Dist. 203 and 204 make state honor roll

Thirty five local school principals gave their moms some new refrigerator material Friday afternoon.

Illinois State Superintendent of Education Christopher Koch recognized 17 Naperville Unit District 203 schools and 18 Indian Prairie Unit District 204 schools for being named to the 2009 Illinois Honor Roll, during a school assembly at May Watts Elementary School in Naperville.

"This is a remarkable list of 35 schools that have all sustained high performance over at least three years," Koch said. "This kind of academic achievement requires that everyone at school and at home is working extraordinarily hard to maintain success and in some cases, make new gains."

The 2009 Illinois Honor Roll includes 975 schools that are being recognized for their continued academic progress. It's divided into three categories - Spotlight Schools, Academic Excellence and Academic Improvement. Each award has unique criteria that best reflect the diverse circumstances of Illinois schools.

These 35 schools, however, fall into the Academic Excellence Awards, meaning they are 35 of 438 schools that have sustained high performance over at least three years.

Dist. 203 Superintendent Mark Mitrovich said Friday's ceremony, which honored both districts, was just a small token of appreciation.

"It's always delightful to come in and honor your staff or see them be honored as was the case today, but it hardly seems fair to honor them only a short period of time," he said. "The cumulative hours of effort put in by all these teachers and administrators, if added up, would be quite a daunting number. They work really hard."

District 204 Superintendent Kathryn Birkett praised her building principals as well, saying the honor is a testament to the hard work everyone has done in the good times and the more recent belt-tightening times.

"I'm very proud of everything we've achieved and honored that it had earned us a visit from (Koch)," Birkett said before joining Koch on a tour of May Watts School. "It's always great for your staff and students to be recognized at such a high level for their accomplishments."

Honor roll schools Naperville Unit District 203Lincoln Junior HighWashington Junior High Madison Junior HighKennedy Junior HighEllsworth ElementaryElmwood ElementaryHighlands ElementaryMill Street ElementaryNaper ElementaryPrairie ElementaryMaplebrook ElementarySteeple Run Elementary Scott ElementaryRanch View ElementaryRiver Woods ElementaryMeadow Glens ElementaryKingsley ElementaryIndian Prairie Unit Dist. 204Gregory Middle SchoolCrone Middle SchoolRobert Clow ElementaryBrookdale ElementarySpring Brook ElementaryMay Watts ElementaryReba O Steck ElementaryPatterson ElementaryBrooks ElementaryWhite Eagle ElementaryGraham ElementaryCowlishaw ElementaryKendall ElementaryNancy Young ElementaryWelch ElementaryBuilta ElementaryFry Elementary Owen Elementary