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Alignment Collaborative for Education - ACE

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Hanover Township Recognition

On Saturday, April 12, Hanover Township hosted its annual Supervisor’s Community Service Award Breakfast.  The Alignment Collaborative for Education was awarded Outstanding Organization of the Year nominated by the Streamwood Park District. 

We extend our sincere thanks to Jeff Janda, Executive Director of the Streamwood Park District, for the nomination, Brian McGuire, Hanover Township Supervisor, and the Hanover Township trustees for this recognition. Alignment was proud to be among several outstanding organizations recognized for its impact and dedication to Hanover Township and the communities it serves.

Elgin and Streamwood Seniors Experience Job Opportunities in Heavy Equipment Maintenance at ALTORFER CAT

Seniors from Elgin and Streamwood high schools’ automotive programs joined Altorfer CAT on March 24 to tour the East Dundee facility to learn more about the ThinkBig program.  This apprenticeship program combines work and school benefiting students with paid work time in Altorfer’s facilities while also earning their associates degree. Students begin by enrolling in the program in applied science at Illinois Central College attending eight weeks of classes followed by an eight-week, paid internship experience starting at $18.50 per hour.

At the completion of the associate degree program, students selected for full-time employment receive a 50% reimbursement of tuition costs and after three years of employment, they receive the remaining 50% reimbursement.  Graduates receiving job offers from Altorfer can expect their hourly rate to increase substantially to over $30 per hour upon completion of the ThinkBIG program.

The Alignment Collaborative for Education, Northern Kane County Region 110, and School District U-46 greatly appreciate the Altorfer team and the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) making this experience possible for these students as they prepare to graduate in May.

Sophomore and Junior Postsecondary Day reaches over 4,200 students!

District U-46 High Schools

More than 25 universities, colleges, and organizations joined Alignment and School District U-46 for the Sophomore and Junior Postsecondary Virtual Day on March 4. Reaching the largest number of students to date, 4,238 individual students attended the event with university and college admissions staff and visiting faculty. Students received information about FAFSA, learned about program admission and apprenticeships at Elgin Community College, and also had the opportunity to learn about corporate-based apprenticeships from Zurich Insurance. Students received advice from U-46 alumni now in college, learned about military service, along with student athletes receiving assistance in NCAA eligibility.

Thank you to the following colleges, universities, and organizations for partnering with Alignment and U-46 to offer the Sophomore and Junior Postsecondary Day:

Aurora University

Bradley University
DePaul University

Elgin Community College

Elmhurst University
Grand Valley State University

Harper College

Honest Game – NCAA Academic Eligibility

Illinois State University

Judson University
Lincoln College of Technology

Loyola University

Marquette University
North Central College

Northern Illinois University
Purdue University

Southern Illinois University

Universal Technical Institute

University of Dayton

University of Illinois Chicago

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Iowa
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin Whitewater

U.S. Armed Forces

Western Illinois University
Xavier University
Zurich Insurance

Thank you to all the volunteers from these organizations who made this event a huge success, as well as to our Alignment partners from the U-46 Postsecondary Success Team, Elgin Community College, and Northern Kane County Region 110, who facilitated 32 different sessions for students.

Alignment Partners Recognized for Contributions to Our Schools, Community, and the State

Business Partner of the Year

Alignment Collaborative for Education was named Business Partner of the Year by School District U-46 as part of the Elgin Area Chamber Annual Meeting. Alignment and U-46 partnering together provided career education and work-based learning opportunities to approximately 10,000 students in U-46’s eight middle schools and five high schools. Alignment staff accept the award from U-46, joined by partner representatives from Elgin Community College, First Mid Bank & Trust, KCT Credit Union, and Nicor Gas.

IACTE Administrator of the Year

Terry Stroh, EFE Director, Northern Kane County Region 110 was named Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE). This award each year recognizes the individual that leads efforts and partnerships that deliver innovative, unique, and effective career and technical education programs across the State of Illinois.

