Lake County Gazette

Westmoor Elementary School is in its third year of running a ‘pack’ program called Bulldog Pack Time, which brings together students from different grades into small groups. Each group, or pack, includes 7-10 students representing every grade and is led by one or two adults. Staff members from across the school, including the principal and head custodian, participate in leading these monthly 30-minute meetings.

Social Worker Melina Liontas described the excitement among students on Pack Day: “This is a great way for every student and every staff member to become connected with people they may not necessarily come into contact with throughout the day,” she said.

The structure of Bulldog Pack Time remains mostly consistent as students progress through grades, with new kindergarteners and staff joining as fifth-graders move on to Northbrook Junior High. The program aims to foster lasting relationships and support emotional wellness within the school community. It aligns with district values such as trust, respect, empathy, communication, and collaboration.

Principal Maria Eck commented on the initiative’s role in building a sense of community: “We build community in our classrooms every morning through our morning meeting, and this is a way to build community across our school.”

Northbrook School District 28 oversees Westmoor Elementary School along with Greenbriar Elementary School, Meadowbrook Elementary School, and Northbrook Junior High School in Cook County. More information about the district can be found at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.

The district employs 182 teachers who earn an average salary of $85,866 before pension contributions; women make up 84.4 percent of teaching staff while men comprise 15.6 percent. There are no teachers in the district with more than ten absences per year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The student body is 77 percent White, 0.9 percent Black, 3.9 percent Hispanic, and 13.4 percent Asian (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

In fiscal year 2020, Northbrook School District 28 spent $34,963 per student for a total expenditure of $64 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).