A Peoria Public Schools teacher has brought home a $10,000 grant to study the chemistry and history of chocolate — and she's putting her students to work on the research.
Emily Dawson, an eighth-grade science teacher and life skills instructor at Mark Bills Middle School, presented the District 150 board Monday with the Forrest E. Mars Jr. Chocolate History Grant, awarded while she pursues her third master's degree in chemistry at Western Illinois University.
The grant supports a project using high-performance liquid chromatography to measure chemical concentrations in Hawaiian-grown cacao.
Through the grant, Peoria area high school students will join a research cohort to learn analytical chemistry techniques, while K-12 lesson plans built around cocoa science are being developed for broader classroom use.
The work also strengthens a new partnership between Western Illinois University and Peoria Public Schools, giving students access to university-level lab facilities and mentorship.
"The grant allows us to bring authentic scientific research directly into the classrooms," Dawson said. "Students are not only just learning about chemistry, they're going to be using chemistry to uncover history."
That hands-on approach already is producing results. Dawson's research cohort of 77 students from five area schools competed in IJAS regional and state competitions this year, with several taking gold.
Among them, a Richwoods High School student whose research on detecting harmful bacteria in fresh water earned gold at both the regional and state levels, and a trip to compete in the international Stockholm Water Prize competition.
Dawson added, “If there's any students district wide, or even outside our district, that would like to do research or unpaid internships improving their science skills, that opportunity is available for any of our students.”
Attendance
Also Monday, the board recognized schools showing the strongest gains in April attendance and chronic absenteeism compared with the same period last year.
The individual school results come as the district works to chip away at a persistent problem. District-wide, nearly one in three PPS students was chronically absent in 2025, according to the Illinois Report Card — though that 32% rate is the lowest the district has recorded in at least seven years.
Von Steuben Middle School led both categories — up 6.1% in attendance and down 14.2 points in chronic absenteeism.
Von Steuben principal June Smothers said the results reflect a staff-wide commitment to getting students through the door. "The staff has created magic," she said, "and they're just truly and honestly amazing."
Other business
In other action, the board:
- Heard Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat introduce incoming CFO Michael Curry, currently CFO at a neighboring district, who will begin transitioning into the role June 2 and officially will sit at the board table June 8.
- Approved renewal of Edgenuity online learning licenses for the 2026-27 school year at four high school buildings at a cost of $62,840, funded through Title I.
- Learned the district's 2024-25 financial audit has officially started following completion of all bank reconciliations, with field work expected to wrap before June 30 and a final report likely in July.
- The Woodruff Career and Technical Center culinary students showcased their ProStart management team that finished 11th nationally and may move into the top 10 pending a score review. Nine students will travel to Atlanta for SkillsUSA nationals in June.
