Hawthorn Middle School North

Address: 201 Hawthorn Parkway, Vernon Hills

Phone: (847) 990-4400

Web site: hawthorn73.org

District's name: Hawthorn School District 73

Number of students/grade levels offered: Sixth grade, 213 students; seventh grade, 229 students; eighth grade, 207 students

Number of staff: 92

School mascot: Eagle

When was school built: 1975

An interesting tidbit: When the building was planned, most of the design can be credited to Emil Kriewaldt, the first principal. He made the design of the building his Master's project. During the construction, the contractor went bankrupt and all building stopped. Fifth, seventh and eighth grades stayed in the original buildings (now torn down and replaced by Townline School) but sixth grade spent four months at Kildeer until the building could be completed. The then board of education members were the ones who came up with the Hawthorn Campus idea and envisioned three campuses (two actually exist). The original building housed fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades in two of the pods -- the third was used for storage. The business office also was located in the building. All the pod rooms (except science) had one permanent wall, two movable walls, and were totally open to the pod area. Only the science room had windows. One of the building's most famous graduates is Kevin Walter, NFL wide receiver for the Houston Texans. Two other students who went on after college to the NFL were the twins, Bryan and Allen DeGraffenreid.

Principal: Anna Groh

• She has been at the school for two years.

• What is your favorite memory from Middle School North? "The student council Mania, the ice cram social and the eighth-grade award breakfast."

• What do you think is an unique aspect of your school? "The many fun programs for students both before and after school."

• What are you most proud of? "Good students and a dedicated and professional faculty."

• If all school enrollments were determined by choice, what would you say to potential parents to convince them to choose Middle School North for their children? "Our school is unique -- learning is fun, it is a discovery type of learning. Students here make a lot of the decisions on what's best for them and their school."

• How has technology changed the way students learn over the past five years? Has that been a good change? "It has its advantages and disadvantages. Knowledge is more accessible, at the students fingertips. However, reading and writing in the traditional sense is less."

• If you can get one thing accomplished between now and the end of May in your school, what would it be? "To have the students more aware of vocabulary and how to use it. This will be the culmination of a yearlong project called 'Word of the Day'."