Backed by several years of improving test scores, officials at Oak Ridge Elementary School in Palos Hill had a good feeling about their prospects of being named a National Blue Ribbon School.
So, they gathered the entire student population — 750 kids from grades two through five — along with teachers and administrators in the school gymnasium on Tuesday. They watched as the names of schools from elsewhere in the nation were revealed by the U.S. Department of Education on the National Blue Ribbon website.
“We just crossed our fingers and watched the video,” said Stephanie Johnson, who is in her second year as principal of Oak Ridge.
Children who had been chanting “Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge,” erupted with joyful screams and shouts when federal officials announced Oak Ridge had made the cut.
It’s in select company, with only 20 schools in Illinois and 353 nationwide named a National Blue Ribbon School.
However, the honor did not surprise Johnson: “I know our school and knew we could do it,” she said.
Johnson, district Superintendent Jeannie Stachowiak and director of Recruitment and Retainment Kevin Buscemi discussed the honor Thursday at the North Palos School District 117 office, 7825 W. 103rd St, Palos Hills.
Blue Ribbon Awards have almost become common in the school district.
Glen Oaks Elementary School in Hickory Hills has won the award twice and Conrady Junior High in Hickory Hills won once.
Still, it’s no easy feat. It takes a team effort to win a Blue Ribbon, along with years of steady improvement, officials said.
The Illinois State Board of Education nominates schools based on student achievement data, Stachowiak said. Data from several years is studied.
“They look to see if you are a sustainable school district. It’s not a one-off year. They look at your reading and math scores,” said Stachowiak, who has been superintendent there for 13 years.
Buscemi, the principal at Oak Ridge before Johnson took over, said: “This is something we’ve been working at a long time. Probably a decade.”
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“It’s a process. It takes time to work at, to put systems in place and increase student achievement scores. Years in the making,” Buscemi said. “It goes back to the core values. Do they believe in those things? We go through them with all the staff, the new hires.”
While teachers and administrators having goals are fine, the key is in the students’ academic performance, and if they can consistently earn good grades.
“They do,” Stachowiak said. “They do deliver because the teachers have high expectations for all the students. The teachers believe in them.”
She noted that about 75% of the district’s students come from homes where English is the second language.
“Arabic, Polish and Spanish are the three main languages. There are probably 40 different languages,” Stachowiak said. “It is a challenge. We have a great assistant superintendent of English learners, Shadia Salem. We have a lot of awesome people.”
Buscemi said cultural differences don’t hold anyone back because “we’re going to have the same high expectations for all kids. That’s why the staff is so successful.”
As Stachowiak said: “The hard work is worth it, all our teachers know.”
The Blue Ribbon “is great for the community. It’s great for the staff,” she added.
The entire district is in celebration mode, as winning a Blue Ribbon means a school is considered to be in the top 1% academically in the nation, Buscemi said.
It comes down to everyone working together, he said.
“We’re three of many people who contributed to this,” Buscemi said.
He noted the countless times teachers have talked with him about winning the Blue Ribbon honor, often asking “When are we going to get it? What do we have to do?”
Stachowiak thanked “a very supportive Board of Education. They ask questions and they believe in the system. They were so excited when they found out.”
In a news release, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said: “The honorees for our 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award have set a national example for what it means to raise the bar in education.
“The leaders, educators, and staff at our National Blue Ribbon Schools continually inspire me with their dedication to fostering academic excellence and building positive school culture that support students of all backgrounds to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.