Thank you for another tremendous school year at District 88

Pictured is District 88 Superintendent Dr. Jean Barbanente.

It has been another tremendous school year at District 88, and I thank all of our stakeholders for your partnership in helping to accomplish our mission and vision and building positive futures for our students.

We have accomplished amazing successes this year, and our students and staff continued the tradition of pride and excellence that represents District 88. Our students once again received local, state and national recognitions in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities.

Highlights include:

District 88 successes:

  • RECOGNITION FROM GREATSCHOOLS: In 2025, Addison Trail and Willowbrook received very positive rankings from GreatSchools and are considered to be “performing above average compared to public and charter schools in Illinois with the same grade levels.” Willowbrook earned a College Readiness Rating of 9/10 and outperforms 86% of similar schools in Illinois, and Addison Trail earned a College Readiness Rating of 8/10 and outperforms 77% of similar schools in Illinois.  

  • U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT: Addison Trail and Willowbrook earned high National and metro-area rankings in the 2025-26 Best High Schools category and have achieved status as U.S. News Best High Schools. 

  • Positive 2025 Illinois Report Card results: https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/17133

  • Five Addison Trail students and one Willowbrook student were named to the 2026 Illinois High School Theatre Festival (IHSTF) All-State Company.

  • Addison Trail and Willowbrook were honored with the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association (NEDSRA) 2025 Superstar Friend award.

  • District 88 was named as an Addison Township Mental Health Board 2026 grant recipient.

  • District 88 Superintendent Dr. Jean Barbanente was named as the 2026 Superintendent of Distinction for the DuPage County Region of the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA).

  • District 88 Director of Community Relations Dani Brink was named as the “Celebrating the Women of Addison Township 2026 Changemaker of the Year.”

Addison Trail successes:

Academics

  • Forty Addison Trail students earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Program.

  • Two Addison Trail seniors were named as Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

  • Forty-five seniors were named as 2026-27 State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).

  • An Addison Trail senior was honored with a Certificate of Merit by the local VFW for participation in the Voice of Democracy program.

  • Eighteen students were honored during a White Coat Ceremony for completing the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) sequence.

  • An Addison Trail senior was recognized as a Technology Center of DuPage Student of the Month.

  • An Addison Trail student was part of the Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) Culinary Team that earned 1st place at the 2026 Illinois ProStart® Invitational.

  • More than 60 Addison Trail seniors were recognized by the President’s Education Awards Program (PEAP), which honors students “for their academic achievement and hard work."

  • Addison Trail honored 180 students who earned the State Seal of Biliteracy recognition and/or the State Commendation toward Biliteracy recognition in five languages (German, Gujarati, Italian, Polish and Spanish).

  • Six Addison Trail Economics students performed well in the Illinois Stock Market Game and finished in the top 100.

  • Addison Trail hosted a CTE Signing Day to celebrate 18 seniors who have chosen to pursue a career as a professional in the skilled trades. 

Athletics:

  • Addison Trail hosted a College Signing Day for 18 seniors, who have committed to play their respective sports at the collegiate level.

  • Addison Trail had state qualifiers in Boys Cross-Country, Boys Wrestling, Boys Gymnastics (qualified as a team) and Girls Track & Field.

  • This season was just the second time girls wrestling had an official West Suburban Conference Tournament, and the Addison Trail Girls Wrestling Team won this year’s title.

  • Members of the Addison Trail Girls Bowling Team were named as Regional Champions.

Extracurriculars

  • Six Addison Trail students were named as ILMEA All-District Musicians.

  • Addison Trail had state qualifiers in Business Professionals of America (BPA), Math Team, Science Olympiad, SkillsUSA (six students earned a top-10 finish, including a State Champion) and esports.

  • Four Addison Trail students competed at the national level for Business Professionals of America (BPA).

  • The Addison Trail Robotics Team participated in a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition.

  • The ATtribute yearbook earned two recognitions during the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association (NISPA) conference.

  • Five Addison Trail students participated in the Illinois High School Art Exhibition (IHSAE) at Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago, and two received awards.

Staff

  • Addison Trail Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher Bridget Colleran was named as one of the regional CTE Instructors of the Year for Family and Consumer Sciences.

  • Addison Trail Library Media Center Director Patrick Glazik was honored as a Distinguished Service Celebration (DSC) recipient by the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (INSPRA).

Willowbrook successes:

Academics

  • Seventy-two Willowbrook seniors were named as 2026-27 State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and/or received academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Program. 

