HS Board

A never-before-known virus called COVID-19 happened upon the scene in late 2019/early 2020 which would change the world’s population for years to come.

From March 13 through June of 2020 Prospect High School students learned and staff members taught remotely, via Zoom. Fortunately, students already had iPad technology, so they were able to learn remotely relatively easily. But all high school sports and activities, including prom, were canceled and graduation was done virtually. Yard signs congratulating graduates were seen all over town in an attempt to make up for the traditional activities they missed.

School resumed in August 2020 with remote learning once again. But many teachers once again taught from the school building.

All staff came back to the building in October 2020 and students had the option of learning in person from October 2020 through Thanksgiving. In January 2021, students once again had the option to return to the building for the remainder of the year, according to Greg Minter, principal.

“There were a few teachers who were reluctant to teach in person, at first, but that dramatically subsided,” Minter stated. “Teachers definitely prefer teaching students in person. Online teaching did work for both students and teachers, but it was not ideal.”

As for school attendance, COVID did cause issues. But Prospect High School had measures in place to address that problem, he said.

All sports had seasons during the 2020-21 school year, but many seasons were delayed or abbreviated. For instance, football was played in the spring. In addition, students in spring 2021 had both in-person prom and graduation. 

“The pandemic has been hard on everyone in one way or another,” Minter stated. “I think District 214 responded very well. Our students and staff already had a lot of experience with technology, so that made remote learning an easier adjustment. Educators will view this as the greatest challenge of their career.”

By Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison

The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for everybody. Waving at families from outside their homes or through the screen of a cell phone is not the same as hugging someone in person. And as part of an Italian-American family, I can assure you: not being able to hug was one of the things I missed the most during the pandemic.

Like many of you, my office had to make hard decisions once we were required to stay at home to help prevent the spread of the virus. I wanted to ensure my staff were keeping safe and healthy – and like many of you, we started working from home and doing everything virtually.

Being at home helped me re-connect with my passions for cooking and reading. I finally had time to perfect some of my favorite dishes, like chicken cacciatore, chimichurri, and chutney.

I love seeing people in person and meeting with constituents – in Mount Prospect and throughout the Northwest suburbs. Even though we couldn’t meet in person, it was critically important to me that we all stayed connected. That’s why I started meeting with constituents virtually to raise awareness about important issues and to share critical pandemic updates.

I started hosting virtual town halls that we streamed on my Facebook page. The town halls focused on COVID-19, the 2020 census, mental health, entrepreneurship, homelessness, health equity, the Forest Preserves District of Cook County, and more. You can find the videos of these town halls on my YouTube channel here.

We also faced another challenge: We had to complete the 2020 census in the middle of the pandemic. To help ensure a complete count in 2020, we started convening stakeholders from government, non-profits, and other trusted voices to share ideas, strategies, and resources. My office started doing an extensive social media campaign that involved filming videos with Brookfield Zoo animal ambassadors to help make the census fun and easy.

We also partnered with community leaders on a census PSA video series in some of the languages spoken in the Northwest suburbs, including Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Polish, and Korean. We didn’t want language barriers to prevent our family, friends, and neighbors from being counted in the census.

Due to COVID-19, our outreach efforts had to shift. Face masks and other supplies were distributed at popular businesses by U.S. Census Bureau staff who could assist people with filling out the census while out doing errands. My office was happy to help identify locations for these mobile events.

Four of those mobile events took place in Mount Prospect at Fiesta Market and La Rosita Fresh Market. We spread the message about the importance of the census to hundreds of nearby residents and helped them fill out the questionnaire.

I also quickly realized that small businesses desperately needed support and relief. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities – providing jobs for local residents, holding the community fundraiser, or sponsoring the Little League team.

My family started Dino’s Pizza in Chicago, and I grew up bussing tables in the restaurant. I know the challenges of running a small business. I saw firsthand the hard decisions my mom had to make during the pandemic to not only keep her staff safe, but to try to stay afloat.

Last year, I was proud that Cook County launched the Cook County COVID-19 Recovery Initiative, which included the Small Business Assistance Program, offering forgivable loans and grants for small businesses, independent contractors, and gig workers.

Additionally, we sought ways to support businesses navigating the complex web of federal COVID-19 resources by providing technical assistance to businesses applying for things like PPP and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. We have renewed that effort this year and are looking for more Business Support Organizations to help provide this technical assistance.

In the first months of the pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty. I commend our local mayors, like former Mayor Arlene Juracek, township supervisors, Cook County Health officials, and others for remaining united and available when a nursing home needed PPE or when the latest COVID-19 guidance needed to be shared quickly. We also cannot forget our essential workers, who are still on the frontlines keeping our communities safe, fed, and healthy.
I know this pandemic has been incredibly tough. I’ve seen and felt the challenges firsthand. I’ve lost friends to the virus, and I’ve seen the devastating impact the pandemic has had on small businesses and mom-and-pop shops. But I’m grateful that we’re emerging from this deadly and frustrating pandemic – and I believe we’ll all come out stronger.