News | Carl Sandburg

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.

Special Ed Alliance honors Mundelein schools administrator

Mar 03, 2026

Jamie DiCarlo, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services for Mundelein School Districts 75 and 120, received a regional leadership award on February 26 for her work in special education. The Special Education Leadership Award was presented by the Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education (IAASE) during the group’s Winter Conference in Champaign.

CSMS off to a strong start with new chorus elective

Feb 23, 2026

Carl Sandburg after-school chorus club may still be going strong, but District 75 middle school students now have an opportunity to greatly enhance their musical education. Since August, CSMS has offered chorus as a daily classroom option for sixth-graders. And next year, seventh- and eighth-graders will be able to choose chorus as a related arts elective.

Workers make progress on Carl Sandburg stage project

Nov 06, 2025

Construction crews are wrapping up the major structural work at the addition to Carl Sandburg Middle School this month and preparing for the next phase of the project, which includes interior finishing. The project, which will cost approximately $7 million, will include a handicapped accessible stage, dressing rooms, and storage areas. It began in March 2025 and should be completed in the spring of 2026. The project remains on schedule and within budget.

New school resource officer builds trust with smiles

Nov 03, 2025

As Mundelein Police Officer Roger Dunn walks down the Carl Sandburg hallway, eager students clamor right beside him. The reason seems obvious at first: he has a pocket full of candy! During lunch and passing periods, he’ll challenge students to games and award candy if they win. Sometimes to earn a prize, the student will have to tell him something they learned that day. It’s all a part of how Carl Sandburg’s new School Resource Officer builds trust with students.