Illinois schoolchildren ages 5-11 could be able to get the covid vaccine before the end of the year if the vaccine is approved as expected, according to reports. Pfizer and its German partner BioNtech have made a formal request to the Food and Drug Administration to extend emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11. The two-dose vaccine is already authorized for children aged 12 to 15 and fully approved for ages 16 and up. If U.S. regulators approve the vaccine for younger children, schoolkids nationwide could begin getting shots before the end of the year. “We’re... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: California is becoming the first state to mandate covid-19 vaccines for kids attending school once the shots are federally approved for their age groups, and with Illinois following many of the same paths as the most-populous U.S. state, could Illinois be next? Several school districts in California are already requiring the vaccine for students, and the statewide mandate will begin for grades 7-12, then move to K-6, by summer 2022, pending FDA approval of the vaccines for those age groups. “These requirements are working, across the country,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.... Read More

Sixth-grade student Jose Lopez was diagnosed this past spring with Leukemia after Denkmann’s school nurse, Ms. Zimanek noticed an issue with one of his eyes. The school nurse contacted Jose’s mother and got him into an eye doctor that day. Jose is currently in Peoria receiving treatment. Principal Versluis asked students and staff to bring any spare change they had and if the school was able to raise 2,021 dollars by the end of this month he would get a mohawk. Staff added more incentives to raise money and said whichever staff member collected the largest amount of money would shave their... Read More

“Be Kind.” “You are Enough.” “We are in this together,” are just some of the many positive messages you’ll see at Rock Island High School. The idea came from Rock Island High School teacher Kelly Young. Mrs. Young was starting to accumulate several inspirational t-shirts. So she decided to start wearing them once a week at work, every Tuesday. “The idea is to wear shirts with inspirational or supportive text to show students we care,” said Mrs. Young. After she started getting students complimenting and noticing her shirts she thought why not... Read More

The following article is part of QuadCities.com’s partnership with local music website The Echo. For more, check out theechoqc.com! By Avery Pearl Despite her busy schedule, from being Lizzo’s lead guitarist to going on tour with major acts like Bruno Mars and Fifth Harmony, or kicking it with her celebrity friends like Camila Cabello, Juno still makes time to give back to her community. Through a collaboration with the River Music Experience (RME), Juno led a three-event education series with the students from Project Renewal, which focused on music education and self-expression through music.... Read More

Rock Island Public Library children’s librarians will continue to show up at our Longview Park Library2Go bookmobile stop from 2:30 to 3:30 pm on Wednesdays for Full STEAM Ahead. Stop by for some fun with our STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) kits. Miss Ranell will bring a new kit each week. This event is great for grades K-6! (Wednesdays are early dismissal days for Rock Island-Milan School District #41.) For more information, see www.rockislandlibrary.org  Read More

At the same time there is concern about the spread of COVID-19 to teens and younger children, another virus is making an unusual summer appearance. Respiratory syncytial virus, commonly referred to as RSV, is usually not serious in adults but can become serious and require hospitalization in babies and young children. The symptoms of RSV can resemble those of COVID-19, including cough, fever and congestion. Genesis Health Group pediatricians and pediatrics hospital units in Davenport and Silvis have experienced an early start to “RSV season,’’ which is usually in late fall and winter. COVID-19... Read More

Aurora Beard was named for the Disney princess Aurora in the Sleeping Beauty story. It fits. She is a beauty. There is another meaning for the name Aurora, which also fits. Aurora Beard is a natural light display, in spite of her physical challenges. Aurora is an active 5-year-old who wheels herself around, plays Challenger League baseball and is gaining independence with the therapies available from Genesis Outpatient Pediatric Therapy (GOPEDS). Aurora was born at 7 pounds, a healthy weight, but soon it became apparent she was not developing on schedule and was not growing as expected. “From... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois is bringing back a statewide indoor mask mandate starting Monday, a vaccine mandate for all school employees in P-12 and all employees and students in higher education facilities statewide, and other restrictions, Gov. JB Pritzker said in his press conference this morning. The mask mandate applies to anyone over the age of two, regardless of vaccination status, echoing the same mask mandate brought back to Chicago two weeks ago, and to Cook County surrounding Chicagoland last week. All educational system and healthcare system employees will be mandated to get the covid-19... Read More

When Jeff and Renae Hoskins of Rock Island adopted their adorable little girl from China in early 2008, they had no idea that eight years later, Ava and her family would be plunged into an unimaginable bout with a rare, advanced childhood cancer. Now 14 and starting her freshman year at Jeff’s alma mater, Alleman High School in Rock Island, Ava is in remission and wrote an introduction to Hoskins’ memoir of their extraordinary experiences – “From Cancer to Kinnick: Love Finds a Wave,” to be released Sept. 3 by Ice Cube Press of North Liberty, Iowa. “I hope that you will be inspired,”... Read More