Mokena School District 159 Meeting | November 19, 2025

Article Summary: The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education gratefully accepted a series of donations totaling $8,040 from the Mokena PTA. The funds will support a variety of curriculum-enhancing experiences for students in kindergarten through fifth grade during the school year.

PTA Donation Key Points:

• Total Donated: $8,040 from the Mokena PTA.

• Purpose: To fund in-house and field trip experiences that reinforce the district’s English Language Arts curriculum.

• Key Programs Funded: A $2,600 fossil exploration for second graders and a $2,200 field trip to Big Run Wolf Ranch for fourth graders.

• Beneficiaries: Students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

MOKENA, IL – The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, formally accepted $8,040 in donations from the Mokena PTA to fund a range of enrichment programs for elementary and intermediate school students.

According to a memo from Dr. Kristin Johnson, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, the donations are designed to “reinforce, support, and extend learning” within the district’s English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum.

The approved funds will cover costs for several hands-on learning opportunities, including:

• $2,600 for “T-Rexplorers,” an in-house experience about fossils for second-grade students.

• $2,200 for a fourth-grade field trip to Big Run Wolf Ranch to learn about animals and their defense mechanisms.

• $1,425 for “Storm Science,” an in-house program about thunderstorms and tornadoes.

• $665 for “A Tree is Nice,” an in-house experience from the Morton Arboretum.

• $500 for birdhouse materials for a first-grade family event.

• $500 for “The Frog Lady,” an in-house program for third graders about live frogs and amphibians.

• $150 for a “Starlab” in-house experience about the sun, moon, and stars for first graders.

“We thank the PTA for their generosity and continued support of our students’ learning!” Johnson stated in the memo. Board members echoed the sentiment, expressing their gratitude for the PTA’s ongoing contributions to student experiences.