The secret behind Palatine school's Blue Ribbon Award

St. Theresa School in Palatine last week accepted its national Blue Ribbon School designation by the U.S. Department of Education at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

It was the second time in 10 years the school won the honor, an accomplishment the school's teachers and administrators chalk up to their strong academic fundamentals, exemplary parents community and commitment to their faith.

Principal Mary Keenley said the solid academic foundation at St. Theresa is built on critical thinking and fundamental skills.

“Critical thinking is a wonderful thing, and students have to have mastery of critical thinking ... but they have to have the skills to manipulate that information,” Keenley said.

Being able to write well is key. “We teach penmanship and cursive because, with those skills, the children then have a fund of knowledge and an ammunition and a strength to go on and to think critically about the world around them.”

Collaborating with St. Theresa educators to drive those lessons home are the school's community of parents, which Keenley called essential.

“We are not in partnership with the parents, we are in collaboration with the parents, that's a big difference,” Keenley said. “Its not a contract, 'you do your part, I'll do my part.' We really work together on the formation of these children.”

Keenley said St. Theresa's parents retain their rights as the primary and most significant educators of their children, and the school's vibrant, active parent association is focused exclusively on their children's education.

“They make this their community,” Keenley said. “They want their children raised in a village, in essence, with like-minded families.”

Perhaps one reason such a strong collaboration exists between parents and teachers is that many of the school's teachers started out as parents themselves.

Mary-Anne Kielinski, now the principal's assistant, enrolled two of her children at the school before joining the staff as a preschool aide in 1990.

“You get to know the parents when you volunteer. The more you volunteered the more you got into the school, the more you felt that you were helping out the school and the teachers,” Kielinski said. “Its like a family away from home.”

Dotty Burns, a third-grade teacher at the school, said the collaboration between teachers and parents helps drive her lessons home.

“The parents always work with us,” Burns said. “If I say, 'you go home and practice this,' you know darn well they are going to go home and practice it, because there is strong parental support.”

Kielinski said the connectivity also works for issue resolution, too.

“If there's any problem, the teachers get in touch with the parents right away,” Kielinski said. “We are very connected with each other.”

Burns said another factor that makes the school a standout is the community's dedication to the faith.

“We live our faith every day,” Burns said. “We're very lucky that we can talk about God every day and live it, and live his work every day.”

The Rev. Timothy Fairman, the pastor at St. Theresa Parish, said the Blue Ribbon award was a tremendous affirmation of all that the school does well.

“From the principal to the faculty to the parents to the students, we provide an excellent environment for learning and growth, both spiritually and academically,” Fairman said.

The school, which is at 445 N. Benton St., was founded in 1954 and first achieved Blue Ribbon status in 2006.

A group of St. Theresa school representatives, including Keenley, were in the nation's Capitol last Monday to accept the award.