To the NPD117 Community,

I want to truly thank everyone who committed great time and effort on the referendum.  This was a difficult and often stressful issue.  Whether you were for or against the referendum, I am hopeful that we can all unite around the fact that our communities are only as good as our school districts, and we have a great school district.  North Palos School District 117 has earned many achievements throughout the years including the academic excellence award and the National Blue Ribbon award.  Many years ago, the community assembled to create the district’s mission and motto.  The mission hangs behind the BOE table and the motto, Investing in our Future One Child at a Time is proudly displayed on our letterhead.  The mission and motto have been expanded over the years to include the core values and overall vision statement painted on the wall in the Board Of Education room.  District 117 continues to be a place where families come to raise their children.  While many school districts are presented with decisions that must be made due to declining enrollment, we are faced with the opposite scenario as our enrollment continues to increase.  Our enrollment increase proves that Palos Hills, Hickory Hills, and Bridgeview are wonderful communities that families seek out based on the many services these communities provide – the school district being one those services.      

As we are very proud of our past, we also understand that the school house that served our needs in the 1960’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s is not the same school house that will meet the needs of our children in the 2000’s.  We understand that if we chose to look backward instead of looking forward, and if we work to create programs based on what we had when we were students in school,  then we are agreeing to prepare our children for our past rather than for their future.  We in NPD117 know that is not the correct course or the right direction for the children or for the NPD117 community.

Over the last several years, we have expanded our Honors programs in the areas of math and foreign language and we continue to investigate ways to include the sciences in that expansion.  Our technology and curriculum departments work closely to identify the best ways to integrate technology into the classrooms to meet the demands of the 21^st century.  We have expanded our interventions programs to meet the legislative requirements of NCLB and expand our ELL programs to meet the needs of our changing demographics.

We in NPD117 look at all of these changes and challenges not as obstacles but as opportunities.  We are fortunate to serve a rich and diverse population and want to continue to provide opportunities for our families and our community to participate in the learning process. 

In closing, I would like to thank our staff, students, and parents as we move a little closer to the end of the 2013 school year and look forward to all of the possibilities the new school year will bring. 

Jeannie Stachowiak, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools