Upperclassmen from 22 area high schools, including 19 in Lake County and 3 in McHenry County, are able to choose to receive specialized technical and vocational training at the Lake County High Schools Technology Campus in Grayslake, adjacent to the College of Lake County. Founded in 1977, the vocational campus annually provides career technical education to between 1600 and 1800 high school juniors and seniors from the affiliated schools and districts, said Derrick Burress, principal.
Once they have completed their high school educations, students who have completed their high school electives at the Technology Campus generally go on to receive further education at the College of Lake County or at a four-year university, Burress said, because most jobs today require post-secondary education or credentialing of some kind and usually continuing education beyond that.
Three class sessions are offered each day at the Technology Campus and the session a student attends is determined by their home school which provides transportation to and from the campus at 19525 W. Washington St., Grayslake.
“Back in the mid-1970s educators in Lake County realized the need for career education, but they also understood that multiple districts needed to band together to offer those courses because it is hard to run a class at Grayslake North, for instance, when only five students are interested in automotive technology,” Burress said.
“But if you have five students interested from multiple different schools, you can run a “consortium-style” class that will be beneficial to the larger community and to the interested students,” he added.
So, area districts banded together to build a centrally-located technology campus on land owned by the College of Lake County. Technology campus tuition for students is paid by the home schools and there is minimal cost to the individual student.
The expensive equipment necessary to teach these types of courses was paid for through state and federal grants,” Burress said, and the superintendents of all of the participating Districts serve on the Campus’ Board of Control.
“All of our sending schools are advocates for our programs and afford students the opportunity to attend any program they may be interested in. We promote our offerings through our Future Quest after school program for eighth graders and by making in-school presentations to sophomores at each high school we serve,” Burress said.
Program offerings range from automotive collision repair and automotive service to welding and fabrication; from certified nurse assisting to medical assisting; and from construction skills and management to laser technology. Others are encouraged to explore careers in cosmetology, early childhood education, firefighting, criminal justice and multimedia design. Courses in a total of 18 different career paths are offered and students may choose to explore more than one in the search for their true callings because the high school years are considered the ideal time for that kind of exploration.
It is also worth noting that many of the students enrolled in these courses work with members of the public as part of their coursework, providing needed services as a byproduct. For instance, about 60 preschoolers attend the campus’ preschool where students write the lesson plans and engage with the children. Tuition is much less expensive than a standard preschool.
Cosmetology students encourage friends and strangers alike to make appointments for manicures, facials and haircuts and colorings so that they can perfect their techniques. Monday through Friday appointments in both the mornings and afternoons are available by calling cosmetology instructor David Marks at (847) 223-CUTS.
Automotive service appointments are also available to the public by calling Automotive Services Instructor Jack Wilson at (847) 543-6047.
Those stopping by the school for service appointments may also take advantage of the student-run delicatessen where food service students plan menus and prepare the offerings.
“Our most popular programs are cosmetology and auto services, which attract approximately 200 students per year. Next in popularity are criminal justice and early education with between 130 and 150 students enrolling in those. Most of the other programs attract between 75 and 150 students per year. And since Tech Campus should be an opportunity for all students, we always encourage non-traditional enrollments like girls taking auto services and boys exploring cosmetology,” Burress said.
“We encourage all students to explore and dive into any area that interests them. Almost all of our coursework offers dual high school and college credit at the College of Lake County. Many students graduate from high school with three to nine hours of CLC credit and that is particularly valuable since approximately 50 percent of our seniors go on to enroll at CLC in pursuit of an associate degree,” he added.
In all of the different subjects, Technology Campus staff members encourage lots of career exploration by bringing knowledgeable speakers into their classrooms, offering several field trips each year and suggesting that students take part in job shadowing, internships and externships. Career fairs at which students can get interview experience are also a staple.
And faculty members are constantly being updated on new trends and technology in their various fields by members of the advisory board who are still active day-to-day in their industries.
Financial assistance to students who need it to pay special fees or to participate in competitions is regularly offered by the Mother’s Trust Foundation in Lake Forest.
PRESCHOOLS & DAY CARE
4-Kids Childcare Learning Center
61 Center St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 548-4386
www.4kidsclc.com
College of Lake County
19351 W. Washington St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 543-2053
Footprints Preschool
231 E. Belvidere Rd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-8600
Gloryland Preschool
607 W. Belvidere Rd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 548-0112
www.glorylandpreschool.com
The Goddard School – Waterstone Place
34638 N. Hwy. 45
Third Lake, IL 60030
(847) 543-9075
Kindercare Learning Center
709 N. Lake St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 548-9374
Lake County High Schools Technology Campus
19525 W. Washington St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-6681
Little Lake Learning Station
33205 Hwy. 45
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 886-4525
Medallion School Partnership/Champions
17368 W. Gages Lake Rd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 680-6487
www.medallionsp.com
Old School Montessori
144 Commerce Dr.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-9606
www.oldschoolmontessori.com
Peppermint Stick Preschool & Children’s Center
40 S. Whitney St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-0611
www.peppermintstickcc.com
Precious Lambs Preschool
285 Washington St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-4111
www.preciouslambs.org
Schoolhouse Preschool
(Wildwood Park District)
