Lake County Gazette

On September 19, members of the Willowbrook varsity soccer team visited Jefferson Middle School to participate in an after-school practice with the Jefferson Wildcats. The visit was led by Willowbrook varsity soccer coach Al Ramirez and assistant coach Molly Salerno as part of their team's community outreach and service efforts. The coaches had previously visited Jackson Middle School’s team in August and decided to extend a similar session to Jefferson.

During the session, Ramirez and Salerno conducted drills focused on fundamental soccer skills, joined by several varsity players. “Right now, we are teaching some basic skills. These are called takeovers,” said Ramirez. “We’re working on first touch, second touch, pass, movement off the ball. All basic things that kids should know by the time they get to high school.”

Ramirez explained that his goal is to encourage students’ continued participation in soccer through middle and high school. “Hopefully, when they get to Willowbrook, they play for our program,” he said. He also mentioned opportunities for young athletes to join club soccer outside of school.

Jefferson Middle School coach Matthew Kulovits expressed appreciation for the visit from Willowbrook’s team. “It’s a nice way to bridge our students with the high school program, and to welcome back some former Jefferson students.”

According to Ramirez, interest in the high school soccer program has grown significantly; participation increased from 90 students last year to 110 this year.

Jefferson Middle School is one of several schools represented within Villa Park School District 45 in DuPage County. Other schools in this district include Ardmore Elementary School, Jackson Middle School, North Elementary School, Schafer Elementary School, Stevenson School, Westmore Elementary School, and York Center Elementary School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The district employs 224 teachers with an average salary of $74,159 before pension contributions; women make up about 82.8 percent of staff while men account for 17.2 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). No teacher in Villa Park District 45 has more than ten absences per year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

Villa Park District 45 serves a diverse student body: approximately 43 percent White students, about eight percent Black students, around 35 percent Hispanic students, and over eight percent Asian students (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In fiscal year 2020, spending per student was $23,216 with total expenditures reaching nearly $77 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).