Palos 118 earns "District of Distinction" recognition

Earlier this month, Palos 118 was recognized by District Administration magazine with a 2017 Districts of Distinction award for their eighth grade Capstone program at Palos South Middle School.

Districts of Distinction is a national annual recognition program created by District Administration magazine to honor school districts that are leading the way with new ideas that work. They also recognize established initiatives that are yielding quantifiable benefits, and that could be replicated by other districts.

Launched in 2015, Palos South’s Capstone Program affords eighth grade students the opportunity to work in small teams to select and explore a problem of local significance, spending a semester working with their team and outside subject matter experts to develop a solution to their identified problem. Teams conduct site visits throughout the semester to collect data and perform field research used to formulate their proposed solutions. At the end of the semester, our eighth grade Capstone teams present their findings and proposed solutions during Capstone Day. The engaging problem-based learning program is voluntary and open to all students. Participants attend class twice per week before the regular school day in three state of art classrooms.

Last year 94 students enrolled, and this year 118 students are participating in the Capstone Program. Nearly half of eighth grade students elected to enhance their own learning by volunteering to come to school early and work in dedicated, state-of-the-art collaborative learning studios to participate in Capstone.

Student proposals have resulted in the installation of a solar panel financed through a $7,700 competitive grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation. Additionally, water filtration systems were installed to reduce plastic water bottle waste in the school. Palos Heights accepted an “Adopt a Pot” planter sponsorship program and today, 44 planters enhance the downtown area, making the shopping district more pleasant for consumers and profitable for business owners.

“I am very proud of our students and staff for embracing this program and being recognized as a District of Distinction,” said Superintendent Dr. Anthony Scarsella. “Our students are learning to collaborate and work as a team to solve problems that will make them more confident and prepared for what lies ahead in the future.”

More on Palos 118’s District of Distinction award can be found by visiting this link: www.districtadministration.com...