Founded by The Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, BUILD is non-profit organization pairing high school students with bike-building mentors in an effort to learn valuable life skills while restoring vintage motorcycles. Each team receives a vintage Honda CB 160/175 barn condition motorcycle, a $2000 budget and 100 days to complete the restoration. North Shore Academy has the privilege of having its team mentored by two highly experienced motorcycle mechanics, Jason Koschnitzke and Matt Joy, both from the Chicagoland area. Jason owns his own motorcycle shop in Bridgeport and Matt is a national champion racer, has funded the North Shore Academy team, and will keep and race the bike upon its completion. There are two faculty advisors on the team, Josh Haught and Austin Karpola and four North Shore Academy high school students. The team meets on Tuesday mornings, Thursday evening and Saturdays to work on the bike.

On Thursday May 31, the BUILD bikes will be unveiled at the Iron Horse Hotel, and judged in the following categories: 1) fastest bike based on the Dyno Competition held that day at the hotel; 2) best art bike judged by a panel of local artists; 3) Facebook favorite based on Facebook fan votes and; 4) Best of Show. Additionally, the bikes will be raced at Road America's Vintage Weekend in June and displayed at a myriad of venues over the summer.

The BUILD Motor Mentor Program is a remarkable community partnership for North Shore Academy as it provides a highly meaningful experience and will have a lasting impact for this group of students. The restoration and the competition will provide each of them a great sense of accomplishment in addition to the skills they will learn. While we will take pride in the completion of the bike, we can already see on day XXX that the growth and connectedness we see in our students will be the greater outcome of this program.

Over 75 people came out to Love’s Yogurt in Highland Park this past Sunday (January 29th) to buy Girl Scout cookies from Betsy Soifer, a second grade special education student at Ravinia School who is part of the Educational Life Skills (ELS) program.

With the help of Carrie Culos, Betsy’s special education teacher, Jessica Nienhueser, her speech-language pathologist, and several of her friends from Ravinia School (some of whom are fellow Brownies including Maya Bravy, Caroline Kern and Lexi Aronin), Betsy sold over 100 boxes of cookies in two hours!

 

This event, however, was not about cookie sales. It was about providing Betsy with the opportunity to participate in the tradition of selling Girl Scout cookies alongside her fellow Brownies.

Betsy is non-verbal and uses a special computer, or augmentative communication device, to help her communicate. Using this device, along with adapted materials (including photographs of the various types of cookies being offered), Betsy sold cookies in her own special way. A highlight of the afternoon was a visit from Highland Park Mayor, Nancy Rotering, who spent time talking with Betsy and sharing a photo album from her own days as a Brownie.

Amy Soifer, Betsy’s mother, expressed gratitude to everyone who participated in Sunday’s festivities and who helped make the day so special, particularly to Danny Andelkovic (franchisee of Love’s in Highland Park) who was generous enough to provide the perfect venue for the event.

"It’s heartwarming to not only receive the love and support of our dear family and friends,” says Amy. “But to also see others within our community, people we don’t even know, take time out of their busy schedules to support Betsy in her efforts was incredible. Their kindness was truly overwhelming.”

“We are so proud of who Betsy is and all that she has accomplished,” continues Amy. “But, the real story here is about acceptance. It’s about the love and warmth that Betsy is shown by her friends and the community at large. Their thoughtfulness and generosity will never be forgotten. It was a wonderful day.”

More than 200 high school students from communities throughout the North Shore on Saturday, February 4, 2012  partied the night away at Deerfield High School’s first Valentine’s Day Buddy Dance.

 

Hosted by members of the school’s Warrior Buddies Club, freshmen through seniors from more than a dozen local high schools — including Highland Park, Evanston Township, Niles North, Maine West and Glenbrook North high schools — attended in formal dresses and tuxedos for an evening of dance.

“It was the most amazing evening. It exceeded our expectations,” said Jenna Aronson, a 17-year-old senior from Riverwoods who is the group’s president.

“One of the highlights on the dance floor was a gigantic congo line,” she added. “And there was always a line at the photo booth. The peers and buddies just loved putting on hats, boas and other props in the booth.”

 

The purpose of the Warrior Buddies Club is to form relationships between special education and general education students to provide a peer support system, Aronson said.

