The School District has repositioned itself to be of greater service to its students and a continuing light into the fifteen communities that make up Thornton Township High School District 205.

Our School Board has provided the charge as a result of their Strategic Planning. Last fall, the School Board listened to the concerns of the people who attended a series of neighborhood/community meetings held at each of our three high schools. The School Board developed five goals as a result of hearing the various community concerns about our schools and the education of our students:

1. Ensure learning development, growth and achievement for all students;
2. Ensure a safe, supportive, challenging and culturally sensitive learning environment;
3. Recruit, train and retain a high-quality staff that is committed to continuous improvement through teamwork, collaboration and shared leadership;
4. Engage parents, students, staff, clergy, business owners and community (stakeholders) in the District’s continuous improvement effort;
5. Demonstrate and communicate effective and efficient school district operations to ensure excellent stewardship of public resources.

These strategic goals will guide the district administration and staff toward the ultimate goal of making “Students First!!!” The goals are functional, observable and will hold all accountable in the service to our youth.

We will make sure that every classroom, every day has a teacher who is concerned about your child’s education. Students will be academically challenged within a safe and orderly learning environment.   The District has invested in new technologies that will update our equipment and usage needs and enhance teachers’ abilities to frequently monitor student progress. Teachers will be better able to let student work inform their instructional planning and differentiate instruction (student specific) based on student needs in a more timely manner.     There are high expectations for teachers and students to ensure that every student fulfills his/her need for success in their school environment on a daily basis.

We are generally excited about our comprehensive course offerings for our students programmatically and through our Common Core Curriculum. District 205 is providing world-class experiences for our soon-to-be world-class citizens, your children! You are encouraged to join us as we develop the engaging minds of your children and transform the status quo!!!

The district’s five goals as developed by our School Board have provided a means for future direction and monitoring current work with your children. This process of input and output will keep expectations high for teachers and students as well as continue to grow our District while strengthening our community!!!

For current information and news on “Our Schools”, refer to the District website at www.district205.net

Leotis D. Swopes, Ed.D.