Scott Elementary School took home their first blue ribbon in school history as part of District 203’s two blue ribbons awarded on Sept. 23.
The school was awarded the ribbon as part of the Exemplary High Performing category, meaning Scott scored in the top 15% in the state or higher on state assessments.
“Our commitment is that every child, every day, can be successful,” Hugh Boger, Principal of Scott said. “That takes a lot, a lot emotionally, a lot of resources, time and energy, and our teachers have been doing that a long time before I got here and probably after I am here. I’m proud of them and excited that they’re getting the recognition that they deserve.”
For elementary schools, Illinois uses the IAR to track progress. In English, 68.9% of Scott met or exceeded standards, while the rest of the state landed at 35.4% in the same category. In mathematics, 57.6% of Scott met or exceeded standards, while state-wide 27.1% fell in the same category.
Also included in Scott’s application was their motto, “together we can,” which the school body says everyday at the end of the morning announcements.
“I know [it’s] superficial, but the kids and the staff really buy into it and really think that we’re better off when we work together,” Boger said. “If you, if you talked to a Scott Eagle on the street or in the community, and said, ‘what makes your place special?’ I think they would say ‘together we can.’”
Scott has also implemented a method to build students’ sense of belonging with the creation of the Eagles Nest. Once a month, a group of 10-12 students from different grades and staff members from across the building meet as a collective to provide targeted social and emotional lessons. Each student in the building is a member of their own nest.
“Those kids, they don’t live in the same cul-de-sac,” Boger said. “These aren’t kids that are necessarily friends or hang out together, but once a month, year after year, those kids get together, and they do some sort of community building activity.”
Scott joins the ranks of five other District 203 elementary schools to earn the blue ribbon.
“The teachers at Scott work incredibly hard and have for many, many years,” Boger said. “It means the world to me that they’re finally being recognized for the hard work that they do.”
