Hawthorn South Elementary Earns Blue Ribbon Designation

VERNON HILLS, IL — Hawthorn Elementary South, one of seven schools that make up Hawthorn School District 73, has been named among the best schools in the nation through the U.S. Department of Education’s 2019 National Blue Ribbon Award recognition. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

“We are so proud that Elementary South is a recipient of this exceptional award,” Hawthorn District 73 Superintendent Peter Hannigan said. “At Hawthorn, we truly believe that all children can learn at high levels. This honor is a testament to the hard work, commitment and engagement of the school’s teachers, staff, students and parents.”

Located in Vernon Hills, Hawthorn Elementary South is a kindergarten through fifth grade school serving approximately 700 students. The school celebrates the diversity of its students, who speak more than 30 different languages, according to a news release.

School officials said the local elementary schools is known for providing learning activities in which students explore and deeply engage with content in a joyful, exciting manner. Its top priority is to grow the whole child by combining robust academics with a full social emotional curriculum.

The coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students perform at very high levels, or where significant progress has been made in raising student achievement. Elementary South received the honor in the Exemplary High Performing Schools category for achieving high performance among key subgroups and completing a rigorous application process that evaluated everything from social and emotional learning supports to professional development to quality classroom instruction.

Hawthorn School District 73 is a preschool through eighth-grade public school district serving approximately 4,200 students. It serves all or portions of the communities of Vernon Hills, Mundelein, Libertyville, Indian Creek and unincorporated areas of Lake County.

Other suburban schools that were recently chosen for the 2019 Blue Ribbon designation include:

• Saint Raymond School, Mount Prospect
• Saints Cyril and Methodius School (private), Lemont
• St. Athanasius School (private), Evanston
• Timothy Christian High School (private), Elmhurst
• Wheaton Academy (private), West Chicago
• William Fremd High School, Palatine
• Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire
• Alphonsus Academy & Center For The Arts (private), Chicago
• Bannockburn School, Bannockburn
• Eastview Elementary School, Algonquin
• Glen Oaks Elementary School, Hickory Hills
• Ivy Hall Elementary School, Buffalo Grove
• Ivy Hill Elementary School, Arlington Heights
• Kingsley Elementary School, Naperville
• Madison Elementary School, Hinsdale
• Maine South High School, Des Plaines
• Old St. Mary's School (private), Chicago
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy (private), Chicago
• Prescott Elementary School, Chicago
• Roslyn Road Elementary School, Barrington
• Saint Benedict Preparatory School (private), Chicago

More information regarding this year's Blue Ribbon schools can be found on the U.S. Department of Education website.