Pictured Members of KC’s Postsecondary Agricultural Student team with members of the KC board of trustees. Front row (L to R) Dr. Dee Boswell, Jack Mays, Linda Stover, Hannah Ehlers, Campbell Hill; Haley Gregson, Waterloo; Taylor Snow, Greenville; Bree Smith, St. Rose; Emilia Langel, Greenville; Cady McGehee, Okeechobee, Florida. Back Row (L to R) Laura Wedekemper, Bill Hawley, KC Interim President, George Evans; Bill Waggoner, KC Ag Instructor; Brock Irwin, Belvidere; Morgan Olbrich, Harvard; Kade Gambill, Sandoval; Shaylee Clinton, Ina; Josh Kelly, Trenton; Aaron Heinzmann, KC Assistant Professor of Agriculture.

The KC Board of Trustees approved a resolution proclaiming the month of April as “Community College Month”, recognizing the role college’s such as KC play in providing high quality educational opportunities at affordable costs in locations accessible to all students. KC interim President George Evans said, “Community colleges like Kaskaskia College are the first step for many students achieving their career goals and beginning their educational journeys, as well as providing workforce training, serve as the engines for economic development and provide numerous social and cultural activities for our residents.” During the month KC will be hosting open houses at its education centers around the district. The public is invited to attend any, and all to learn more about what KC can do for them.

April 2 – Nashville Education Center from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

April 11- Greenville Education Center from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

April 12 – Trenton Education Center from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

April 17 – Vandalia Education Center from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

April 18 – Salem Education Center from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

April 30 – KC Main Campus from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Prior to the start of the meeting the board recognized KC’s Postsecondary Agricultural Student team that just competed in the National PAS competition in Louisville, Kentucky, taking home two, team national championships and seven individual national award winners.

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Artist: Tejaswi Achanta, age 14, Eighth Grade, Westfield Middle School,
Bloomingdale District 13, Bloomingdale, IL

"The arts and humanities teach us who we are and what we can be. They lie at the very core of the culture of which we're a part." --

Ronald Reagan, 40th U.S. President, Illinois native, 1911-2004

The Illinois State Board of Education is promoting March as "Youth Art Month" with the theme "the ARTS Make History Come Alive" to coincide with the Illinois bicentennial 1818-2018. This year's poster contest winners will be recognized at the 70th Annual Illinois Art Education Association Fall Conference November 10th in Bloomington-Normal. All of the winning artwork can be seen by clicking here.

Some Lessons the Arts Teach:

1. The arts teach children to make GOOD JUDGMENTS about qualitative relationships.

2. That problems can have MORE than ONE solution;

3. Complex forms of problem solving; and

4. Small Differences can have Large Effects.

Photo by Thinkstock

According to an article By Evonne Liu of Crain's Chicago Business, DuPage County remains the healthiest county in Illinois, followed by Kendall, as reported in the annual rankings. Clinton County from our area is ranked number 8. 

The rankings are a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. This is the ninth year the institute has released them.

HEALTH OUTCOMES
The report has two parts: "Health Outcomes" looks at length of life and quality of life, with the length-of-life measurement focusing on premature deaths.

The report's quality-of-life factor is measured by "self-reported health status," which includes the percentage of people reporting poor or fair health conditions and a person's number of physically or mentally unhealthy days in a month, and is also measured by the percentage of newborns of low birth weight, an indicator of infant mortality risk. Another consideration in the report is maternal exposure to health risks.

DuPage scored the No. 1 spot in the health outcome ranking, which it also landed last year.

The collar counties scored higher marks than Cook County in the health outcome ranking: McHenry County landed the No. 5 spot and Kane improved from No. 12 to No. 7. Will County was ranked No. 9, up from No. 11, while Lake County fell to No. 10 from No. 6 last year.

HEALTH FACTORS
The report also ranks "Health Factors" in each Illinois county, with those factors including health behaviors, clinical care, and social, economic and environmental factors, such as people's drinking and exercising habits. Other factors include obesity, access to health care, crime rates, child poverty and air pollutions.

DuPage also ranked No.1 in this ranking, while Cook County moved up from last year's No. 77 spot to No. 72. Kendall County improved year-over-year from No. 6 to No. 5; Lake County improved from No. 10 to No. 6 this year.

McHenry County dropped from No. 7 to No. 9; Kane County dropped from No. 25 to No. 30.

The report noted that Cook County improved in areas including premature deaths, alcohol-related driving deaths, and child poverty and teen births. Negative trends for Cook County included obesity, sexually transmitted infections and income inequality, according to the ranking.