Greetings,
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to send a message expressing thanks to everyone who participated or played a part in showing appreciation of our DHS Class of 2020 last week. We appreciate the local newspapers for their special editions, the Educational Foundation for its continued support of our graduates, and to NewWave Communications for helping share out our senior slideshows. Also, special thanks to the Du Quoin State Bank for displaying the lists of the senior and 8th grade classes on their marquee. I know there are many other individuals, families, and businesses who are showing support of our students and it is appreciated.
A reminder that you can still record a special message for a graduate (or 8th grader as well) to be played on WDQN this Friday night starting at 7 PM. A lot of messages have already come in, so if you'd like to join in, call Stephanie Waller at 357-6397, check out the Sunny 97.1 Facebook page, or e-mail wdqnrog@gmail.com. The deadline to participate is Wednesday!
As we near the official end of the 2019-2020 school year, we will be working to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. As you know, Governor Pritzker announced a five-stage plan for Illinois to reopen during and after the COVID-19 pandemic called “Restore Illinois.” The five stages will be evaluated and implemented by regions: Northeast, North Central, Central, and Southern. Our region, along with the rest of the state, is currently in Phase 2 - Flattening. Three testing and hospital resource benchmarks must be obtained before proceeding to Phase 3 - Recovery. You can track the status of these measures at the Illinois Department of Public Health's website here. Our region is on track to move to Phase-3 as soon as the end of this month.
This information and the decisions made at the state level will inform how we are able to conduct our 2020-2021 school year at the local level. We will be using the summer months to be prepared for a number of scenarios and will keep you informed. Rest assured that our Board of Education, administration, faculty, and staff are interested in working together for all students no matter what the circumstances.
Our Board of Education meets on Thursday this week, so in just a few days we will be able to announce the official dates of the rescheduled graduation and promotion ceremonies.
Until later this week, stay safe,