Not every student walks into a science classroom excited to be there. Some feel unsure, some feel behind, and some have already decided it’s “not their thing.” But for Carl Sandburg Science Teacher Valaria Cardenas, changing that mindset is part of the work, and part of what makes it meaningful.
Read More
Carl Sandburg Middle School staff, students and families celebrated the opening of its new addition on April 28 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a student musical performance on its new stage.
The event was held nearly a year after the school hosted a Groundbreaking Ceremony to open the project.
Read More
Carl Sandburg eighth-grader Angel Carrillo called his teacher, Elizabeth Gomez, “the most caring teacher I’ve ever had.” And sixth-grader Brandon Bulka said his teacher, Matt Fink, helped him change “from a nervous sixth grader into a much more confident person.”
The two students wrote winning entries in an essay contest about teachers, sponsored by Illinois State Senator Darby Hills.
Read More
No one at Carl Sandburg Middle School was surprised upon hearing that Music Teacher Moulee Gupta is being honored with the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award for 2026.
“Moulee really has the Midas touch. Everything she puts her mind into turns out wonderful,” said CSMS Principal Andrew Vondran. “She always makes so much out of what she is given.”
Read More
After more than two decades in education, Lisa Shirley still finds herself inspired by the same thing: watching students grow.
“I think what I love the most is seeing who they are when they come in as sixth graders,” she said, “and who they become by the time they leave as eighth graders.”
Read More
Sitting upright at a desk, leaning back in a chair or sprawling out on the floor, the students made themselves as comfortable as possible as they spent a day reading - and judging - written entries in the Young Authors Program at Carl Sandburg Middle School.
About 57 students from sixth, seventh and eighth grade entered a written piece. Another 24 students volunteered to serve as judges, reading and critiquing the entries using a rubric based on category.
Read More