Graduation practice is tomorrow, Friday, May 16th, at 9:00 in the high school gym. Seniors must bring their caps and gowns to graduation practice. Seniors must attend graduation practice to walk at graduation on Saturday. Students will enter through the main office.
If you have not turned in your Chromebook & charger, please get that to Mr. Wherley tomorrow as well.
Graduation is this weekend on Saturday, May 17th, at 2:00 in the high school gym. Seniors need to arrive at the school by 12:45 on Saturday. Seniors will park in the back parking lot and enter through the cafeteria entrance (Door J). Cap and gown pictures are in the cafeteria, beginning at 1:00. Everyone MUST get their picture taken.
Doors will open at 1:30 for families and guests. All spectators will enter through Door A1.
Opportunity for students and parents/guardians of students entering college! Please see the description of the webinar below. This webinar is FREE and available live or on demand.
"SoFi’s Annual Preparing for College Webinar Series for High School Counselors and the parents of college-bound students concludes this month with our final webinar, Financing Your Student's Education, which will be held on Thursday, May 22, 2025 5pm PT / 8pm ET. This informative session will include information on Federal and Private Student Loan options available for financing a student’s education."
Sign up for free at the following link:
https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&eventid=4891557&sessionid=1&key=D8BD2A1991872437E2B440AD1966B894&groupId=6019440&utm_term=&utm_campaign=_032024&utm_medium=LCM&utm_source=ISL&utm_content=&sourcepage=register
ICMS will hold their Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 21st at 1:30. Doors will open at 1:15.
Invitations are being passed out to students who will be receiving an award.
Yesterday, ICGS Music Teacher Mrs. Wrigley & the 5th grade students performed for the rest of the grade school. The 5th graders have been learning to play the ukulele recently.
All of the kids did a great job!
Here is a link to their performance: https://youtu.be/sSI9fN25qoE
Tomorrow May 14, Illini Central schools will dismiss at 2:00 for school improvement meetings.
Chesnut Health Systems is seeking parent/guardian feedback. Please complete the following survey if you would like to provide them with any feedback.
Below is a survey link for parents, which gathers feedback on the best methods of Alcohol Campaign material distribution for the 2025-2026 school year.
Parent Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y55NKP6
Thanks!
We are excited to announce that next week is our annual Pennies for PWS week at ICMS, sponsored by the Illini Central PWS Society! This is a special time when our school community comes together to raise awareness and funds for Prader-Willi Syndrome by supporting the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research.
In addition to supporting PWS, this year we are also coming together for a cause very close to home. Two of our ICMS students were recently involved in serious accidents and required stays in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Thankfully, they are on the road to recovery, but the financial burden on their families is significant. We would like to extend our support to them as part of our fundraising effort and show them how much their school community cares.
Monday’s dress up day will be PJ’s for Parker and Paxton and all funds raised on Monday will go directly to the families .Students will bring $1 to dress up each day, but can donate more if they would like.
We are looking forward to a fun and impactful week! Let's see what we can accomplish when we all work together!
FYI...Mason City Swim Team sign up is this Saturday.
More information on the graphic.
In the last week, two of our Illini Central Middle School students have been seriously injured in accidents. Paxton Kelsey, 7th grade, was involved in a go-kart accident, and Parker Swaar, 8th grade, was wounded by a shot put. Both boys required extended hospital stays and extreme medical bills. In addition to Paxton's injury, his family recently lost his mother and had to postpone her services until he was released from the hospital.
At Illini Central, we take the phrase, "We Are IC" to heart, and we want to support these two boys on their road to recovery.
On Monday, May 12th, ICMS students can wear their pajamas to school for a minimum donation of $1.
This week, ICHS students are competing to collect the most money. The teacher who collects the most money will have a bucket of ice water poured on his or her head. If the winning teacher collects $250 or more, the principal, Mrs. Baugher, will also have a bucket of ice water dumped on her head.
The money collected from these fundraisers will be divided between the two boys. Anyone wishing to donate may also drop off cash or checks in the Illini Central Middle and High School office.
We recently learned that Mason City National Bank has set up an account to support Paxton and his journey to recovery.
Please consider donating to support our IC family!
Congratulations to Kaidy Carlin, Kenley Garcia, Caleb Stender, and Aiden Cleary for being our PBIS students of the month for the month of April!
