The 301

It's always difficult to say goodbye to the folks we work with throughout the years. Take a listen as Dr. Stirn and Pam Israelson reflect on their careers at Central 301.

Great podcast with key members on the district Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee. Listen to what they are planning for our teacher Institute Day as well as the first ever Culture Blast.  We talk with Dr. Mongan, several go-getter students, and Ms. McGuire about the work this committee is doing.  The future is bright for our Rockets!

In today's episode we explore our thoughts and feelings about managing screen time for kids.  As parents of digital natives, we discuss that the struggle is REAL, and as teachers of digital natives, we see the struggle in our classrooms.  How can we reduce our own screen time in an ever changing world?

ChatAI just took the media by storm, raising the alarm for some educators, while being embraced by others.  We talk about what this new technology is and as educators how we feel about it.  

We sit down with two students to talk about all the fun planned for CHS Homecoming 2022!  Don't miss out on the details.

Meet our new Prairie Knolls Middle School administrators, Matt Newquist and Megan Minehart, principal and assistant principal respectively.  Take a listen to their journeys to 301 and their hopes for PKMS.

Welcome to Season 5 of The 301!  We are excited to get back into "All Things Central 301" this school year.  Join us on this episode as we introduce two new Central High School administrators, Patrick Podgorski and Cambron Culpepper.  

This episode finds us talking to Class of 2006 Central student, Max Metz Jr., the Manager of School and Teacher Programs at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.  We always love to catch up with past students to see where their journey has taken them, and Max has definitely had a journey full of exciting experiences and learning.  Take a listen as we talk about how his time at Central shaped him into the educator that he is as well as dive into the amazing educator programs and resources available though the Shedd Aquarium.  

This episode lands us squarely talking to some very interesting folks!  We sit down with our own resident professional filmmaker, Mr. Matt Bilen to discuss the exciting new opportunity he is providing for students at CHS.  In our second segment, we wanted to talk to a few students involved in our student podcast we help to produce, Sincerely, Gen Z.  What a refreshing conversation with these students!

Hey, hey.  It's Stacy Reagan and Michael Doyle here to share the 301 happenings.  This episode we sit down with new middle school teachers Kimberly Braddock and Heidi Williams to introduce them to our 301 community and get to know them better.  Take a listen.

Join us for this episode as we sit down and introduce the new 6-12 Curriculum Director, Lindsay Sharp!

We sit down with D301 Superintendent Dr. Todd Stirn and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Esther Mongan to talk about the 21-22 school year.  We walk through our Covid 19 Mitigation strategies for the year, new hires, district growth, and the Student Online Privacy Protection Act (SOPPA)  Lots of information to kick start your year!  Take a listen.

Take a listen to 2 of our finest teachers who are retiring this year as they reflect on their long careers in the district.

This episode we sit down with Kim Lewis, Assistant Principal of Student Services at CHS to talk about the upcoming mandated testing and scheduling for next year.  This is a great episode with information for teachers, parents, and students!

Covid 19 hasn't held back our Fine Arts Department in Central 301!  Take a listen to how 4 educators are putting their creativity to use in finding ways for 6-12 students to still participate in the performing arts.  We sit down with Christine Heckman and Sarah Castro (CHS) to discuss the work going into the high school play and musical.  And then we sit down with Jonathan Piel (PKMS) to talk about how he is creatively facing the challenges of middle school performances.  Lastly, our own Michael Doyle has taken on the challenge at CMS to provide an enriching experience for students there as he writes, directs, and produces an episodic radio play.  

Need a little boost in these murky times?  Take a listen to the second installment of our series on 2020: The Year in Review.  This episode we sit down with Janice Kotwica, dean's assistant, Noelle Carani, kindergarten teacher, and Kelly Rupprecht, math teacher.  

Need a little boost in these murky times?  Take a listen to our series on 2020: The Year in Review.  this episode we sit down with Amy Lawrence, 4th grade teacher, and Kerri McCastland, assistant principal.  

We wanted to do something light, so we decided to sit down with four teachers to talk about their Halloween favorites!

The 301 sits down with Dr. Esther Mongan to answer your questions regarding the opening of the 2020-2021 school year.

We sit down with Dr. Eric Nolan to talk about a variety of topics.  Did you know Dr. Nolan is a CHS alum?  Listen to him talk about his experiences as a Central student and now his time as a parent of Central students.  We also delve into how to help students experiencing mental health and anxiety issues.

This week we sit down and chat with Central's School Resource Officer, Kane County Sheriff, Tom Durham.  SROs are in every high school in Kane county.  If you've ever wondered about the important role they serve, take a listen.  

Take a listen to our session on podcasting at IDEAcon 2020!  

This episode we sit down with Kane County Educator of the Year nominee, Scott Parola.  Scott is a CMS math teacher and coach in CCUSD 301.  

It's 2020! To kick off the new year, we are planning to interview our own Central High School students who are doing amazing things outside of school.  This installment includes senior Isabella DiPiazza who talks about her experience as a youth advisor to our state representatives.  Following Isabella is Central 301's Social Emotional Learning coordinator, Kate Vincent.  Kate sits down with us to talk about what Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is and what her role is this year in the district.

We are excited about this episode.  First we talk to Shar Farran, handler of Adeena the Comfort Dog through Lutheran Church Charities.  Adeena is a regular at CHS during lunch hours and also has traveled extensively to help comfort those in need.  Our second segment takes us to Country Trails Grade School where we chat with third grader Maiyah Kee and her father Reggie Kee about her endeavors to become a published author. Her book The Colorblind Justice League was written and illustrated by this bright young lady!  And lastly we sit down with Dr. Melissa Leisner, ELA teacher at Prairie Knolls Middle School to talk about an author visit she arranged for her students.  The students read a verse book by Jasmine Warga, and the author visit added an extra dimension for our students in learning about empathy.  Thanks for listening!

301 families check out our latest podcast.  WE sit down with Jeff Nesseth and Christine Heckman about the upcoming fall musical, Guys and Dolls.  This is a great family-friendly event happening right here at CHS.  And then we sit down with high school guidance counselor Megan Marciniec to talk about the registration process for course selections for next year.  This segment is a MUST listen to for students and parents for great information.

In this episode, we talk with high school counselor, Brian Melvin, on Making College Count month at CHS.  Students and parents can learn about valuable information when it comes to applying for college.  In the second segment we sit down with Dana Nohling and Jasmine S, a life skills student, to talk about the CHS Barista, and how these students are learning important skills that reach beyond the classroom.  And finally, let's get physical.  We talk with 301 PE teachers Neil Wallner and Sarah Jackson about the importance of physical education at the elementary level.

Find out how Prairie View Elementary is Rocking Kindness, new timelines for Advanced Placement testing at CHS, and how Lily Lake starts the week by saying Hello Week.  

In this episode we interview our two new elementary math coaches, Erica Snyder and Rachel Priola.  In our second segment, we interview our two student council sponsors and student council president and vice president about the upcoming homecoming week at CHS.  Lastly, the month of September is suicide awareness and prevention month.  Find out how our student services department is supprting our school community.