District 233 candidate Camille O’Quin wants it known that Homewood-Flossmoor High School “has an excellent reputation. By and large I think H-F is doing a fantastic job. My main thing is making sure H-F continues to be excellent.”
O’Quin, a professor at Governors State University, said that excellent reputation means H-F shouldn’t “necessarily need to choose between academics and Career and Technical Education (CTE).” She believes there can be a balance.
“I’d love to see continuing crossover between those traditional subjects and crossing over to CTE because not all students are necessarily going to go to college. Whether a student’s going into engineering, health care or the trades, they’re still going to need the reading, writing and problem-solving skills,” she said.
O’Quin is a trained speech pathologist who has worked in schools. In her role, she’s implemented Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) for districts. It’s an important way of gauging a student’s needs and getting them the help they need.
“MTSS isn’t only about academics. It’s also about social/emotional behavior so that climate and culture that our students are experiencing in the school setting MTSS could be helpful in those situations,” she said.
MTSS also generates a lot of data for H-F. That, she says is “something to be mindful of: how we’re using our data, how we’re collecting that data and analyzing that data collectively. Do we have the tools we need to track our students’ progress to give the student the right support at the right time.”
As things evolve on the national level, O’Quin reminds residents that “DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) is not a program. It’s how we provide the tools to our students to be successful.”
“We’re a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, very inclusive community here. This is what I mean when I say H-F has a reputation of being excellent, and I don’t see a change there,” she said. “Equity is not an initiative, it’s not a program. I think it’s about students continuing to have what they need to succeed. That’s really what equity is about.”