District 88 celebrates Staff Appreciation Week

May 4 through 8 is a special week in education.

It is Staff Appreciation Week, and it’s a time to honor the teachers and staff members at District 88 who make a positive difference in the lives of our students.

While this week provides an opportunity to pause and reflect on all educators do, the appreciation doesn’t end there. We know when staff members leave the school after the final bell rings, their day is far from over. They coach, host study sessions, answer e-mails, prepare engaging lesson plans and more. They are creating a high-quality and supportive learning environment in which students can thrive. Inside the classroom and beyond, they are working to build futures for the students of District 88.

When alumni return to visit the district, what they remember most are the staff members who impacted their life and served as mentors. Despite the challenges facing public education – decreased state funding, unfunded mandates, pension reform and new assessments – our staff continue to go above and beyond each and every day.

Highlights of the 2014-15 school year include:

• Our students are continuing to take more Advanced Placement (AP)/college-level courses than ever before. Those classes offer students the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school.
• Students and staff are continuing to give back to the community through events such as Relay For Life, blood drives, activities to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness and more.
• We have had students compete and be recognized at the State and National levels in a variety of extracurricular activities and athletics.
• Our graduation rate remains above the state level, and our students continue to be accepted into colleges and universities throughout the U.S.
• Addison Trail and Willowbrook have been named as “Top High Schools” by Newsweek and as “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” by The Washington Post since 2008. Addison Trail and Willowbrook also have been named as “Best Public High Schools in the Chicago Metro Area” in the 2015 Niche Rankings, and District 88 is ranked 47th in Illinois.

Those accolades wouldn’t be possible without the passion, commitment and efforts of our staff. I would like to thank them for all they do this week and every week at District 88 to accomplish our mission of working for the continuous improvement of student achievement.