The Kishwaukee Education Consortium (KEC) meets the vocational and alternative education needs for students in five area high schools and Executive Director Tom Crouch says they have  a record enrollment of 545 this year.  Students come from Sycamore, Dekalb, Genoa-Kingston, and Hiawatha school districts in DeKalb County plus Rochelle in Ogle County.  Crouch, now in his 13^th year at KEC, says their partnership with Kishwaukee Community College that offers dual credits is a key part of the interest in their 21 class offerings.  This is the highest number of dual credit courses offered anywhere in the state.  In addition, Crouch said their alternative education program has the highest success rate in the state achieving a 93% graduation mark.

 

KEC is based at Kishwaukee College just outside Malta where the college makes space for programs such as diesel mechanics, culinary arts, criminal justice, and emergency medical technician training. Crouch noted they also have several key satellite locations.  For example, their popular aviation program uses DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport as an instructional site and their welding program recently got upgraded equipment with a move to the BCM Sycamore Industrial Park on California Avenue.  Their barber and cosmetology training programs use satellite locations as well.  Crouch said KEC is proud to create opportunities for students to explore areas of interest and choose a career path after high school graduation.

 

KEC is funded through state and federal grants plus tuition paid by participating schools for their students.  Crouch noted they are not taxpayer funded.  He said they are excited about expanding their social worker training program thanks to a $20-thousand grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation.  Crouch says KEC remains open to other partnerships that would have them expand their outreach.  He noted that while all DeKalb County schools have access to a vocational center either through KEC or the Indian Valley Vocational Center in Sandwich, schools like Byron and Oregon do not.  Crouch also said KEC will be assessing a career opportunity computer app that would let job openings be posted real time by employers as a way to further help students find employment after high school.  Full details about KEC are available on their website at: www.KECprograms.com.      

October 6, 1846 – Engineer and inventor George Westinghouse is born in Central Ridge, New York.  He developed air brakes for trains and later promoted the adoption of alternating current (AC) systems for electric power transmission. 

 

October 9, 1940 – British rock singer-songwriter John Lennon is born in Liverpool, England.  Among his famous songs are “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Help,” and “Imagine.”

 

October 10, 1900 – Helen Hayes, nicknamed the “First Lady of the American Theater,” is born in Washington, D.C.

 

October 11, 1884 – Eleanor Roosevelt is born in New York City.  She marries her fifth cousin, Franklin, and famously carries out the duties of First Lady when he becomes President in 1933.  Following Franklin’s death in office, Eleanor remains active in political and social causes, including serving as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations and being affectionately called “First Lady of the World.”

October 6, 1927 – “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Jolson is released becoming the first full-length feature film using spoken dialogue.   

 

October 8, 1871 – The Great Chicago Fire erupted leaving 300 people dead, 90,000 homeless, and 17,450 buildings destroyed.

 

October 8, 1918 – During World War I in the Argonne Forest in France, Sergeant Alvin C. York single-handedly took out a German machine-gun battalion that led to the capture of 132 prisoners.

 

October 12, 1492 – Christopher Columbus successfully navigates across the Atlantic by ship landing in the Bahamas and leading to the opening of colonization and trade from Europe.