Primary Center to be renamed after Nick Osborne MT. VERNON — District 80 officials Saturday announced the Primary Center will soon be renamed in honor of former Superintendent Dr. Nick Osborne. Osborne was surprised with the news of the renaming at Saturdays annual retreat of the District 80 Board of Education. During his term as superintendent, from roughly 1991 to 2001, Osborne was instrumental in restructuring the district, moving it from neighborhood schools to attendance centers. He also helped oversee the construction of the Primary Center which opened in 2001. “Its tremendous recognition,” Osborne said of the renaming. “You do these things without any expectations for recognition. … The driving force (was) doing whats good for kids. That was why we were redesigning the whole district.” Osborne came to Saturdays meeting to deliver a presentation on the Illinois Vision 20/20 project. After his remarks concluded, district staff and members of Osbornes family joined together to honor him. District 80 Board President Dennis Hoffman read a formal resolution proclaiming how the Primary Center will be renamed the “Dr. Nick Osborne Primary Center.” Current Superintendent Mike Green said the board worked with Nicks wife, Cindy Osborne, to keep the renaming a secret from him. And it was clear from Nicks reaction Saturday that the plan worked. “Dr. Osborne was an outstanding superintendent and visionary leader of District 80 for a long time,” Green said. “He continues to support public education in his role as an Eastern Illinois University professor and his role at the Illinois Association of School Administrators. So I think hes in his 45th year of supporting education and improving education.” Cindy Osborne, a retired District 80 kindergarten teacher, said her husbands commitment to the district has been phenomenal. “He totally devoted himself to District 80 for so many years as a teacher, as a principal, as assistant superintendent, and then as superintendent,” Cindy said. “And watching as he worked so hard to restructure the district and to build the new Primary Center, it really improved the education of all children.” Green said the District 80 Board will form a special committee to look at purchasing new signage for the Primary Center. The plan is to install a digital sign in front of the building and possibly a sign on the side of the structure. Nick Osborne and his family will be invited back for a special dedication ceremony for the renaming sometime in April or May. Nick and Cindy Osborne live in Mt. Vernon. Recommended article: Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank. .
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 06:59:38 +0000
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