IACTE Teacher of the Year

Matt Erbach, Precision Manufacturing Teacher, South Elgin High School, was named Teacher of the Year by the Illinois Association of Career and Technical Education (IACTE). This award each year recognizes the individual that has demonstrated innovative learning opportunities for students that promote dedication and improvement in how career and technical education programs are designed and delivered in our schools, communities, and the state.

Seniors Share How Internships Change Trajectory of Life After High School

2025 Internship Host Breakfast

Alignment, Northern Kane County Region 110, and ECC Celebrate Industry Host Partners

Partnering with Northern Kane County Region 110 and Elgin Community College, Alignment hosted its first Internship Recognition Breakfast for all organizations hosting summer interns in 2024. More than 100 guests attended the event at ECC with 41 organizations honored for hosting the 146 students that participated in the program during 2024. The event also attracted more than a dozen organizations interested in learning how they might become an internship host site in 2025.

Six student interns from Central, Dundee Crown, Hampshire, Larkin, and Streamwood high schools shared how their internship experiences shaped their future career plans as they prepare to graduate in May.  Industry representatives from Advocate Sherman Hospital, Bartlett Police Department, Bob Loquercio Auto Group, Elgin State Bank, Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc., Hoffer Plastics, and West Side Tractor discussed their internship model with prospective companies describing how their organizations designed the internship opportunity to meet the minimum 60 hour requirement for students to receive academic credit combined with students being paid for those hours.

Gina De rosier Cook, Dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Elgin Community College, announced a second year of Take Back the Trades grant funding to sponsor 75 high school students this year, a 50% increase from 2024 along with funding provided by corporate partners, municipalities, the United Way Elgin Neighborhood Network, Elgin Township, the Seigle Foundation and investments by School Districts U-46, 300, 301, and recently committed St. Charles Community Unit School District 303. Terry Stroh, Director, Northern Kane County Region 110, predicts that with this funding base and the support of the business community, 200 students could be placed throughout the region’s industry sectors to include automotive, business, culinary, engineering, financial services, health care, heavy equipment, manufacturing, municipal services, and welding.

Alignment and Northern Kane County Region 110 are working to identify all internship opportunities with completed position descriptions by March 3, 2025 opening the application process to 11 high schools by March 10, 2025. If your organization is interested in offering internships for Summer 2025, please contact Nancy Coleman at colemanace@align4edu.org or Terry Stroh at terry.stroh@central301.net for further information.

For highlights of the Breakfast, please see Rick West’s Daily Herald article ‘We really are changing lives’: Internship program helps students make post-high school plans

Alignment Welcomes New Elgin Neighborhood Network Facilitator

Alignment Collaborative for Education is pleased to announce the addition of Parker Thompson as the Elgin Neighborhood Network (ENN) facilitator as it expands the ENN focus to include additional community needs such as public health, food and nutrition, housing, transportation, and education, as well as continuation of future workforce development initiatives.

Parker recently joined Well Child Center as Senior Program Manager. He will support the ENN as well as lead Well Child Center’s programming focused on the expansion of behavioral health support and services through one of the largest Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programs in Illinois. His responsibilities include support for a grant-funded program focused on the integration of mental, human, and health services support.

In his facilitator role of the Elgin Neighborhood Network, Parker’s responsibilities will include building and maintaining relationships across the greater Elgin area and convening various stakeholder groups, such as the Elgin Human Services Council, to review the needs of the community and help identify priorities for the Neighborhood Network Steering Committee.  

Parker brings over a decade of experience in non-profit management and program implementation. Prior to joining Well Child Center, Parker founded and led the community based nonprofit Elgin Community Bikes, which provides community programming and works with local and regional government on equitable transportation and planning policy. With a passion for community health and equity, Parker will be implementing Well Child Center’s Connections: Integration of Maternal Mental Health Support and Services, as well as supporting the growing efforts of the Elgin Neighborhood Network.