What makes a school exceptional?

Today is ACT day at Lindblom (as well as the rest of CPS) and I realized this week that the way a school handles the ACT is an excellent indicator of what kind of school you have.

At my previous school, the administration went to great lengths to reduce the number of students taking the test. Notably one year, many students with IEPs were told to report to the auditorium and were then dismissed. In the weeks leading up to the test, many students with junior status found themselves moved to a demote advisory (10th grade), often without a valid reason.

My school on the other hand seems to do the opposite. Yesterday, 2 students were added to my junior advisory. Several other students were moved up to junior advisories after their service learning hours and/or credits were audited to promote them.

And that's the difference. A great school will make sure as many juniors as possible take the test and are not afraid of what some students may do to the school average. A not-so-great school will go to great lengths to ensure that certain students do not take the exam in an effort to bring up the average. They will, in effect, cheat.

It's kind of a minor thing overall I know but I think it's how schools deal with situations such as this that can make you stand out. Our juniors will take the ACT and PSAE. Hopefully they will all do very well but we're not going to cheat. We've done what we can to prepare them and I have a lot of confidence in that.

More Random Acts of Art

I haven't posted in a while but it's that time of year again here at LMSA. Time for the random acts of art! These have shown up in the last few days. I'm not sure what the project is but they certainly draw your attention.


This one is on the lawn in front of the school. From the street it looked just like a little kid.


You need to look at the larger version of this picture to appreciate it.

More reasons I love this school

So I missed the actual 'performance' but fortunately, the event was captured on film.




That's my Principal.... in an eagle costume.... riding a unicycle.... handing out Halloween candy.... before school today.

I absolutely love this place.

Random Acts of Art

Continuing in my "things I love about this school" series is a post I have been wanting to add for a while. I called it, "random acts of art". You never know when some new art project may appear in this school and despite being barely a month into the year, we already have some new installations.


This is in a stairwell to the 4th floor no one ever uses. Mostly made of wood, it is an interesting collection.


This is actually a holdover from last year. Its actually about 6' tall and in the back of the school. It's seen better days but completely random.



This is the mobile collection on the 1st floor. There are about 2 dozen or so individual mobiles. This so far has been on of my favorites.

Close-up of one of the mobiles. I like this one a lot.

I think this is a lion but I'm not entirely sure. He sits next to the stairs on the 1st floor near the main office. He's been there since some time last year. I wonder how long he'll last.

These random art projects are just one more thing that makes this a very cool place to work.

Back to School

There is something very cool about the first few days before classes begin. Yesterday and today the incoming freshmen have been wandering the building (guided to some extent) trying to figure out where all of their classes are. I love watching freshmen in particular because they have this lost/excited/scared look about them. They're starting high school and have no idea what's in store for them.

I have to say that I am very excited to get back to work. Its a good feeling and a nice change. I was always excited about starting a new year at my old school but there were always reservations - little things that I dreaded about going back. Not so here. The vibe in the faculty meeting yesterday morning as we started the year was very energetic and cool. We have some new faces in our merry little band and I think this is going to be a very good year.

It is amazing to work in a place that has so many dedicated professionals.