Barrington school honored with Blue Ribbon Award

This year the Department of Education acknowledged something that Barrington residents have known for 160 years, that Hough Street Elementary is a special place.

The school, which has Barrington area children from kindergarten to fifth grade, was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

The consensus among the Hough educators is that the award reflects hardworking and talented teachers, a uniquely supportive community and children who are eager to learn.

Principal James Aalfs said Hough's unique environment is clear as soon as people walk through the door.

"When you walk into Hough it is like walking into a hug," Aalfs said. "I think the kids feel that, I think they feel safe and beyond that I think they strive to do their best for their teachers."

Fifth-grade teacher Anna Jagielski said her colleagues are stellar.

"The teachers are top-notch," Jagielski said. "We've worked really hard for many many years with a lot of new curriculum that we've created over the past five or six years."

Aalfs said he has never worked with a more dedicated and professional group of people than those that teach and support the students at Hough.

"Their passion for learning, dedication to themselves, trying to find the best practices out there and bring them into their classroom is second to none," Aalfs said.

Teacher-librarian Mary Marks, who has been at Hough for 26 years, said the Hough community is very close. There's nothing you can't ask from the community that volunteers won't do, from changing the landscape to make it representative of the seasons to parents helping kids read and write.

"Our size allows us to create relationships," Marks said of 200-plus enrollment school. "Everyone knows everyone in this school, we know their siblings, we know their parents and because many times there are many generations, we know their grandparents."

Jagielski said the teachers feel that district parents are behind them 100 percent.

Aalfs said the most important part are the children, who love school and love learning. When he became principal three years ago he started the year by interviewing every single fifth-grader, a practice he continues.

"I talk about what can they do to be a leader in this building, what goals that they have for themselves and for our school," Aalfs said. "And I take notes on all of that. Our fifth grade has taken that to a new level - they understand the responsibility that the little ones are watching them."

Marks said the Blue Ribbon is a validation of what has been happening at the corner of South Hough and West Lincoln streets since the area's first school was built on this spot in 1855, 10 years before Barrington became a village.

"For 160 years education has been taking place here, it's been happening right here in the heart of the community," Marks said. "It's always been our goal to achieve excellence in all areas, but it's nice to get that formal recognition of what we've always known."

A group of Hough Elementary representatives including Aalfs and Marks will fly to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 9 to accept the Blue Ribbon Award. An assembly for the whole school to celebrate the achievement is planned after.