Communications

A well-informed community drives volunteerism, engagement and community action. The CCSD21 Communications and Community Engagement Department strives to keep our school community informed of Board of Education actions, and district and school events and news.

The department provides consistent, high-quality and relevant information to benefit staff, students, families and the community through a variety of vehicles. Additionally, our vision for community engagement thrives on collaboration, active involvement and commitment of community members, local organizations, and both internal and external stakeholders. Together, our district can build a stronger and more resilient community for the future.

Newsletters

Each month, the department publishes two (2) newsletters: one for staff members and one for families and the community. Each average between four and eight pages and cover departmental updates as well as school news, board minutes, and a variety of other items, including profile pieces on staff (MY WHY), students (Rising Stars) and alumni. The circulation for the staff newsletter is approximately 900 and the circulation for the family/community newsletter is approximately 9,000.

ParentSquare

ParentSquare is the district’s communication tool to keep parents informed and facilitate participation at school. It provides a safe way for the district, principal, teachers, staff, and parents to:

Send and receive school and class information
Share pictures and files
See calendar events
Sign up to volunteer
And much more… all in one centralized place!

For more information, and to create an account, visit https://ccsd21.org/parentsquare/.

Website

Redesigned in 2023, the website was streamlined to provide easier navigation and utility for users. The Communications Department continues – on an ongoing basis – to update and expand the site. If you see a broken link or video that’s not playing, please fill out this form.

Flyers and Other Collateral Material

The Communications Department also creates flyers and other collateral material for individual schools, when requested.

Branding

In promoting our district, the department strives to ensure our communication pieces are always within brand, keeping logos and the look and feel consistent throughout.

Director of Communications and Community Engagement: Cassandra Young

Phone: (847) 520-2728

Cassandra (“Cass”) Young officially joined the district in March 2022 from Northern Illinois University’s College of Business in DeKalb, where she spent 10 years as the director of alumni and donor relations. She previously served 15 years as a marketing manager for the United Airlines MileagePlus department, where she managed customer communication for United’s elite customer base. Prior to that, she worked in local television and taught 300- and 400-level integrated marketing classes at Tribeca Flashpoint College in Chicago.

Cass holds a Bachelor of Science in political science from NIU with a minor in communications and a Master’s of Science in broadcast journalism from Boston University.

She served for 10 years as the volunteer director of communications for her community, enjoys movies, riding her motorcycle, traveling, and spending time with her big, fat, Greek family.