In Sydney's absence, a district staff member told the East St. Louis School District 189 Board of Education on May 21, 2025 that James Avant Elementary was selected as a 2025 model school and was recognized at the Model Schools conference in Washington, D.C.

The district said Avant presented its social-emotional learning and behavior-management systems at the conference, and that the school's presentation engaged educators from more than 5,000 conference attendees. The recognitions list named Principal Quanchanda Nicholson and Assistant Principal Audrey Jackson Lester among the campus presenters and acknowledged Doctor Antonice Carter, Tanika Scott and Barbara Outen for their roles.

The board also recognized district employees who recently earned advanced degrees and credentials. The meeting packet cited Keandra Smith, director of finance and federal and state programs, as receiving an education specialist degree in education administration with a superintendent endorsement; Sandra Dawson, special education teacher at East St. Louis Senior High School, as earning a graduate degree in curriculum and instruction; Dr. Roosevelt Mitchell, special education supervisor, as earning a doctorate in educational leadership; and Kymon Mitchell, custodian at Officer Elementary, as earning a carpentry maintenance degree from Rankin Technical College.

District leaders reported that the 2024 United Way campaign raised more than $25,000 to support local nonprofit organizations and student families, noting that top-performing campuses each raised over $4,000, including Bush Alternative Center, Young School of Excellence and Avant Elementary.

The board's recognitions also included a summary of recent track-and-field accomplishments across district schools: East St. Louis Senior High School boys varsity finished second in IHSA Class 2A and recorded several state championships in relay events and a triple jump; Mason Clark Bridal School, Lincoln Bridal School and Young School of Excellence also had state-level placings across grade levels, relays and individual events as listed in the meeting packet.

The recognitions were presented as part of the district reports portion of the regular meeting; no formal board action was required or taken on the recognitions themselves.