  • Three Willowbrook seniors were named as Commended Students in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

  • Willowbrook honored 65 students who earned the State Seal of Biliteracy recognition and/or the State Commendation toward Biliteracy recognition in seven languages (Arabic, French, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish and Urdu). 

  • Willowbrook hosted a CTE Signing Day to celebrate 34 seniors who have chosen to pursue a career as a professional in the skilled trades. 

  • Five Willowbrook students were recognized as a Technology Center of DuPage Student of the Month.

  • Willowbrook’s U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Warrior Battalion hosted two events to recognize and honor cadets for their accomplishments. The JROTC also hosted the school's inaugural Military Ball.

  • Willowbrook was again named to College Board’s AP School Honor Roll. The school received the silver level of distinction for 2025 – an improvement from bronze in 2024.

Athletics:

  • Willowbrook had state qualifiers in Girls Cross-Country, Boys Cross-Country, Competitive Dance (Poms), Girls Bowling, Girls Wrestling (for the first time in school history), Boys Wrestling, Boys Gymnastics (qualified as a team and had a State Champion on the horizontal bar), Girls Badminton, Boys Track & Field, Special Olympics Basketball and the Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games.

  • The Willowbrook Girls Flag Football Team earned 3rd place in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Girls Flag Football State Championship.

  • A member of the Willowbrook Girls Flag Football Team participated in the USA Football Adult Flag Football National Team Trials (via invitation).

  • Two Willowbrook students were recognized with the U.S. Figure Skating Graduating Seniors Award by the Program Development Committee of U.S. Figure Skating.

  • Three Willowbrook students were named as Suburban Life Athletes of the Week.

  • Twenty-three Willowbrook seniors participated in college signing days, where they committed to play their respective sports at the collegiate level.

  • Willowbrook alumnus Enrique Cruz Jr. (class of 2021) was selected by the San Francisco 49ers as the fifth-round pick (179th-overall pick) in the 2026 NFL Draft.

  • Willowbrook Girls Flag Football Team Head Coach Rachel Karos was selected by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) administrative staff as the recipient of the 2024-25 Girls Flag Football Coach of the Year Award. She also received the Semper Fi Coach Award, which recognizes a high school coach who exemplifies the United States Marine Corps motto: Semper Fidelis – Always Faithful – and who models the Marine Corps values of honor, courage and commitment.

  • Coach Vic Wisner, who will retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year, was honored and celebrated for his contributions to and achievements with the Willowbrook Football Team and the Willowbrook Baseball Team. Read Wisner’s retirement bio at https://www.dupage88.net/site/page/17571.

Extracurriculars:

  • Sixteen Willowbrook students were named as Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-District Musicians for District 9, and three of those students were named as All-State Musicians.

  • Willowbrook had state qualifiers in Business Professionals of America (BPA), DECA, Math Team, SkillsUSA (with a State Champion and a 2nd-place finisher), Science Olympiad and esports.

  • Four Willowbrook students competed at the national level for Business Professionals of America (BPA).

  • Four members of the Willowbrook Speech Team qualified to compete in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Sectional Tournament.

  • Four Willowbrook students performed with alumnus Tom Higgenson and his multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated band Plain White T’s.

  • Willowbrook’s U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Warrior Battalion Archery Team competed in the Rise of the Firebird Archery Tournament.

  • Four Willowbrook students earned Eagle Scout status, the highest rank attainable in Scouting America.

Staff:

  • Two staff members were honored for earning their doctoral degrees.

  • Willowbrook Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher and DECA adviser Laura Lopez was named as the 2026 Illinois DECA Marketing Educator of the Year.

  • Willowbrook counselor Kimberly Mikesell received the Student Activity Advisor Award through the Illinois Directors of Student Activities.

Other:

  • Willowbrook was featured on ABC7 Chicago’s Friday Flyover series.

For more information about the successes listed above, and to see more highlights from the 2025-26 school year, go to www.dupage88.net/Successes2025-26.

We know these successes are possible because of our knowledgeable Board of Education members, caring staff members, involved parents/guardians, hardworking students and engaged community members. It takes all of us working together to ensure our students reach their goals, and we greatly appreciate your collaboration.

We are incredibly proud of our students and staff, and we look forward to another great school year in 2026-27. Thank you for your continued support of District 88, and we wish you a wonderful summer break.

With District 88 Pride,
Jean Barbanente, Ed.D.
District 88 Superintendent