West Oak Middle School

West Oak Middle School

Address: 500 Acorn Lane, Mundelein

Phone: (847) 566-9220

School Web site: www.d76.lake.k12.il.us/wo/westoak.html

District's name and Web site: Diamond Lake School District 76, www.d76.lake.k12.il.us/

Number of students/grade levels offered: 496 fifth- through eighth-graders

Number of staff: 68

School mascot: The Spirits

When was school built: 1973

School trivia: The mascot refers to the "Spirit of '76," the famed painting by Archibald McNeal Willard depicting the American Revolutionary War.

Principal: Christopher Willeford

• Willeford has been at the school for five years.

• What is your favorite memory from West Oak? "Last year's graduation ceremony. They were the first group of students who went through all four years here, which were my first four years. I was touched by that. It was kind of a neat feeling."

• What do you think is an unique aspect of your school? "We're not a big school, and yet we do big things. We may be small in numbers, but we act like a bigger school than we are. We have a variety of extracurricular activities, and we have a variety of supports for kids. We offer things like three full years of foreign language, where other schools don't. You wouldn't know we're small because we have what the big schools offer."

• What are you most proud of? "Making the Illinois honor roll for academic improvement. We've improved our performance on the state tests; we've actually increased from 64.1 percent of our students meeting or exceeding state standards to 80.4 percent. We're really proud."

• If all school enrollments were determined by choice, what would you say to potential parents to convince them to choose West Oak for their children? "The staff has a great personal relationship with kids. (There are) small classes sizes, excellent teachers (and an) excellent curriculum. (It's) the best bang for your buck."

• How has technology changed the way students learn over the past five years? "Students have a quicker access to information and a wide variety of it. It's also required them to learn the skill of sorting through what is pertinent and factual. They have to learn that just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean it's 100 percent true."

• If you can get one thing accomplished between now and the end of the school year, what would it be? "To make sure that all kids make a year or more growth in academics. I think it should be important for all kids at all schools. That way no kid is stagnant and even those kids who are behind can catch up."