Crossings: Highland Middle School

Address: 310 W. Rockland Road, Libertyville

Phone: (847) 362-9020

Web site: d70schools.org/Highland

District's name and/or Web site: Libertyville Elementary District 70; D70schools.org

Number of students/grade levels offered: 930 students in sixth through eighth grade

Number of staff: 100

School mascot: "Harry" the hornet

When was school built: 1949 with additions in the 1960s and in 1990. School remodeled in 2001.

Principal: Sharon E. Aspinall

• In all, Aspinall has been at Highland for 19 years as teacher, assistant principal and principal.

• What is your favorite memory from Highland Middle School? "My favorite time at school is when we bring everyone together and you can see our unity, our community. It's not easy bringing 900 students and 100 staff members together. Several years ago, the students and staff were dressed in red, white and blue and we took a photo of everyone standing in the west field. It was a great feeling to see everyone together."

• What do you think is an unique aspect of your school? "Our team approach is being student-centered. We're a big school and we really try to have a small, warm, comforting feeling inside. We want students and family to know exactly who to go to rather than having to randomly decide from 100 staff members. Every student has a contact person -- that's very important. And part of that small feeling begins with the transition we've created in the school for sixth-graders. Sixth-graders are centered in classrooms in the west wing, so they don't have to traipse throughout the school, worried about having enough time to get to their next class or getting lost."

• What are you most proud of? "I'm most proud of the academic success that almost all our students achieve at Highland. We prepare them and get them ready for the next stage of learning. Our professional staff is there for the right reason; they are there to teach kids no matter what their needs are. We hire professionals and they do their job."

• If all school enrollments were determined by choice, what would you say to potential parents to convince them to choose Highland for their children? "I would tell parents to come see us. As soon as you walk through our doors, you will feel the warmth and sense of community in the building. Walking through the school, you will see all the wonderful opportunities the students enjoy. The school sells itself. It's a beautiful facility with a friendly office staff, and committed and hard-working teachers. Pick any classroom and you will see teachers teaching and preparing students for the 21st century. We offer students many extracurricular activities, from our award-winning fine arts programs to sports, clubs … you name it, and there is something for every child to get involved with beyond or within their school day."

• How has technology changed the way students learn over the past five years? Has that been a good change? "It has been a great change. Technology has given students more tools and more opportunities to connect globally. And it has taught them time management. Students can work on a project at school and bring it home on a flash drive to work on it."

• What are you looking forward to with the 2008-09 school year just around the corner? "Something new this fall for the 2008-09 school year will be beginning the year with our first school motto: 'If it's to be, it's up to me.' We spent about four months working on this with students suggesting mottoes. Now that we have a motto, we will offer T-shirts with symbols of a peace sign, heart and hornet and the school name on the front, and the motto on the back of the shirt. We are going to live by this model academically: teacher to student, teacher to teacher, administrator to teacher. We play a part in a small group like our classroom or a large group like our school."