District 88 – a cornerstone of the community

At District 88, our mission is to work for the continuous improvement of student achievement.

We know we cannot accomplish that mission on our own. It truly takes a village to ensure we are building futures for our students, and we’re thankful for all the wonderful partnerships we have within the community. You will often see parents/guardians, Board of Education members, community members, local legislators and other stakeholders in our buildings. And you will see District 88 administrators, staff members and students out in the community giving back and volunteering their time.

We are always striving to improve, but we also are proud of our successes. Throughout September and October, we are touring local communities and speaking with service groups and organizations. We want to thank them for their support of District 88 and share with them highlights from last year, goals and initiatives for this year and information about several programs offered at District 88. If you’re interested in having District 88 speak with your organization, please feel free to contact me at Shelton@dupage88.net or 630-530-3990.

Highlights include:

• Addison Trail and Willowbrook were recently named as “Top High Schools” by Newsweek and as “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” by The Washington Post. This is the second consecutive year both schools have received both honors in the same year.
• More than 90 percent of the class of 2014 at Addison Trail and at Willowbrook was accepted to a two- or four-year college or university. Addison Trail students are attending schools in 16 states and Canada, and Willowbrook students are attending schools in 23 states and Washington, D.C.
• Three District 88 students from the class of 2014 received appointments to military academies.
• In 2013-14, our students and staff raised more than $50,000 for the American Cancer Society, hosted a Go Pink or Go Home Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and a Volley for the Cure game, hosted blood drives to benefit LifeSource, collected gifts for local families in need during the holiday season and participated in the Park Pride Cleanup in Addison and the Salt Creek Cleanup in Addison and Villa Park.
• Our students continue to qualify for state and national competitions in a variety of extracurricular organizations, as well as in athletics.

Initiatives for the 2014-15 school year include:

• We will continue to align our curriculum and assessments to the new Common Core State Standards.
• We will continue to implement interventions and strategies to close the achievement gap among student groups, and we will continue to raise expectations for all students.
• We will continue to offer a comprehensive school environment that challenges and supports our students.
• We will continue to implement best practices with technology to ensure our students are prepared with 21st-century technology skills.
• We will continue to provide support and professional development opportunities for staff members.
• We will continue to be transparent, open and honest with our stakeholders through our website, newsletter, social media and face-to-face interactions, meetings and events.
• We will continue to maintain fiscal responsibility to ensure a stable financial environment.

We have great leadership at our schools, a supportive and knowledgeable Board of Education, involved and engaged parents/guardians and community members, and talented and committed staff. With that mix, we’ll meet any situation head on and find the path to success.

We’ll continue to work together to ensure District 88 remains one of the top school districts and to build futures for our students. Thank you for your continued support of District 88!