Feds honor six suburban schools

Four Lake County schools were among the 19 in Illinois that were announced Thursday as U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon award winners. Education Secretary Arne Duncan recognized 304 elementary, middle and high schools across the country as national Blue Ribbon winners. Of the Blue Ribbon schools, 254 are public and 50 private.

Two of the Blue Ribbon-winning schools came from Lincolnshire-Prairie View Elementary District 103. They were Daniel Wright Junior High School and Half Day School.

Highland Middle School in Libertyville and Vernon Hills High School also snagged Blue Ribbon honors.

Daniel Wright Principal Howard Holbrook said the Blue Ribbon recognition resulted from parents who value education, quality instructors and children who typically are ready to learn by the time they reach the school for grades six to eight.

"I think it's the consistently high performance of the students in the school," Holbrook said Thursday.

Holbrook said Daniel Wright's curriculum is designed to prepare children to become "true thinkers" on an international scope. He said students are very involved in problem-solving - not just taking standardized tests.

District 103's other Blue Ribbon building, Half Day School, serves grades three and four.

Highland Middle School serves grades six to eight and is part of the Libertyville Elementary District 70 system. Principal Sharon Aspinall said Highland Middle offers children many opportunities, such as fine arts, athletics and after-school education.

"It's not just about the test scores," Aspinall said. "You really have to have a well-rounded school."

Vernon Hills High is part of Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128. Superintendent Prentiss Lea said Vernon Hills was envisioned to become a world-class school when it opened in 1999, so the Blue Ribbon award is fitting.

Lea said the Blue Ribbon isn't just about high standardized test scores.

"It really comes down to how are you serving your students on multiple levels," he said.

Federal education officials said the Blue Ribbon designation comes based on one of the following criteria:

• Schools whose students are high performing, regardless of backgrounds. These are buildings ranked among the state's highest performing schools as measured by performance on state assessments. In the case of private schools, it involves scoring at the highest performance level on tests referenced by national norms in at least the most recent year tested.

•Schools with at least 40 percent of their children from disadvantaged backgrounds that improve student performance to high levels as measured by the building's performance on state assessments or nationally-normed tests.

Blue Ribbon winners will be honored at an awards ceremony Nov. 15 and 16 in Washington, D.C.

"Our nation has a responsibility to help all children realize their full potential," Duncan said in announcing the winners Thursday. "Schools honored with the Blue Ribbon Schools award are committed to achievement and to ensuring that students learn and succeed."

Other suburban Blue Ribbon winners in Illinois included St. Charles North High School and Highlands Elementary School in Naperville.