Prince of Peace Catholic School Reports Successful In-Person Learning

Lake Villa, IL - January 2021 - Prince of Peace Catholic School, a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon school, announces that the first half of the school year (August 19-December 18) was successfully completed via in-person learning. Following local as well as Archdiocese of Chicago guidelines, students have been able to learn safely in the classroom.

Principal Dr. Stephanie Stoneberg said, "The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff and their families is - and remains - our greatest priority. In August, we implemented new strategies, procedures and protocols to provide our students with a safe learning environment, and we diligently follow these every day."

Some of these changes include wearing masks throughout the day, daily temperature checks, individual sanitation kits for each student and staff member, contactless drop-off/pick-up procedures, daily socio-emotional checks, and pairing grades in cohorts to reduce interaction with the rest of the school. Something that has not changed is Prince of Peace's Catholic identity. The school maintains its mission of strengthening faith through daily prayer, Mass (via cohorts) and classroom discussions. Catholic Faith is incorporated throughout the curriculum in every subject area.

In an informal poll, both parents and students report they feel safe and are pleased with Prince of Peace's learning strategies. Students are relieved to return to a semblance of normal and are benefitting from the classroom learning experience while continuing the school's traditions, updating them to remain safe as needed. Faculty and staff report that they feel safe as well and are proud to continue teaching to the school's high standards. Creativity and re-imagining have allowed the school community to thrive during this unprecedented time.

Additionally, there is an e-learning strategy in place for students that are unable to attend in-person learning (due to health/personal reasons), as well as a hybrid learning plan to accommodate classroom/remote learning. Stoneberg added, "We have a comprehensive remote learning plan in place should we find the need to temporarily implement it. However, we are proud to focus on in-person learning and will move ahead with this strategy for the second half of the academic school year."

Prince of Peace Catholic School has served the community for more than 63 years, enrolling students in grades prekindergarten through eighth. Students come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and live in six zip codes, encompassing nine local communities.

To learn more about Prince of Peace and its in-person learning strategies or to request an individual in-person tour of the school, contact Principal Dr. Stephanie Stoneberg at 847-356-6111 or visit http://school.princeofpeacelv.org.