Berwyn South School District 100 highlighted Heritage Middle School during the superintendents report at the Oct. 22 board meeting, recognizing staff and students for sustained garden and literacy efforts.

Principal Michelle Howard introduced members of the school improvement team and described two primary school goals for the year: raising ELA proficiency to a level where 56% of students meet or exceed expectations on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and increasing math proficiency to 43% proficient or better on the IAR. The school is using multiple measures, including writing-on-demand tasks and NWEA MAP linking studies, to track progress and guide instruction.

Howard described hands-on student work in the school garden and said the school had been honored at the Everyone Reading Illinois Conference with the It Takes a Village Award. She also noted that staff members Sharon Dillon and Rachel Belcov (spelled in materials) were instrumental in developing the garden and back-grass outdoor space; their work included partnerships with Morton Arboretum and student-built benches.

"These students have been working in the garden for the past 2 to 3 years," Howard said, noting sixth graders recently joined the garden effort and that the school won a Whole Kids Garden grant to support continued work.

Howard and other staff named several students for certificates and invited families to photograph the group after the meeting. Board members congratulated the students, teachers and families for their work and community engagement.