Lisle's Kennedy Jr. High wins School to Watch award

Kennedy Junior High School added even more hardware to its growing collection of academic awards this week.

The Lisle school was named an Illinois Horizon School to Watch as part of a program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. It is one of 12 in the state to receive the honor.

"Kennedy is truly an exceptional middle school as it exemplifies the National Forum's vision for academic excellence, social equity, developmental responsiveness and organizational structures and processes. Any visitor to Kennedy Junior High would observe its commitment to guide all students to personal and academic success," said Deb Schrock, executive director of the Association of Illinois Middle-Level Schools reading from Kennedy's award letter.

Schrock presented Kennedy staff with plaques from both the state and national groups during a special ceremony Wednesday.

Principal Don Perry commended his teaching staff for their hard work in making the award possible.

"This is not my plaque, this is our plaque," he told them. "It represents all the hard work ... that goes into the daily lives of all of our kids."

The school of just more than 1,100 students has consistently posted exceptional test scores. In 2007 roughly 99 percent of students met state and federal No Child Left Behind Standards in both reading and math.

But the award goes beyond test scores. Members of a judging committee visited the school, which also won the award in 2004, and spoke with students and parents. Schrock said they were impressed by the positive comments they heard from both groups.

"Students expressed that they feel recognized, understood and supported yet they are keenly aware of the high academic and behavioral expectations," Schrock said.

Kennedy was also recently named a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education for the second time.

Naperville Unit District 203 Superintendent Alan Leis told Kennedy teachers they are a "remarkable example of high achievement and a caring environment."

"We know all the research clearly tells us it is the quality of the teaching staff that makes a quality school and we know also that right after that the quality of the principal is right there," Leis said. "You work as a team, you collaborate together, you live the district mission."

Granger, Gregory and Hill middle schools in neighboring Indian Prairie Unit District 204 were also named Horizon Schools to Watch this year.