Arlington Heights school celebrates national honor

It was a day of celebration Monday at St. Peter Lutheran School in Arlington Heights as students and faculty members got a look at the Blue Ribbon award bestowed on them by the U.S. Department of Education.

At a school assembly Monday afternoon, local politicians and the school band and choir joined in to celebrate the award school officials picked up last week in Washington, D.C.

St. Peter, along with Roslyn Road Elementary School in Barrington and Twin Groves Middle School in Buffalo Grove are the three schools from Northwest Cook County to receive the prestigious National Blue Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of Education this year. There were 21 across the state and 286 nationwide.

The award signifies high student performance or notable improvement in performance.

St. Peter Principal Bruce Rudi last week told the Daily Herald why his school is among the best. “We want to get students to think outside of themselves,” he said. “That’s why we encourage them to be active in the local community, and also globally.”

One of St. Peter’s programs involves a relationship with children in South Africa, including summer trips by St. Peter middle school-age students who post blogs about their experiences.