U-46 students earn highest state musical honor

Six Elgin Area School District U-46 High School students have been named All-State Musicians by the Illinois Music Educators Association.

The honorees are: Elgin High School junior Walker Demel, All-State Choir bass I; Larkin High School senior Brandon Berg, All-State Band trumpet; and South Elgin High School's Alisha Jury, senior, All-State Musical ensemble, Connor Murray, senior, All-State Honors Choir bass II and All-State Musical, Kailie Ryan, junior, All-State Honors Choir alto II; and Abby Wheatley, senior, All-State Choir alto I.

The students were recognized during Monday night's school board meeting.

All-State Musicians represent the highest musical achievement for high school students in Illinois.

These students participated in a competitive audition process last fall to earn the Illinois All-State Musicians honor. Selected students will perform at the ILMEA's annual music education conference Wednesday through Saturday in Peoria.

"ILMEA is a special venue for our students to showcase, compete, and stand proudly among the best in the state of Illinois," said Alicia Kopec, U-46 fine arts coordinator. "It's a true reflection on the students' passion to learn and the passion of dedicated staff that are willing to share their love for music."

Prairie Ridge student services department recognized:

Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake has earned the Recognized ASCA Model Program designation from the American School Counselor Association.

The student services department at Prairie Ridge created and implemented a developmental guidance curriculum implemented at every grade level and focused on academics, college and career, and social and emotional support.

"The process gave us an opportunity to audit our services against a national model," said Steve Koch, Prairie Ridge High School principal.

"We validated many things we already do well, and we created new programs and systems to better support our students' needs. We took a high functioning system and made it even stronger, and the Prairie Ridge community can be proud of the level of support we offer our students."

The student services department has pursued this certification for the past two years. The 12-part application is reviewed by committee members who receive national training. The process was complex and required the department to evaluate services, analyze the effectiveness and its impact on students.

Since 2004, only about 50 schools in Illinois and 600 schools nationwide have achieved this distinction.

"This is a tribute to the hard work and commitment to help students displayed by staff members in student services on a daily basis," said Julia Nadler, student services coordinator.

"It reflects the department's commitment to excellence when working with students, parents, and staff at Prairie Ridge High School."

Prairie Ridge will be honored July 11 during ASCA's annual conference in New Orleans.