T
he Naperville community places a high value on education. Consequently, the community is rife with top-notch educational options for individuals from pre-school to graduate school, including excellent school districts and a community college that is known state-wide for the quality of its programming.
EDUCATION
Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Naperville’s District 203 schools are on the cutting edge of technology and educational trends, but also rely on old-fashioned student-teacher interaction in the classroom to educate students who excel after graduation. In fact, the two high schools boasted a total of 32 National Merit Finalists in 2016 and Kennedy Junior High School was named a 2016 Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Last year the district launched a Digital Learning Initiative at both high schools, providing Chromebooks with Google Apps for Education to every student. This academic year they have expanded that program to their junior high schools and next year will expand it to the elementary schools, according to Michelle Fregoso, Director of Communications. Additionally, new this school year is the renovated Learning Commons at Naperville North High School. Over the summer the District replaced the old, outdated library with a learning space with a 21st century learning space in which students can create, collaborate and communicate. It includes open groupings of comfortable couches, as well as conference-style tables, a student-run café, small glass-walled “huddle” rooms where a few students can gather and one large glass-walled, collaborative conference room. A pared down collection of books, as well as plenty of electrical outlets, complete the new Learning Commons, which has received rave reviews from students and faculty alike.
24
“In addition to performing academically, our students take the skills they gain in the classroom, and apply them to the real world. Adarsh Mattu and Prateek Dullur from Naperville Central and Aditya Ramachandran from Naperville North were honored guests at the 2016 White House Science Fair. As eighth graders, they placed first in the 2015 eCybermission national championship for creating an electricity-free device to prevent basement flooding even during power outages,” Fregoso said. Naperville 203 also partnered recently with the City of Naperville and the Naperville Development Partnership to allow architecture students from both high schools to gain real world experience by re-envisioning the Iroquois Shopping Center on Ogden Avenue. The project provided hands-on experience for students to understand what it takes to develop a city. “Naperville 203 is proud of the many achievements of our students, teachers, administrators and community supporters. We look forward to continuing to be a District where students excel both in and out of the classroom,” said Superintendent Dan Bridges. Naperville School District 203 boasts a total enrollment of 16,500 students in preschool through grade 12 whom they educate in 22 schools across the area. The district covers 32 square miles including portions of Naperville, Bolingbrook, Lisle and Woodridge and offers connections/transition services for students who need them.
Indian Prairie School District 204 The fourth largest school district in the state of Illinois, Indian Prairie School District 204 is currently educating 28,200 students in 33 schools covering portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield. District 204 is one of only two Illinois school districts to be a part of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, which
www.naperville.net
ILNAPSL17 design_final.indd 24
12/29/16 11:15 AM