South Cook News

At its March 13 meeting, the the Flossmoor School District Board of Education  recognized several students for their achievements.

The Board first discussed the District 161 Spelling Bee held at Parker Junior High School, as 2023 marked the first year that the district was able to hold the event in person instead of virtually since the pandemic. The spelling bee is highly competitive, with students studying and practicing before and after school and taking a written spelling exam to qualify. Elementary school students qualify if they were one of the two top spellers in their buildings during the earlier December Spelling Bee.

The January District Spelling Bee had the top 19 students from grades four through eight compete in a two-hour competition that lasted 11 rounds. The winner was Jacob, a fifth-grader from Heather Hill Elementary School, and the runner-up was Charles, a fourth-grader from Western Avenue Elementary School. Jacob was entered into the South Cook Regional Spelling Bee, in which he competed against 28 other top spellers from the area and won tenth place.

The Board also recognized the Parker Junior High School boys' basketball team led by Coach Ronald Wright. The team was a repeat of their seventh-grade season and had a strong season that led to them attending the Illinois Elementary School Association state basketball tournament. Wright stood in attendance with players Anthony, Asa, Christian, Jeff, Jeremiah, and Ryan.

"This was an incredible ride. Excellent young men," Wright said. "I had the privilege of coaching them for two years. It's rare when I get to have a seventh-grade team that felt they should have went further. And then they got hungrier and hungrier and they worked harder and harder and they did everything I asked them to do. And they excelled at a high level. Many of them are still in the classroom as well. So I'm extremely proud of this group."