Forgotten Urinal, originally uploaded by WG Finley.

There’s a wing of Magee that appears to have been largely forgotten over the years and was used for storage. I’ve posted some very interesting photos of the area, there are some interesting “artifacts” remaining in this area and I certainly would like to hear from someone who knows more about it!

It looks as though this was the old locker room area for the gym before the gym was rebuilt. I believe the Magee gym was redone at the same time the south addition was done which was also around the time of the RLHS gym addition. There are a couple of “stairways to nowhere” in this area and I’d sure appreciate an older Magee alumnus filling us in! Feel free to post comments here on my blog, on the photos or shoot me an email with your information!

Masons 2, originally uploaded by WG Finley.

I went back out to the Magee site and am happy to report work is really progressing!! Visit my photo album on Flickr for more pictures!

Be sure to catch the photos in the “Forgotten Wing” as those are pretty interesting!!

IMGP0872.jpg, originally uploaded by WG Finley.

A full house was on hand at Ellis School on April 30 for the 5th Grade Civil War Night. It was a great evening of songs, readings and costumes. I was only going to take a few pictures but when some of the staff said they forgot their cameras I snapped away all night.

Ascending Tram, originally uploaded by WG Finley.

I’m still on my Albuquerque trip but I’ve taken some time to clean up and upload some of my photos. This one is of the Sandia Mountain Tramway. Check out the whole set on Flickr for more pictures.

Aidan In Charge, originally uploaded by WG Finley.

I finally got around to uploading some miscellaneous pictures on Flickr. This set is mostly stuff around Round Lake Area Schools I’ve accumulated.

IMGP0597.jpg, originally uploaded by WG Finley.

New Connections Academy where my son attends school in Palatine had its inaugural Awards Night on May 29. The kids all really got into the evening and had a wonderful time. It was so great to see them all enjoy celebrating their year and it was very special for me as a parent.

The folks at New Connections Academy are doing a wonderful job with these children who suffer from “high functioning” Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Higher functioning autistic spectrum kids are very difficult to place in general education or even special education. Their academic capabilities are high, extremely high in many cases, but understanding of their disorder is not.

To be honest, I was almost in tears when my son came home after his first day with a reading book for his grade level. These kids have enormous potential and can do very well in the right environment and with the right instruction. New Connections Academy is paving new ground in this regard with their comprehensive program and I highly encourage it for any student on the higher end of the spectrum.