Mundelein middle school students honored for their hard work, improvement during school year

Eighteen students from three middle schools near Mundelein were honored Friday by Mundelein Police Chief Raymond Rose and Lake County Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes for making improvements this school year.

Those students, selected by administrators at Fremont, Carl Sandburg and West Oak, have shown improvement academically and behaviorally through the 2012-13 school year, officials said.

They received special recognition during a ceremony at the Lake County Courthouse. The teens then traveled with their parents to a special luncheon at the Mundelein Police Department.

“Not every teen is on the honor role and not every teen excels at sports, but we felt there has to be a way for us to show support of those kids who are trying to improve day to day,” Rose said after the luncheon. “We wanted to give those kids and their families the recognition and support and say they are doing good in the community.”

This is the third time eighth grade students were honored by Rose and Shanes for showing improvement during a school year, Shanes said.

The program will continue in the future because it really helps kids put an effort into being successful in life, he said.

“Over the years, the Mundelein Police Department, Chief Rose, and myself have cooperated on some great projects,” Shanes said. “As these kids go on to high school and deal with challenges and additional choices, we wanted to show them there is support out there to help them fulfill their potential.”