A Blue Ribbon day for Lisle junior high

Don Perry could've been doing other things Sunday afternoon.

"When I got up this morning and found out the Bears and Packers were playing, I realized I (may have) made a huge mistake," the principal of Kennedy Junior High in Lisle joked to a crowd of parents, students and teachers in the school gym. "This group really, truly supports public education."

The Lisle school community gathered to bask in Kennedy Junior High School's recent achievement as a No Child Left Behind-National Blue Ribbon award-winning school, one of just 40 such junior high schools in the country.

And Kennedy school officials made sure to celebrate in style. Balloons adorned the stage, tables throughout the gym were marked with the federal agency's logo and members of the school's band and chorus performed for all in attendance.

"Sometimes people forget how special this award is and what it means to be a Blue Ribbon school," said Todd Zoellick, a representative from the Department of Education's regional office in Chicago. "When you become a Blue Ribbon school, you instantly become an example. I'm so proud of the students here because you have worked so hard for this award."

Among the criteria school officials met in winning the award were ranking in the top 10 percent in its annual Illinois Standards Achievement Tests and meeting annual yearly progress in the No Child Left Behind program. School officials were honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 10.

"We felt like we were in very elite company," Perry said. "Everything we do is focused on our students."