News | Carl Sandburg

Behind the scenes: The team caring for D75 schools

Sep 16, 2026

Long before students arrive each morning and well after they leave, a small team works behind the scenes to keep District 75’s schools safe, clean, and ready for learning. Led by Director of Buildings & Grounds Dave Zaremba, the D75 facilities team cares for five district buildings, handling everything from routine maintenance and custodial work to electrical and HVAC needs, landscaping, and larger improvement projects.

Partnership makes for progress in cybersecurity

Sep 14, 2026

During the past six months, School Districts 75 and 120 made significant progress in strengthening their cybersecurity program through a combination of independent review, technology improvements, staff training, enhanced monitoring and updated practices. In February, school boards from both districts authorized Net56 Incorporated to provide managed monitoring, threat detection and incident response for their shared technology services.

Carl Sandburg names interim assistant principal

Aug 17, 2026

The District 75 Board on Thursday approved the hiring of Jason Then as Carl Sandburg’s Interim Assistant Principal for the 2026-27 school year. Then, a Mundelein resident, will join Interim Principal Dan Bryant to form the leadership at CSMS this year. “Jason has a lot of experience as a leader and a department chair,” Bryant said. “He’s very caring, very authentic and an active listener. He will be a great addition to our Sandburg team.”

D75 SPOTLIGHT: Valeria Cardenas

May 29, 2026

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 Valeria Cardenas, changing that mindset is part of the work, and part of what makes it meaningful.

Carl Sandburg Middle School Opens New Stage Addition

May 22, 2026

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.

Student essays praise D75 teachers

May 15, 2026

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.

CSMS teacher honored with Music Award

May 08, 2026

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.”

Opening Doors to Art and Growth at CSMS

May 04, 2026

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.”

Students read and critique peers' works in Young authors program

Mar 13, 2026

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.

MHS School Board approves hiring of new assistant superintendent

Mar 11, 2026

The Mundelein District 120 School Board on March 10 approved hiring Dr. Art Vallicelli as the new Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools, effective July 1. Vallicelli, currently the principal of Woodstock High School, will provide district-level leadership in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional learning for grades 6-12.