Principals say Blue Ribbion reflects schoolwide excellence

Don Perry is floating on cloud nine.

Steve Severson is dealing with a case of goose bumps.

None of which is surprising, really, after the two principals learned this week that their respective schools are receiving national honors for academic excellence.

Kennedy Junior High in Naperville Unit District 203 and Gregory Middle School in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 both have been named 2008 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.

They're among 320 schools being feted nationwide for helping students achieve at very high levels or making significant progress in closing the achievement gap.

Kennedy and Gregory were selected because their students scored in the top 10 percent on state ISAT tests and because, even at their high levels, both schools' scores continue to improve.

The principals - Perry at Kennedy in Lisle and Severson at Gregory in Naperville - have been invited to bring a teacher with them to the awards ceremony Oct. 20-21 in Washington, D.C. Both also plan to have a celebration at their own school once they return from that trip.

Awards like this never become old hat, but this is the second time Kennedy has received the honor since Perry became principal. The school also captured the award in 2001-02.

"I'm floating on cloud nine," Perry said Wednesday.

He said there are a number of factors that contribute to Kennedy Junior High's place among the best schools in the country.

"We have a supportive parent base, terrific kids and outstanding teachers," he said.

Mix that with a strong district curriculum and community support, he said, and "all the key ingredients are in place."

"It's critical to know your students," he said. "We make sure we know each of our students and their needs."

Perry said he hopes to have a schoolwide celebration in November.

In the meantime, he said, his next challenge will be selecting the teacher who will accompany him to Washington, D.C.

"It's hard to pick one person when you've got a hundred deserving teachers," he said.

Severson, meanwhile, said thinking about all the people who have contributed to Gregory's success - and who continue to contribute - "is kind of humbling."

"I've kind of got the goose-bump thing going," he said Wednesday.

When he first came to the school five years ago, he heard all the talk about the "Gregory family" and wondered if it was true. Now, he says, he knows it is.

"All the adults in the building are committed to do whatever it takes to help every kid," he said. "We've had such a solid core of people here since 1987 when the building opened and no matter where we think we're at, we always think we can do a little better."

That's reflected in the fact that 95.3 percent of Gregory's students met or exceeded state ISAT standards in 2006-07, and Severson says the school did even better this past year.

It's also reflected in the commitment of even veteran teachers, he said, to keep looking for ways to improve and to always address the same question: "How do we help each kid?"

This is the first time an Indian Prairie school has been selected for a Blue Ribbon award and Severson said the honor has caused him to reflect on all the people who came before him at Gregory, including legendary principal Greg Fischer, and some of the teachers who have been on hand since the building opened.

One of those teachers, Tim Higgins, will accompany him to Washington, D.C.

In the end, though, he says the school's success always comes back to the same thing.

"We have the greatest group of kids I've ever seen," he said.