Students and faculty at St. Therese Chinese Catholic School celebrated their second Blue Ribbon award on Oct. 19, 2018. The National Blue Ribbon Award is presented to schools based on a school’s overall academic excellence or the school’s progress in closing student achievement gaps. The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools have received 102 Blue Ribbon Awards, more than any other school system – public or private – in the country. St. Therese is one of seven archdiocesan schools recognized this year. The others are: Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Orland Hills; Queen of All Saints School; Sacred Heart, Winnetka; St. Bede, Ingleside; St. Francis Xavier, Wilmette; and St. Francis de Sales, Lake Zurich.
Tax-credit scholarships bringing more students into classrooms To see the effect of Illinois’ new tax-credit scholarships, Melissa Wilson, principal of St. Benedict School in Blue Island, need look no further than the kindergarten classroom.
Local schools close, merge or are repurposed In a major restructuring, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Oct. 29 that 14 elementary schools would be closed, merged or repurposed at the end of the 2014-2015 academic year.
Eight schools awarded Blue Ribbon status this year Eight Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago won Blue Ribbon awards from the U.S. Department of Education this year, extending a streak of success in the national school recognition program.