33325 Sears Blvd.
Wildwood, IL 60030
(847) 223-7275
Wildwood Presbyterian Church Preschool
18630 W. Old Gages Rd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-0186
www.wildwood.presbychurch.org/preschool
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Community Consolidated School District 46
Superintendent: Ellen L. Correll
www.d46.org
Board meetings are held at 7 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of each month. Visit www.D46.org or call the district office at (847) 223-3650 for the location of board meetings, as meeting locations alternate among the schools.
Avon School
(K-4th grade)
1617 N. Route 83
Round Lake Beach, IL 60073
(847) 223-3530
Meadowview School
(K-4th grade)
291 Lexington Ln.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-3656
Prairieview School
(Pre-K-4th grade)
103 E. Belvidere Rd.
Hainesville, IL 60073
(847) 543-4230
Woodview School
(K-4th grade)
340 N. Alleghany Rd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-3668
Frederick School
(5th-6th grade)
595 Frederick Rd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 543-5300
Grayslake Middle School
(7th-8th grade)
440 N. Barron Blvd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-3540
Park School Campus
(K-8th grade)
400 W. Townline Rd.
Round Lake, IL 60073
(847) 201-7010
Woodland Consolidated School District 50
1105 N. Hunt Club Rd.
Gurnee, IL 60030
(847) 596-5600
www.dist50.net
Woodland Primary School
(Early childhood, at-risk & Kindergarten)
17366 W. Gages Lake Rd.
Gages Lake, IL 60030
(847) 984-8700
Woodland Elementary
(1st-3rd grade)
17261 W. Gages Lake Rd.
Gages Lake, IL 60030 (East)
(847) 984-8800
17371 W. Gages Lake Rd.
Gages Lake, IL 60030 (West)
(847) 984-8900
Woodland Intermediate
(4th-5th grade)
1115 Hunt Club Rd.
Gurnee, IL 60030
(847) 596-5900
Woodland Middle School
(6th-8th grade)
7000 Washington St.
Gurnee, IL 60030
(847) 856-3400
CHARTER SCHOOL
Prairie Crossing Charter School
1531 Jones Point Rd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 543-9722
www.prairiecrossingcharter school.org
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
St. Gilbert Catholic School
(Pre-K-8th grade)
Principal: Mr. Brian Tekampe
231 E. Belvidere Rd.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-8600
www.stgilbertschool.org
Old School Montessori
(Program ages: 15 months-13 yrs.)
Director: Cristina Youtsey
144 Commerce Dr.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-9606
www.OSMKids.com
Westlake Christian Academy
(Preschool-12th grade)
275 S. Lake St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 548-6209
www.westlakechristian.org
Turn to page 24 for high school, college and Lake County Extension information.
HIGH SCHOOLS
Grayslake Community High School District 127
Board of Education
President: Edwin Brown
Vice President: Kathleen Conlon-Wasik
Secretary: Ken Witkowski
Members:
Russell Chamberlin
Ann Dingman
Amy Knutson-Stack
Douglas Nerge
Superintendent:
Mikkel Storaasli, Ed.D.
400 N. Lake St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 986-3400
www.d127.org
Grayslake Central High School
Principal: Dan Landry
400 N. Lake St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 986-3300
Grayslake North High School
Principal: James Roscoe, Ed.D.
1925 N. Route 83
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 986-3100
Lake County High Schools Technology Campus
Executive Director: Steve Clark
19525 W. Washington St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-6681
sclark@techcampus.org
COLLEGES
University Center of Lake County
1200 University Center Dr.
Grayslake, IL 60030
1 N. Genesee St., Ste. 300
Waukegan, IL 60085
(847) 665-4000
www.ucenter.org
A unique partnership of 18 private and public Illinois colleges and universities, University Center of Lake County offers close to 90 bachelor’s completion degrees, graduate degrees and certificate and professional development opportunities. These include programs in the fields of business, computer science/information systems, education, engineering, health care and human services, liberal arts and sciences, library and information science, technology and training and development. Students apply to and graduate from an individual college or university offering fully accredited degrees. Bachelor’s completion programs offer the junior/senior level coursework and enable students to transfer the first 60 hours from the College of Lake County.
College of Lake County
19351 W. Washington St.
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 543-2000
www.clcillinois.edu
LAKE COUNTY EXTENSION
University of Illinois Extension
Lake County Unit
100 S. Hwy. 45
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 223-8627
http://web.extension.Illinois.edu/lake