Over 300 Forest Park Individual Education (I.E.) students and staff members joined members of the Joliet Grade Schools Foundation to dedicate a bench at the school in memory of Dr. Gerald Bersano. The Joliet Grade Schools Foundation purchased the bench, as well as a second bench at Hufford Junior High, in memory of Dr. Bersano who passed away on August 28, 2017. Dr. Bersano was a founding member of the grade school foundation, as well as a retired administrator in Joliet Public Schools District 86. He spent his entire 30-year educational career in District 86 as a teacher, academic advisor, and principal. He even attended Pershing Elementary and Hufford Junior High School as a student.
The Joliet Grade Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence was established in 2003 to enhance and enrich educational opportunities for Joliet Public Schools District 86 students. Over the past 13 years, the Foundation has awarded 338 classroom grants totaling more than $377,000 to benefit District 86 students. For more information on the Foundation, please contact Sandy Zalewski at (815) 740-3196 ext. 8204.