Kewanee Trophy and Award Sale!
Please come shop, show your support, and celebrate what makes KEWANEE STRONG!All proceeds from the sale go to the Athletic Booster Club.July 11 from 9am to noon in the Kewanee High School Golby Stu...
June 11, 2026
(Area Board for Child Development) After School Program
Parent Information
Home of the Bobcats and Bobkits!

Dena Hodges-Bates, Principal
Atten. Center for Grades PreK-8
Principal: Dena Hodge-Bates
201 W Main Street
PO Box 148
Neponset, IL 61345
Ph: 309-594-2306
Fax: 309-853-3820
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Welcome to Neponset Grade School, “Home of the Bobcats.” My name is Dena Hodge-Bates, principal of the Neponset Grade School and it is with great honor that my staff and I welcome all students, parents, and community members. Neponset Grade School is a PreK-8 attendance center with an array of educational, technological, and athletic opportunities.
At the Neponset Grade School, we offer an outstanding curriculum that fosters learning via current research based methodology, Illinois Common Core Learning Standards, engaged learning, and technological advances. Each classroom has internet access, computers, iPads, Smart Boards, and software programs to enhance student learning and foster success.
A variety of extracurricular activities are available to our students including: Scholastic Bowl, Science Fair, Family Fun Nights, and an outstanding Music/Band and Art Program. The Neponset Grade School offers a variety of athletic programs for our youth including: Girls/Boys Basketball, Cheerleading, Girls/Boys Track and Field, Girls Volleyball, and Football and Wrestling which is offered through our neighboring, Central Jr. High School. Through our athletic programs, students are encouraged to have fun and develop a sense of teamwork and dedication!
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
Aristotle
It is our mission at the Neponset Grade School to provide a developmentally appropriate education for all and to ensure a love for learning and an appreciation for becoming a productive member in our culturally enriched, democratic society. The vision of the Neponset Grade School is to demonstrate an appreciation of everyone’s diverse needs, to recognize that all students are capable of success, and to ensure that all students will be provided with a safe, nurturing, positive learning environment which allows them to learn to their fullest capability. Core values to be followed are to value one’s individual differences and diverse needs, instill the importance of being a life-long learner, appreciate and value family involvement, self-respect, respect and value others, honesty, and instill the importance of inquiry, engagement, critical thinking, and problem solving through the implementation of the Illinois Common Core Learning Standards.
“Education is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of the fire.”
William Butler Yeats
Dena Hodge-Bates, Principal
dhodge-bates@kcud229.org
309-594-2306
Please come shop, show your support, and celebrate what makes KEWANEE STRONG!All proceeds from the sale go to the Athletic Booster Club.July 11 from 9am to noon in the Kewanee High School Golby Stu...
June 11, 2026
Hello All,We have some exciting news to share with you! As we are preparing for the 2026-2027 school year, wewill be transitioning to Skyward’s newest technology: Qmlativ. This new system will prov...
May 7, 2026
The community issue has been resolved. Soft lockdown has been lifted. This is a good reminder to “See something, say something.” It’s better to be safe than sorry!Thank you
April 20, 2026