Please join us as we celebrate and thank our teachers, staff and administrators during Teacher Appreciation Week and throughout the year.
We appreciate all that they do to champion student success!
Community Partnerships
Robert (Bob) Malm recognized by the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce
Non-Profit Volunteer of the Year, 2024
The Alignment Collaborative for Education (Alignment) nominated Bob Malm as one of the Elgin Area Chamber’s Volunteer of the Year at the annual Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce Thanksgiving recognition held on November 26, 2024 at Elgin Community College. Bob and his wife Carolyn have been role models of the community for over a decade. Passionate about workforce development and community, Bob has worked tirelessly to ensure students and families have the resources needed to prepare for future economic and social success.
Bob began his service mindset in the military followed by years of service with the City of Elgin and later retiring to help the business community with workforce development. During that time, Bob became a chief advocate of Alignment encouraging the community to invest in middle and high school students preparing them to graduate academic and career ready. Bob continues in this leadership role and has for over five years served on Alignment’s Operating Board and currently chairs Alignment’s Educational Pathways A-Team. Under his leadership, Alignment reached a milestone of serving over 10,000 students in 2024.
Bob believes in the power of education to change lives and to shape the future prosperity of a community, the region, and the state. It is befitting to be able to recognize Bob for the many contributions he has made to Alignment and the Elgin community.
Giving Thanks for Our Partners
As we celebrate this season of gratitude, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your generous support and partnership. Your continued commitment has made a significant impact, and we are truly grateful for all that you do.
Wishing you a joyous and peaceful Thanksgiving filled with warmth and happiness!
To learn more about the impact of your support, please review our interactive Annual Report highlighting our 2024 results.
As you generously give on Giving Tuesday, we kindly ask to be remembered, as your support continues to make a meaningful difference in our shared mission to prepare students to be academically and career ready.
The future of our workforce depends on it!
Zurich Hosts Second Annual Tour for U-46 Students
Thank you to Junior Achievement (JA) and Zurich Insurance for hosting the second annual Zurich Insurance tour for students from Bartlett, Larkin, and Streamwood high schools. Approximately 80 students spent the day at Zurich touring the company’s headquarters and learning about its apprenticeship programs. Previous U-46 graduates currently working for Zurich served as tour guides for the event along with JA and Zurich employees leading workshops in “It’s My Future”.
Alignment and School District U-46 continue to have strong partnerships with both JA and Zurich. Nancy Coleman, Alignment’s executive director, described the partnership as ” a shared mission between Alignment, JA, and Zurich to expose students to the corporate world and the steps necessary to be successful in that workplace. This partnership is long standing as evidenced by Zurich providing employment opportunities for U-46 graduates as a result of the three partners working together to help prepare students for the future workforce.”
Alignment and Business Partners Serve Over 10,000 Students
Alignment concludes the 2023-2024 school year serving over 10,000 students from School Districts 300, 301, and U-46. Partners from across the region have come together to support preparing students to graduate academic and career ready. We salute our school administrators, teachers, students, and business partners for a job well done!
Highlights include:
- Alignment designs First Responder Pilot Internship Program partnering with the Bartlett Police Department, Hanover Park Fire Department, and Hanover Township Emergency Services.
- District 300 students complete Advocate Sherman and the Well Child Center Medical Rotation Pilot Internship Program.
- Bartlett, Elgin, South Elgin and Streamwood high schools receive Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) Foundation high school recognition certification.
- Fifty-two (52) organizations recruited at the annual Senior CTE Job Fair attracting 549 students.
- Edgar Montes graduates with the Elgin Leadership Academy Class of 2024.
- Summer Internship Program attracts over 300 student applications from School Districts 300, 301 and U-46.
- Alignment joins Larkin CTE teachers to congratulate graduates and parents recognizing them for their CTE program completion.
- Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110 judge the Bartlett STEM Showcase admiring the students’ creativity and technical expertise.
Nine regional high schools to participate in CTE Senior Job Fair on April 18
More than 800 students expected from Districts U-46, 300 and 301
Nine high schools from School Districts U-46, 300, and 301 will participate in the upcoming CTE Senior Job Fair on April 18, 2024, at Elgin Community College (ECC). Hosted by the Alignment Collaborative for Education and Northern Kane County Region 110, an expected 800 students will visit with more than 50 employers representing the automotive, business, culinary, education, engineering, healthcare, manufacturing, information technology, and welding industry clusters.
Students will also have the opportunity to meet with ECC’s Admissions, Financial Aid, and Student Support representatives as some plan to graduate in May and transition to ECC by August choosing both to work and go to school simultaneously.
This event in its fourth year gives students the opportunity to graduate with industry credentials earned in the high schools’ career and technical education (CTE) programs to immediately transition to the local workforce gainfully employed. “These students have a career plan upon graduation deployable to some of the best companies in the region offering upward mobility as experience grows.” shares Nancy Coleman, Alignment’s executive director.
Thank you to the following sponsors and exhibitors for making this event possible. We look forward to hearing that these students go to work in the greater Elgin area and the region.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
AED Foundation
Advocate Sherman Hospital
AT&T
City of Elgin
Elgin Community College
Elgin Sweeper
Elgin Township
Exelon
First Mid Bank & Trust
Grand Victoria Foundation
Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc.
Hoffer Foundation
KCT Credit Union
David and Sandy Kaptain
Lauderdale Electric
Nicor Gas
Seigle Foundation
United Way Metro Chicago
Wolko Design Group
Thank You Exhibitors
Advocate Sherman Hospital
Altorfer CAT
Aperion Care Fox River
Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital
A-TEC Ambulance
Avantara
Bartlett Park District
Black Diamond Plumbing & Mechanical
Bob Loquercio Auto Group
Boys and Girls Club of Elgin
Bria of Geneva
Business and Career Services Inc.
D300 Human Resources
D301 Human Resources
ECC Culinary Department
ECC Apprenticeship Program
ECC Ophthalmic Technician Program
ECC Welding
ECC WIOA program
Elgin Sweeper
Fox Valley Internet
Golden Corridor Family YMCA
High Point Dentistry
High Voltage Electric
Highland Oaks of Elgin
Hoffer Plastics
John B. Sanfilippo & Son (Fisher Nuts)
Judson University
KCT Credit Union
LifeLine Ambulance
Lincoln College of Technology
Luna Cakes
Manpower
MAPEI
Nicor Gas
NIU – PLEDGE Program
NIU – School of Family and Consumer Sciences
Northwest Special Recreation Association (NWSRA)
Official Finders
Potbelly
Rosati’s/Rosati’s University
Standard Equipment
State Farm
Streamwood Park District
U-46 Human Resources
U-46 Plant Operations
U-46 Transportation
UTI
Village of South Elgin
Well Child Center
West Side Tractor Sales
Wintrust Bank
ACE is a member of the Alignment USA communities of collaboration and collective impact.
