By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Eight Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago received the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Award for academic excellence, the archdiocese announced in an Oct. 20 news release, marking the second year of the statewide recognition program.
The honored schools are Alphonsus Academy & Center for the Arts in Chicago, St. Andrew School in Chicago, St. Athanasius School in Evanston, St. Benedict Preparatory School in Chicago, St. Clement School in Chicago, Divine Providence Catholic School in Westchester, St. Mary of the Angels in Chicago and Queen of Angels School in Chicago.
Last year, 11 archdiocese schools received the award in the program’s inaugural year.
“Today’s recognition by Governor Pritzker underlines the quality and quantity of amazing Catholic schools we have in the Chicago area,” Matt Walter, executive director of the Office of Catholic Schools, said in the release. “Our schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago continue to offer students and their families an excellent, faith-filled, and well-rounded education.”
Walter, who was appointed executive director in August, oversees one of the nation’s largest private school systems with more than 150 Catholic elementary and high schools, more than 40,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees.
“The students, staff, administrators, families, and communities at these eight schools worked incredibly hard to achieve this level of excellence,” Walter said in the release. “I commend them for that hard work and congratulate them on this wonderful recognition.”
The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools award recognizes different types of academic achievement, including both exemplary high performance and exemplary progress in closing achievement gaps, according to the release. The criteria consider the work of students, educators, staff, families and broader school communities.
The eight schools serve communities across the Chicago metropolitan area, from urban neighborhoods on the North and West Sides to suburban Evanston and Westchester.
Before the Governor’s Blue Ribbon program existed, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago had received more National Blue Ribbon awards than any other public or private school system in the country, according to the release.
The recognition comes as the archdiocese navigates a shifting landscape for private education in Illinois. Earlier this month, the Office of Catholic Schools issued a statement on the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program, calling draft guidelines from the U.S. Department of Treasury “a clear opportunity for Illinois to join the program and open the door to much-needed education funding for all schools in the state.”
Source: Archdiocese of Chicago News Releases
