Wrapping up the school year

Doug Oleson
Posted 4/17/19

In the words of principal Chris Lewis, Rochelle Township High School is going to be “a very busy place” the next few weeks as the current school year comes to an end.

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Wrapping up the school year

Posted

ROCHELLE — In the words of principal Chris Lewis, Rochelle Township High School is going to be “a very busy place” the next few weeks as the current school year comes to an end.
“If you don’t have anything to do, you should come out,” he told the crowd at the RTHS monthly board meeting Monday night. Ironically, the crowd mainly consisted of this year’s senior class who were required to be at the meeting.
Besides regular sports events, the activities include a Vocal Jazz Night, April 25; Ag Day, April 26; Prom, April 27; Jazz Band Showcase, May 4; RTHS Honors Night, May 6; Choir and Band finale, date to be set; and Graduation, May 25.
There are also a number of activities for students only, including: a senior class meeting, April 29; an End of the Year Assembly, May 17; graduation practice, May 24; final exams, May 28-29; and Summer School, June 3 to July 12.
Another event that is open to the public is the board’s reorganizational meeting, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. April 24 in the high school library.

RTHS Superintendent Jason Harper told the board, by law, it has to meet between 14 and 28 days after the last election since three members were elected to the board. The board couldn’t officially conduct the meeting Monday night, he said, because they have to wait until the results of the election have been certified, which are expected to happen this week.
Besides the new members taking the oath of office, the board will elect its officers.
One big event that will not be open to the public is an Active Shooter Drill on Saturday, Oct. 19.
According to Harper, the drill will include members of the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department, the Rochelle Police Department, First Responders, the Rochelle Hospital, and members of Dixon law enforcement, who experienced a real shooting incident at Dixon High School last year.
Harper, who said he’s been looking into such a drill for some time, added that the drill falls in line with the school’s focus on safety and security.
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said a Table Top Discussion will be held in July to work out details of the drill, which is still very much in the planning stage. Only top officials will be at the discussion, he said, and not “the boots on the ground.”
Both VanVickle and Harper said the RTHS campus will be shut down for that day and no extra-curricular activities will be held.
VanVickle said a similar drill was held in Kings last year “on a much smaller scale” as part of the process of preparing the area in case an actual shooing takes place anywhere in the county.