Most of the special education students attending Saturday night had never attended a formal dance, even though most know music, said Stacy Wood, an NSSED special education teacher overseeing the event.

“The Buddies just wanted their special needs friends to experience the fun of going to a special event just like they do,” Wood said.

Aronson said club officers came up with the idea last year after attending a Best Buddies prom at Vernon Hills High School.

“It was so amazing that we thought,’Why don’t we try to do this at our school?’” she said. “So when we came back to school this fall, we contacted the school administration and started planning.”
“The whole club — about 90 general education students and seven special education students — were really gung ho about it.”

Club members sold gum and pizza at lunch time and worked the concession stand at basketball games to raise about $1,000 to make the event happen. That not only paid to decorate the cafeteria in a valentine theme, but also covered pizza and dessert. Chicago Party Events donated the photo booth and props. Bizar Entertainment, which provided a disc jockey and music, and IL Forno Pizza, which provided dinner, discounted their services and wares.

“We painted all the girls’ nails for the dance and some of the girls came early in their dresses to get their hair curled. They were really, really, really excited,” said Aronson, who is considering a career in special education.

Rachel Bernstein, an 18-year-old senior, said she couldn’t wait to share all the Miley Cyrus songs with the others.
Claire Morris, another senior, said she was just as excited about wearing a pretty red dress as she was about attending the affair.

 

“All the lights went off and the people were happy,” added Eleanor Bernstein, also a senior. “I was excited to boogie.”

Smiles and giggles continually filled the dance floor, Aronson said.

“There were so many signs of love in the room, from the red heart balloons to the tears in the parents’ eyes, that it was truly one of the best nights of my life,” she said.

In this section of our site you will find links to the many ways in which we provide support and training including workshops, webinars, videos, fact sheets, topical networking groups, and coaching/consultation.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
-Helen Keller

The Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED) has established itself as a leader in special education over the past half century.  As a cooperative, we work in collaboration with our 18 member districts to provide a broad spectrum of educational programming and support services to meet the needs of some of their most unique learners.

We are guided in our work by a dedicated Executive Committee and Governing Board who represent the interests of each of our member districts in serving their students.

The success of our programming is built on our partnerships with families.   Whether they serve on the Association of Parents and Staff,  on one of our Partnership Teams, or give us input through direct conversation with their child’s teacher, parents provide critical insight to help us better serve all students with special needs.  Our work on behalf of all students would not be as rich without these conversations and partnerships.

We are committed to the possibilities in every student.

We help students become successful, happy adults in home, work and community. We provide education that fosters acquisition and utilization of knowledge and skills, meaningful and satisfying interaction with others, appropriate self-advocacy, social conscientiousness and participation, and lifelong healthy lifestyles.

Over the past many years, NSSED has accomplished truly remarkable things for children and youth with special needs – and together we will continue to do more.

Dr. Tim Thomas
Superintendent

Each year students from the NSSED Educational and Life Skills Transition Program learn the importance in becoming conscientious and contributing members of their communities.

With dozens of opportunities to choose from, these students participate in a volunteer outreach program to learn how to give of their time and to demonstrate their abilities to others.

This year the students chose to make blankets for patients undergoing chemotherapy and donate the blankets to the American Cancer Society. “The students know they are helping people and this work takes away from their feeling they have a disability and gives them an ability” says Kim Keller-Eck, one of the teachers in the Transition Program classroom.

The students purchased large swatches of fleece material, measured and cut fringe that was tied. In the process one student learned how to tie as each piece required 40 knots. “We adapt the process of making the blankets so that each student can participate at their ability level. Some students are able to participate in the enter process, including delivering the blankets to the Cancer Society office, while others participated by helping us fold the completed piece”, added Mrs. Keller-Eck.

→ ELS Program Page

→ Transition Page

→ ELS Staff Directory

→ Calendar

 

"‘Volunteer’ not only means someone who comes to school during the day, but also anyone who supports school goals and children’s learning in any way, at any place, and at any time."

-School, Family and Community Partnerships by J.L. Epstein et al., c 2002

 

Strong school, family and community partnerships positively impact student outcomes. A foundational piece to partnership work is a volunteer program that provides meaningful parental and community involvement in helping students achieve their goals.

 → Volunteer Interest Form (Coming Soon)

→ Volunteer Opportunities