New Lace Program Promotes Lifelong Love of Reading

Teachers showcase favorite books through "Reading with the Stars" book club.

It’s not too often you see a roomful of kids crossing their fingers and saying prayers that they’ll get to read a book. But that’s exactly what happened Thursday during Lace Elementary School’s inaugural meeting of “Reading with the Stars,” a new afternoon reading club.  Third-grade teachers Bonnie Bucholz and Michelle Greco held a raffle to pick which 10 kids would get first crack at reading “Swindle,” a new addition to the Lace library chosen by Principal Marty Casey. Each month during the school year a different “star,” or teacher, will pick a book and read a few passages to the kids to pique their interest in the selection.  Already, every staff member — including the lunchroom ladies — has chosen a favorite kid-friendly book as a “Red…

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10 Years Later

Snapshot: Lace Elementary School Pays Tribute to 9/11

District 61 teaches students respect for those who serve the U.S.

Only the very oldest students at Lace Elementary School this year — the fifth-graders and a handful of fourth-graders — had been born on Sept. 11, 2001. But the students paid tribute Friday to the lives that were lost and the lives that were forever changed that day by each placing an American flag, nearly 600 in all, by the school sign on Cass Avenue. “With kids this age, you want to honor the day, but you want to make it age appropriate,” Lace Principal Marty Casey said. “This way, they get to do something meaningful. It frames it in the correct terms so they can go home and have a conversation with their families.” Teaching respect for those who serve the U.S. — in the military and as firefighters and police officers — has been a …

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Lace Students Learn the Power of Kindness in Anti-Bullying Initiative

Students will get bi-weekly lessons this year in treating each other with respect.

Ugonna said she was up to the challenge—putting all the toothpaste back in a tube her classmate Dylan had just squeezed out. If the fifth-grader succeeded, former Eisenhower Junior High teacher Dean Rodkin said she would give Ugonna a $50 bill. Despite a valiant effort, Ugonna couldn’t do it. While the toothpaste freely came out when Dylan squeezed the tube, it gathered in gobs around the opening when Ugonna tried to force it back in. A similar thing happens with words, Rodkin said. “Once they’re out, they’re very difficult to take back,” she said. Rodkin shared the message Friday during a Lace Elementary School assembly, which kicked off a yearlong anti-bullying initiative. Lace Principal Marty Casey said that while the school doesn’t …

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No Summer Break for Darien Administrators

Even though school's out, administrators still punching the clock.

For students, summer break often means long days at the local pool, chasing the ice cream truck down the block and later bedtimes. But for administrators, the quieter hallways don’t mean a drop in workload. Instead, principals are hard at work during the hot season preparing for the upcoming school year. “There are many organizational items to complete during the summer,” said Lace Elementary School principal Marty Casey. Some of that work includes hiring new staff members, completing a master class schedule, creating and developing a plan to implement goals for the upcoming school year, registering new students, and readying the buildings for the students, which can include both major and minor repairs. “It is my hope that that the school…

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Lace Principal Marty Casey Gets a Pie in the Face

Make that about a dozen pies in the face.

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PHOTOS: District 61 Honors Maj. Provenzano with Reception

Friends and family gathered at Lace School Tuesday to thank Maj. Marc Provenzano for his service in Afghanistan.

Two weeks after Maj. Marc Provenzano returned from his second tour in Afghanistan, District 61 continued the celebration Tuesday with a reception in the Darien soldier's honor. Students and parents, along with members of the state and local VFW posts, packed Lace Elementary School's gym to wish Provenzano and his family well. Provenzano and his wife, Dena, have four children who attend District 61 schools. "Maj. Provenzano is truly a gentleman that walks the walk and puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to defending our country," Lace Principal Marty Casey said. Provenzano said that he's still overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he received both during his nearly 11-month deployment and since his return. He urged the …

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Lauren Williamson

12:09 pm on Wednesday, January 26, 2011

You're welcome, Ron!   more ›

VFW Post 2838 Recognizes Lace Teacher for Civic Education Efforts

VFW Post 2838 recognizes Bonnie Bucholz for the way she instills civic pride in her students.

Many elementary school students know they have to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day before school starts. Bonnie Bucholz makes sure her 3rd grade students at Lace Elementary know why. Bucholz, who has been teaching at Lace Elementary for 11 years, was recently given the Citizenship Education Teacher Award by VFW Post 2838 in Darien for her work promoting civic responsibility and patriotism in the classroom. Around Darien, Bucholz is well known for her commitment to instilling citizenship and patriotism amongst her students, which is why Post 2838 member and Iraq war veteran Matt Goodwin said she was the obvious choice for the award. "[The award] is meant to recognize teachers who go above and beyond the normal curriculum with …

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Lace Educators Named Teachers of the Year

Janet Boslett and LeeAnne Lewis prioritize strong relationships in their fourth grade classrooms.

Celebrities are used to people they don't know approaching them on the street to say hi. But for Janet Boslett and LeeAnne Lewis, fourth grade teachers at Lace School, it's a new experience. "When we walk down the hall, little kids who don't even know us tell us congratulations," Boslett laughed. "The other day, one said, 'Congratulations, Teacher of the World!'" Boslett and Lewis may not have been named Teachers of the World—yet—but the Darien Walmart did recognize them in October as Teachers of the Year for the 2010-11 school year. For Boslett and Lewis, who have taught together in District 61 for 20 years, it's a humbling experience to be recognized. "There are a great number of people who work very hard at this school," Lewis said. "I …

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