“We want our students to have access to and literacy in the latest and cutting edge technology to ensure they are competitive and prepared for the workforce of the future.” Omari Thomas is truly a product of the Urbana School District 116 school system. He attended Yankee Ridge Elementary, Urbana Middle School, and graduated from Urbana High School. Omari’s current position all started with his educational training. “I went to Parkland College and earned an…
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His quiet demeanor and calm personality discreetly hides how much of a fighter Ben Unander is. Mr. Unander, Special Education Teacher at Urbana High School, is a champion for his students. Mr. Unander relentlessly pushes to ensure his students are successful and defines success for his students as reaching a level of understanding. Ben’s goal as an educator is to help his students establish processes to academically, socially, and emotionally overcome adversity, recover from setbacks,…
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Those of you who know Brandy Smith, the Receptionist for Urbana School District 116, knows she loves to joke and tell humorous stories about her kids. What you may not know (is) that Ms. Smith is also a writer, script consultant, as well as a mother of two. She has worked on feature films such as Batman and Transformers as production assistance. Her writing has taken her to visit Cuba the previous summer after helping…
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Great things happen when you move in the direction of your dreams. For Elizabeth Nieto her dream of becoming a teacher was inspired in elementary school by a few of her elementary teachers, Mr. Larson, Mr. Osborne, and Mr. Durland. In December 2020 Elizabeth’s dream will come true as she will earn her K-8 teaching certification from Millikin University with an ESL endorsement. Elizabeth hopes to teach at the middle school level and is particularly…
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Lights, camera, action… CRITIQUE! Students at Urbana Middle School may not be aware that their teacher Mr. Chuck Koplinski is much more than a Middle School film teacher. Mr. Koplinski is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association who hosts the Critics Choice Awards. At this event, Mr. K (as many in the district call him) has had an opportunity to meet Spike Lee, Nicole Kidman, and Donald Glover. “how we all are manipulated…
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His personality is a perfect match for his serene workspace. Matthew Murrey is quiet as the books in the Urbana High School library, and like those books once Mr. Murrey opens up you learn a lot about what’s inside. Matthew Murrey is a man with a vast background. He spent some time working in the mental health field, earned his teaching certification from the University of Iowa, and his Master’s of Library Sciences from the…
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