 |
John “Jack” Downing Education B.A. from Loras College |
I have been active participant in District 225’s community and beyond, some of my community service includes:
- 2000 to present, Board Member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. Chairman from 2005 to 2010
- 2008 to 2009, Our Lady of Perpetual Help ‘s School Advisory Board.
- 2010 to present, Board of Directors, Junior Titans Football Program
- President from 2017 to 2020.
- 2017 started District 225's IncubatorEDU program, an Honors class. Worked with District 225 to establish the IncubatorEDU curriculum.
- Community Champion and Board Advisor.
- 2019 to present, Glenbrook South High School Volunteer Assistant Coach for Football and Wrestling.
I grew up in Glenview, went to grade school at OLPH and high school at GBS. After college I moved to Chicago where I met my wife, Andrea. As our family grew, we like so many other D225 Alumni moved back to Glenview because of our personal high school experiences. People often ask my why their kids should go to D225 and I say it’s not only because of the excellent education but also because of the “Kids First” culture. This mantra positively transformed my classmates’ lives and my own. I tell them my friends still talk about what a teacher said or did, that taught us valuable life lessons, ones we still use today. Sometimes I will even share a quote from a teacher that I find myself saying to my kids. Today as a parent of five kids (three GBS graduates and two attending), and as a GBS volunteer coach and as the Community Champion and Board Advisor to GBS’s IncubatorEDU, I have a unique view into the power behind our culture. “Kids first” means we try to help students find their niche in life, try to facilitate confidence for them to pursue it and then celebrate it. This is why so many our students feel a sense of belonging, have such great school pride and are better students. D225 is a special place, which is why I am running for the school board, after all I have received, feel it’s incumbent upon me to find ways to improve our District while also maintaining what makes us great our “kids first” culture.
Learn more about Jack, visit http://downingd225.com