School News

District 155 schools have all ranked in the top eight percent nationally and the top 12 percent in the state according to U.S. News and World Report's Best Public High Schools 2022 list. Twenty-four thousand public high schools throughout the country were evaluated, with results based state exam performance and college preparedness. 

All D155 schools ranked in the top 100 in Illinois; with Cary-Grove earning the no. 54 spot in the state, Prairie Ridge earned no. 55, Crystal Lake South sits at no. 66, and Crystal Lake Central is at no. 83 in Illinois rankings. More than seven-hundred schools in Illinois were evaluated for this prestigious list.

"This type of prestigious recognition is a testament to the supportive families in District 155 along with the staff and students' determination and dedication towards learning." said Steve Olson, D155 Superintendent, "Our mission is to empower students to Enter with Promise and Leave with Purpose. These rankings are proof of our commitment to excellence and preparing students for the future."

To view the full Best Public High Schools list, and further detailed results of D155 high schools, please click here.

Mrs. Stephanie Sukow was chosen as a Chicago Bears Classroom Legend, an award that honors educators who go above and beyond! Nominated anonymously by the parent of a past student, Mrs. Sukow was surprised by representatives from the Bears, including Staley, and presented with a custom football, custom jersey, tickets to training camp this summer, and $1,000 for her classroom.

She is also Star 105.5 McHenry County Teacher of the Month, another nomination from the parent of a CG student.

"It was such a surprise and honor to receive both awards," said Stephanie. "I am humbled by the words both families shared and am very grateful for their kindness. Our students and staff at CG and in D155 are amazing, and it is a joy to teach in this community."

Prairie Ridge's Claire Jansen and Abby Malina and Cary-Grove's Nicholas Anchetta have earned best actress/actor nominations from Broadway In Chicago’s Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards!

Claire played the Witch and Abby played The Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods" and Nick played Nostradamus in "Something Rotten!". They were selected for this honor from over 200 student applicants and will attend the awards program on May 23.

These awards celebrate the best of the best in high school theatre throughout Illinois. Each nominee will participate in a workshop, perform on stage in front of Chicago casting agents, and will receive tickets to a Broadway in Chicago show. Those chosen as Best Actor and Best Actress will receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City to participate in an intensive theatre workshop competing for a national title.

Art students throughout the district received $5,695,000 in art scholarship offers this year from the Illinois High School Art Exhibition/Art ConnectED. Thirteen D155 seniors were also selected to showcase their artwork in the 2022 Senior Scholarship Exhibition at the Bridgeport Art Center on March 13, an honor extended only to select scholarship recipients. 

“This is an incredible opportunity for our students to have their artwork reviewed by a large number of colleges,” said Crystal Lake Central art teacher Kerry Parrish. “The scholarship money students have been offered can change a student's college choice.”

The Senior Scholarship Exhibition brought together elite student artists from 130 Illinois high schools to compete and celebrate their artist achievements; it is the state's most prominent student scholarship exhibition. In addition to the Senior Scholarship Exhibition, IHSAE hosted two other programs.

The Northern Regional Exhibition “Best of the Best” featuring over 500 works of art competing for prestigious awards, and “The Art Throwdown”, a visual arts contest where students compete in a timed art challenge. These programs offer additional scholarship opportunities for competing students. Twenty-one D155 students were selected to exhibit in the Best of the Best show and five competed in The Art Throwdown.

The mission of IHSAE, now Art ConnectED, is to advance art education for young people by providing art exhibition and education opportunities that celebrate students' artistic achievement, promote mastery and ingenuity in learning, and facilitate post-secondary opportunities. To date, Art ConnectED has provided $360 million in senior scholarship offers and $500,000 in early college program scholarships since 2013.

Cary-Grove freshman Denver Gier is celebrating, having recently qualified for IHSA state wrestling finals. What makes this victory even more remarkable is that Denver will be the first wrestler in D155 history to qualify for the inaugural IHSA Individual Girls Wrestling State Finals! 

Denver began wrestling in sixth grade and has worked hard to get to this point. "I've definitely grown throughout this season," says Denver, "I'm really excited to go to state." 

State final tournaments will take place February 25-26 in Bloomington. Good luck, Denver, we will be watching!