Alliance Community Bank of Mason City and Illini Central High School are pleased to present Taylor Keihn with the April Student of the Month Award. Taylor receives an Amazon gift card from Alliance Community Bank and an Amazon gift card from the Illini Central High School faculty for demonstrating outstanding character.
Taylor is the daughter of Travis Keihn, Stephanie Tuttle, and Jason Tuttle.
Her classes this year are Nursing 101, Resource Management, Advanced Biology, Current Events, and Dual Credit English.
Taylor is involved in several activities at ICHS. These include softball, volleyball, basketball, poms, student council, National Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta. Taylor is also active in the community. She is an umpire and referee for Little League sports.
Taylor will attend Lincoln Land Community College in the fall. She plans to study exercise science
Congratulations Taylor!
Just reminder about these 3 events that are coming up in the next two weeks and each of them will be live streamed at the links below:
ICHS Awards Day Monday May 12th @ 1 p.m.: https://youtube.com/live/eYB45WnAHx0?feature=share
Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony Saturday May 17th @ 2 p.m.: https://youtube.com/live/BW8oPmbKh_M?feature=share
8th Grade Commitment to Graduation Wednesday May 21st @ 6:30 p.m.: https://youtube.com/live/t885ymLk2FQ?feature=share
Forms for this summer's Illlini Central Cougar Baseball Camp at the high school field were sent home yesterday with the ICGS students. ICMS & ICMS students can find the forms outside of the HS/MS office.
Students entering grades 1–12 are welcome to participate!
Please note that shirts will be ordered at the end of the school day on May 23rd, so forms should be turned in before then. (Extras will be available to purchase.)
Completed forms can be returned to the Pre-K mailbox in the GS workroom.
The form can also be found at this link on the Illini Central website: https://5il.co/3femb
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at kwort@illinicentral.org.
Many have asked how to support the Swaar family after Saturday's accident, and here are a few ways:
-A savings account has been set up for Parker Swaar at the Alliance Community Bank in Mason City
-A GoFundMe page has been set up here: https://gofund.me/996e4793
-Donations can also be dropped off in the Illini Central Middle and High School office
The family appreciates all the support as Parker has a long road to recovery.
#WeAreIC
Here are the Illini Central Grade School April/May Students of the Month.
Congratulations to each of these terrific kids!
Front Row: Haylen Damm- 2nd, Briggs Lynn- 1st, Linkin Christensen- 2nd, Oliver Jackson- 3rd, Alexis Rice- Kindergarten, Charlie Cooper- Kindergarten, Bryson Tillquist- Kindergarten
Back Row: Roman Miars-3rd, Brady Jones- 4th, Alex Hall- 5th, Aiden Poyser- 5th, Atticus White- 4th, Lilly Malone- 2nd, Aubrey Jeckel- 3rd
Not Pictured- Simon Francis- 1st, Scarlett Skelton- 1st
Illini Central is coming together in support of our eighth-grade student, Parker Swaar, who suffered a skull fracture when accidentally struck by a shot put during our recent track meet. He's receiving excellent hospital care, and while his condition remains serious, we're encouraged by the early signs in his recovery journey.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Parker and the entire Swaar family during this incredibly difficult time. The district is fully committed to supporting them however we can throughout Parker's recovery.
Counselors are available at school for any student needing emotional support. Parents should contact us if their child needs these services.
We're conducting a thorough review of all safety protocols for our athletic events. Safety remains our highest priority.
We appreciate the community's concern and support for Parker and his family, and ask everyone to respect their privacy during this challenging time.
The seniors did a great job at their Reverse Career Fair yesterday. They all have bright futures ahead of them!
The seniors did a great job at their Reverse Career Fair yesterday. They all have bright futures ahead of them!
The seniors did a great job at their Reverse Career Fair yesterday. They all have bright futures ahead of them!
Illlini Central Schools will dismiss at 11:30 on Wednesday, 4/30.
The PreK will have their Transportation Day during the morning hours, and busing is not provided. The Cheesed Out Food Truck will be on site!
The Seniors will present their Reverse Career Fair, showcasing their plans for the future. The fair will be open to the public from 8:30 to 11:00, so stop in and see what our seniors will do with their futures!
Grade School students are encouraged to "Dress for the Future" and dress as their future career.
Last but not least, tomorrow from 4-7 p.m., the first annual Illini Central STEAM Fair will be showcased throughout the building. It is also an open house, so feel free to stop by and see the new addition if you haven't already.
#WeAreIC