Up!

This week’s Level-Up recipient is Nicole Adler. Ms. Adler has had quite the week! She kicked it off by running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, demonstrating what it means to do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do. Through her dedication to training and perseverance in Sunday’s unexpectedly warm weather, she modeled for her students that hard work pays off when you push through challenges. We also appreciate Ms. Adler’s thoughtful approach to identifying interventions and meeting students’ needs at every tier. We understand that the MTSS process is a work in progress, and we value her willingness to try different approaches while working through an unconventional schedule.

A little bit of rain did not stop the students of Riley from having a great time running the Pumpkin Run today!!

Congratulations to Mrs. Borhart for being recognized as this week for “Leveling Up”. Mrs. Borhart levels up every week and Riley School is lucky to have her. She brings constant creativity to her classroom while always maintaining the highest expectations from her students. This week she drove the idea of having Riley School participate in the Marengo Settlers’ Day Parade. We were the “Little Engine That Could,” but many of our community members and students were excited to see Riley School in the parade! Her passion and excitement for our community is what it means to Level Up!

Congratulations to the students who were recognized on Friday for Leveling Up in the month of September!!

5th grade took a trip to Starved Rock today. We hiked and learned about the animals and plants that are both native and invasive to the area, how the glaciers shaped the land and about how Starved Rock got its name. It was a great day!

Congratulations to Mrs.Lyons for being recognized this week for "Leveling Up". She has done a tremendous job of setting the tone in her classroom by modeling and instilling expectations with her students. Her classroom climate is calm, and her kind yet firm demeanor is paying dividends. Her willingness to master her craft and collaborate with others is what it takes to Level Up.

This week we are recognizing Mrs. Schueler for "Leveling Up". Mrs. Schueler has worked hard to engage students in the curriculum. The 4/5 wing is filled with student created informative work and has come to life. She also has worked hard to build connections with her students by being proactive in recognizing their needs.

Great things were happening around school today. Kindergarten made apple play dough and 6th grade learned how to use a dial caliper!

Congratulations to Mrs.Wessel for being recognized this week for "Leveling Up". Mrs Wessel has brought innovative assessments into the classroom, invested in personal growth and she consistently works to build community relationships.

Congratulations to Mrs.Turner who was recognized this week for "Leveling Up". Mrs.Turner has an incredible knack for jumping in and taking action before anyone even thinks to ask. Thank you for always taking initiative and showing us what it means to level up every single day!

Congratulations to Mrs.Zont for being recognizable on Friday for "Leveling Up". Mrs.Zont has offered guidance to new staff members, has shown leadership and always goes above and beyond to make Riley a better place to learn.

What a great first day of school we had today!!

Our summer cleaning crew was treated to lunch today as a token of our appreciation for all their hard work over the summer. Thank you for all that you did to help get Riley ready for the new school year.

At this month's school board meeting, the Riley Board of Education recognized the retirement of Leticia Gomez. Letti worked at Riley from 2007-2026. Thank you Letti for everything you did during your years at Riley.

What a treat the Riley staff had to celebrate the end of the school year. Thank you to Superintendent Grey and to Dave Engelbrecht for coming over with hot dog cart! It was delicious!!

Riley School welcomes Megan Lyons to the team. Here is a note from Megan. Hello Riley! My name is Megan Lyons, and I will be a fourth grade teacher at Riley next year! I have worked in the Schaumburg school district for the past three years as an academic interventionist and a 5th grade teacher. I have lived in Marengo for the past two years with my Fiancé and our cat. I am so excited to be a teacher at Riley elementary, and can’t wait for this upcoming school year to start!