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Schools

River Forest School Takes Home Blue Ribbon

Roosevelt Middle School to celebrate national award for academic achievement.

Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest is taking in the rarified air of being named one of the top institutions in the U.S.

And the entire community will be on hand Nov. 30 to celebrate being named a Blue Ribbon school by the U.S. Department of Education.

The school in September was named one of 220 winners of the honor nationwide. It's a first for the River Forest school.

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Principal Larry Garstki and 8th grade science teacher Linda Kriegermeier were in Washington, D.C. Nov. 12 and 13 to pick up the award. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan was there for the presentation. Another department official handed out the awards.

Garstki is pretty excited about it.

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"It's the most prestigious award a school can receive," he said. "You have to be nominated just to fill out an appplication (the school was nominated by the State Board of Education last spring)."

The award is based on student achievement, and Garstki believes that the school's extensive number and variety of extracurricular activities, plus its music programs, all played a role in winning the honor.

So how does Roosevelt plan to take in its 15 minutes of fame?

Nov. 30 will be a spirit day - the school will be bedecked in the school's colors.

At the end of the school day (2:40 p.m.) on Nov. 30, the entire school (620 students, 75 faculty and staff), will be assembled for a program. There'll be some student performances, and no program is complete without speeches, and then the award will be presented. 

A flag will be hoisted up on the pole - right underneath the American flag.

Roosevelt's colors are blue and white - Garstki said - "just like the color of the ribbon," he said.

To see which other schools won the award, click here.

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