Athletics

Happy Saturday, Illini Central Cougar fans!

We have 3 events on this beautiful August weekend.

First up...the ICMS Cross Country team gets their season started with a trip to Williamsville for the Jr. High Sangamo Meet beginning at 9 a.m.

Here is this year's team:

Front Row: Lily Husen, Weston Allen, Wyatt Allen, Kinsey Liesman & Samuel Clark

Back Row: Paxton Steel, Spencer Schrick, Paxtyn Clark, Jaci Allen, Emmett Onken, Emily Onken & Coach Darcy Toland

Not pictured: Brendley Sarff

Team photo provided by "N" Focus Photography

ICMS Lady Cougar Softball
🥎 v. the Athens Lady Warriors
🚨Regular Season Game
📍Mason City
⏰ 4:30 p.m.

Promo created by The Class V's Megan Hughes
Action photo provided by "N" Focus Photography

Illini Central has contracted N Focus Photography as our sports photographer this year. While she takes pictures of individual athletes and teams for a fee, the district wanted every athlete to have access to pictures at no cost. The district is paying her to provide action photography at one game for each sport with the intention of taking pictures of all athletes, and as part of the district's contract with N Focus Photography, parents and athletes get access to these pictures free of charge.

Links to the school-sponsored events will be shared as they are completed. So far, we have ICMS Baseball and ICMS Softball galleries ready for families to view and download. When sharing on social media, please be sure to give credit to N Focus Photography.

Baseball: https://nicoledixon.passgallery.com/-icmsbaseballgamecoverage/gallery
Softball: https://nicoledixon.passgallery.com/-icmssoftballgamecoverage/gallery

Today, the Illini Central School District was placed in “secure” status. Administration was contacted by Mason City Police to enter “secure” due to the pursuit of armed burglary suspects headed from Menard County towards Mason City. The suspects were apprehended and placed under arrest. We thank the following departments for their collaborative efforts in ensuring student safety: Mason City Police Department, Athens Police Department, Menard County Police Department, Logan County Police Department, and the Secretary of State Police Department.

The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Our school has adopted The “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP), which provides clear, consistent language and actions for responding to a variety of emergencies. Students and staff are trained and will regularly practice these procedures so that everyone knows how to respond quickly and appropriately.

The SRP includes five specific actions:
Hold – “In Your Room or Area” - Used to keep hallways clear during situations such as medical emergencies. Students stay in their classroom or area until given the “All Clear,” and learning continues as usual.
Secure – “Get Inside. Lock Outside Doors” - Called when there is a safety concern outside the building (e.g., police activity in the neighborhood). Everyone comes inside, doors are locked, and activities continue indoors.
Lockdown – “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” - Used if there is a potential threat inside or very near the school. Students move out of sight, remain silent, and do not open the door.
Evacuate – “To a Location” - Used when it’s safer to move students and staff to another location, such as during a fire or other hazard inside the building.
Shelter – “Hazard and Safety Strategy” - Used for specific hazards like tornadoes, earthquakes, or hazardous materials. Students follow the appropriate safety strategy (e.g., drop, cover, and hold for earthquakes).

During a Secure or Lockdown, it’s generally safest not to come to the school, and no one will be allowed in or out of the building. Law enforcement and school staff need to focus on safety and securing the situation. Communication with your child may be limited during the initial stages of a Lockdown. As the situation resolves, students may be able to update parents. In some cases, students may be moved to another site for reunification. We will provide instructions as soon as it is safe to do so.

Please know that our first priority is to make sure all students are safe, and then we will focus on communicating with parents and families. You may not receive notification for brief or low-risk situations (e.g., an animal on the playground), but we will notify families during more serious or extended incidents. Drills will be conducted regularly so students and staff can respond confidently in real emergencies.

For more details, you can review the full Standard Response Protocol Parent Guide here: http://iloveuguys.org. The graphic included is the same graphic that is displayed throughout our building.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our school community safe.