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ISBE CTE Conference
We were invited to speak to educators at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Conference held in collaboration with Northern Illinois University (NIU). We spoke on our CTE experience and how it shaped our book, BTCWG.
Culminating Fireside Chat
December 13, 2024
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BTCWG Distribution
October 17, 2024
BHS TV Filming
We filmed a segment with the Barrington HS TV studio to promote One Book One Community and BTCWG to students, parents, and teachers.
BHS Belonging Group
October 2, 2024
A Guide to Java
We are currently working on a guide to Java, specifically aimed at young beginners. We hope to take the next step in making coding accessible to all!
Inspiring Interviews Book
August 12, 2024
Teaching Guides
We created an 11-page teaching guide to help teachers and parents get the most out of the picture book, including its purposes and possible implementations.
Trailblazers in STEM Speakers
June 11, 2024 to August 6, 2024
Partnerships with Districts
We reached out to and worked with 15 school districts across the state of Illinois to get BTCWG incorporated into their regular school curriculum.
One Book, One Community
April 5, 2024 to present
Continuing Curriculum
We coordinated with the STEM teachers at each of the Barrington elementary schools to continue the story of Gabriella in future years as part of the curriculum.
Motivate Award Winners
March 2, 2024
Inspire Award - FTC #6200
At the Suburban Northwest League Tournament, our robotics team, FTC #6200, was awarded the Inspire Award for the first time in school history.
Last Read Alouds
Feburary 5, 2024
Robotics Kits
Continuing with our mission of promoting STEM education, we sent 100 custom robotics kits to 3 Chicago Public Schools for their elementary students.
FIRST Lego League Visit
January 20, 2024
Winterfest Booth
We participated in our school's Winterfest celebrations, aiming to connect with our community. We promoted our book further and made multiple sales!
Donations to Libraries
November 15, 2023
Read Aloud at Roslyn Road
We did our very first read-aloud at Roslyn. Over the course of the next four months, we also did 8 more read-alouds, visiting individual classrooms in grades 3-5.
Chicago Tribune Feature
October 16, 2023
District Newsletter Feature
We were included in a district-wide newsletter for students and parents, spreading the word about the book to over 10,000 people.
District Board Meeting
October 3, 2023
Superintendent Meeting
We met with Dr. Craig Winkelman, superintendent of District 220 schools to discuss the message of the book and opportunities for further integration.
First Copy
Late August, 2023
Mural Painting
We spent two days painting a mural featuring STEM concepts in hopes of increasing the number of girls in STEM classes. It is currently hanging in our school's physics hallway!
Gabriella begins her journey
May 2023
CTE Conference Speech
June 17, 2025
Winterfest Fireside Chat
We hosted the culminating chat of One Book, One Community to parents and families at BHS Winterfest, discussing themes and messages of the book, as well as our own experiences in STEM.
ABC 7 News Feature
November 20, 2024
One Book, One Community
2,500 free copies of BTCWG were handed out to parents are Barrington 220 parent teacher conferences!
BHS TV Promotion
October 11, 2024
BHS Belonging Group
We shared our book with a group of fellow high school students and provided a copy of BTCWG to each of the 20+ students!
Introductory Java Book
August 2024
BTCWG Interview Transcripts
An 80+ page compilation of the best interviews from our Trailblazers in STEM Speaker Series, we published this book to offer more girls a chance to learn from some of the most inspiring women!
BTCWG Teaching Guides
July 14, 2024
Guest Speaker Series
As part of our initiative to encourage young girls to pursue STEM careers, we interviewed 15 prominent women in STEM, who shared their journey and advice.
Expanding Across Illinois
June 4, 2024 to present
One Book, One Community
We attended a preliminary meeting with the Diversity and Equity team at District 220 to incorporate the book as the first in their One Book, One Community initiative.
School Curriculum
April 3, 2024
Motivate Award - FTC #6200
Our outreach efforts were recognized at the Illinois State Championship, where we were awarded the Motivate Award.
Inspire Award Winners
Feburary 17, 2024
Last Read Alouds
We completed our final 3 read-alouds (out of 9) in February at St. Annes, Grove, and North Barrington elementary schools.
100 Robotics Kits
January 31, 2024
FLL Tournament
We held a booth at a FIRST Lego League qualifier, talking to girls at the event about our own experiences in STEM and showcasing the book to teams.
Winterfest Booth
December 8-9, 2023
Library Donations
To each of the 9 elementary schools in our district, along with other personal collections, we donated copies of our book, totaling 13 donated books.
First Read Aloud
November 1, 2023
Chicago Tribune Article
We were featured in a Chicago Tribune article and interviewed by Myrna Petlicki about our motivations for creating the book and the story we hope to tell.
District Newsletter Feature
October 4, 2023
Education Board Meeting
We were invited to speak at the District 220 Education Board meeting, where we talked about our own experiences in STEM and robotics in-depth and called for change in the district schools.
Meeting with Superintendent
September 26, 2023
First Version Completed
We completed the first version of Breaking the Code with Gabriella and ordered our first hardcover copy!
Mural Painting
August 2-4, 2023
Idea formation
As members of the robotics team, we began to formulate the storyboard for Gabriella and the message we wanted to create through this book!
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