Elk Grove Village junior high honored

SPRINGFIELD — Cheryl Hinchey said nothing could be more fun than making history.

On Wednesday, the history teacher and the rest of Margaret Mead Junior High School in Elk Grove Village did just that.

Mead was presented with an award for the school’s continued success at the Illinois History Expo, a statewide competition that showcases historical research projects from students across the state. In nine years, the high school has sent 57 students to the statewide competition — 16 of whom moved on to the National History Day contest.

The competition, Hinchey said, helps provide an extra level of motivation for student learning.

“That kind of rigor doesn’t happen in a normal curriculum, so this is a great way to get kids to do something challenging,” she said

The award was presented by Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, who said it was important for teachers to be able to connect with students and make classwork fun.

“When teachers can make something cool, and attract a lot of students to something, that’s one of the measures of success,” she said.

Aarushi Shah, 12, said the work was difficult, but the students were confident because Hinchey and others were there for them.

“We always got the help we needed,” Shah said.

The history program started out small, but has expanded each year.

“We believe every student can learn and they should be given every opportunity to learn,” Hinchey said.