Evergreen Elementary School celebrates Blue Ribbon award

Evergreen Elementary School teachers and their students kicked off a two-part celebration of their Blue Ribbon award with a pep rally Friday afternoon.

Evergreen has been named a 2018 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, putting the school in an elite class. Only two dozen schools in Illinois and 349 nationally have received the honor.

Private and public schools are eligible for the distinction based on one of two criteria: either by overall academic performance (as measured by state test scores and graduation rates) or by progress in closing the achievement gap. Evergreen was recognized in the category of Exemplary High Performing Schools.

"Evergreen is really a family environment; everyone works together," Principal Laura Pfanenstiel said. "If we've got a challenge, we all put together our minds and have a think tank going on. This is a culmination of all the hard work that all the students, teachers and parents, along with the community, have done all last year."

A ceremony in Washington, D.C., will honor all the winners on Nov. 7 and 8. Closer to home, Evergreen will continue the celebration with a parade stepping off at 10:10 a.m. Nov. 28. West Chicago High School students will salute their younger peers by sending drummers to lead the parade.

Other award recipients in DuPage County are Naperville North High School and Butterfield Elementary School in Lombard.

Evergreen serves about 325 students in Benjamin School District 25.