The Department of Education recently honored Holy Cross School in Deerfield by designating it a Blue Ribbon School.
Holy Cross – a private K-8 institution in the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools – shares the accolade with 21 other Illinois schools, including eight Archdiocese schools, among them SS. Faith, Hope and Charity School in Winnetka; St. Mary School in Buffalo Grove and St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights.
Fourth-grade teacher Ardith Shea said she accepted the award on behalf of the school at a “whirlwind” ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 10 and 11.
“I felt like a rock star and they pretty much treated us that way,” Shea said.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan encouraged the Blue Ribbon schools to announce the honor, she said.
“Don’t keep it a secret. Toot your own horn,” Shea said Duncan told them.
Accordingly, big blue letters in the windows at Holy Cross spell out “Blue Ribbon School” and the Blue Ribbon logo graces the school website’s home page.
Janice DiVencenzo, now in her fourth year as principal, could not attend the ceremony in Washington, D.C., due to the birth of a grandchild, but she said she and her colleagues have basked in the news of the honor since they were officially notified in September in a letter signed by Cardinal Francis George.
“This honor,” the letter stated, “is a source of great pride not only for your faculty, staff and students, but also for all the people of the Archdiocese of Chicago.”
“We were very joyful,” DiVencenzo said. “When I told the school advisory board, cheers went up in the room.”
The students were notified at the time, but there was no school celebration until the plaque was in hand.
Holy Cross also was honored as a Blue Ribbon school in 1986. Schools must wait at least five years before they can reapply. To be even considered for Blue Ribbon status, a school must finish in the top 15 percent of the country in reading and math test scores for all grade levels tested.
One a school passes the test score benchmark, other factors weighed include demographics, size, ethnicity and transfer rates, DiVencenzo said.
The application also calls for narratives about the school’s history, mission and purpose. It is a six-week process and the application can be as long as 30 pages, she said.
DiVencenzo gave credit for the designation to the students, teachers and parents.
“We have great parent volunteers,” she said. “They are generous with their time and expertise, and they support the kids at home. If the students don’t have that backup at home, (they) will not rise to the level of achievement that our kids have demonstrated.”
DiVencenzo was retired from the public school system when she decided to become principal at Holy Cross.
“It’s about giving back and being part of a faith-based community,” she said.
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She waited until last year to pursue Blue Ribbon consideration.
“When you walk in your first year,” she said, “you have to live in (the school) a little while. I wanted to make sure my teachers were invested in it to participate.”
Holy Cross officials say that after being designated a Blue Ribbon school, the work isn’t over.
“We’re going to take that energy and excitement from this mountaintop experience and challenge ourselves to do even better,” Shea said. “That’s what (Duncan) challenged us with. When I came here (five years ago) I remember sharing with the principal that I thought Holy Cross was best-kept secret in Deerfield. Now, (with this honor) the goal is to let the secret out.”