Lake County Gazette

On September 13, Jefferson Middle School gym hosted Frida Fest, an event organized for District 45 families to engage in creative activities. Attendees participated in bracelet making, screen printing, mini canvas art, face painting, and henna tattooing. Other activities included raffles, hula hooping, and games like giant Jenga and Connect 4.

Food was provided by La Michoacana Villa Park, offering Mexican street corn and mangonadas prepared on site. Live performances featured a children’s mariachi band, breakdancers, and ballet folklórico.

The event was supported by several community partners: Despertar Latino, Glen House Food Pantry, La Michoacana Villa Park, Outreach York, The Villa Park Early Childhood Collaborative, This Little Light, Tri-Town YMCA, and the Villa Park Public Library.

"Thank you to Frida Community Organization and the community partners who helped make the day memorable for our families," said event organizers.

Jefferson Middle School is part of Villa Park School District 45 in DuPage County. The district includes Ardmore Elementary School, Jackson Middle School, North Elementary School, Schafer Elementary School, Stevenson School, Westmore Elementary School, and York Center Elementary School. More information about the district can be found at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.

Villa Park School District 45 employs 224 teachers with an average salary of $74,159 according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Of these teachers, 82.8 percent are women while 17.2 percent are men; none have more than ten absences in a school year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

Demographically, the district consists of approximately 43 percent White students; about 35 percent Hispanic; around eight percent Black; and just over eight percent Asian (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

In fiscal year 2020 the district spent $23,216 per student with total expenditures reaching $76 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).