Naperville school honors former student

Purple was Danielle-Joy Peterson's favorite color, and her dream was to have a school built in her name.

Though she passed away at the age of 22 five years ago, her dream became a reality Sunday afternoon.

High spirits, excitement and bliss overtook Danielle-Joy Peterson Elementary School's community in Naperville, as about 500 parents, students, teachers and Danielle-Joy Peterson's loved ones gathered in the newly built facility's gymnasium for a dedication ceremony.

"I think there's been a lot of thought put into everything," said Victoria Cosentino, who had been friends with Peterson since junior high. "I'm sure Danielle's definitely beaming up in heaven right now."

Peterson grew up in the area and attended Indian Prairie School District 204 schools. After high school, she went on to work for the district's human resources department, but died when she was 22 after battling cystic fibrosis and rheumatoid arthritis for much of her life.

As for Peterson school --the district's 22nd elementary facility located at 103rd Street and Normantown Road in southwest Naperville -- it sat empty for a year because area development was slow, but opened this year with about 450 students. In 2005, district officials decided to name the school after Danielle.

Danielle-Joy's mom, Annmarie Peterson said she and her husband, Ben, are very excited to be part of the new school's community.

"It is difficult to find the words to express how honored we are to have this big, beautiful school named after Danielle-Joy," she said.

She emphasized to students they should be sensitive to others and turn rudeness into kindness, exclusion into inclusion, sadness into joy and ignorance into knowledge.

"We hope that Danielle-Joy Peterson Elementary will be a school that exemplifies these traits," she said.

Students, who started their education at the school in August, are excited about their new facility, friends, programs and teachers.

"The area's very big, and the library's very big," said third-grader Ripal Sheth. "There's more space, so there's more books and I can read more."

Principal Terri Russell said it's been amazing to see the children and community members come together during the entire process. Next, the district and school officials will continue to focus on learning.

"We'll take the energy from today and move it forward to make sure every child is growing academically," she said, "and that we're providing the best education for our students."