CMHS continues to improve says staff, admin

By Hannah Stroh

Editorial Assistant

Crete-Monee students and officials have spoken on the status of the Illinois school report card and what direction the high school should go. 

Photo by Miranda Teverbaugh.

“Academic courses can continue to improve through our communication with students about what's working and what's not, continuing to talk with teachers about what they are experiencing in courses; continuing to participate in high-level professional development opportunities to glean best practices from others where the programs are working well - but constantly having cycles of improvements and learning from the cycles,” Principal Mr. Holifield said.

Currently, according to the Illinois school report card, Crete-Monee has 74 academic courses. Holifield plans to build on this by having honest dialogues with students to get non-invasive feedback about courses so they can have the best experience possible. 

¨I would say for academics, improve communication with parents as to everything that is offered, because there are a lot of things offered for students to improve their grades or even get them ready for college that students are not taking advantage of, ¨ math teacher Mr. Blackwood said.

Parental involvement in choosing core classes and offered electives could allow students to take courses they were unaware of that they are interested in or could benefit them for college preparation.

¨I think the school does a good job picking out kids to put in advanced classes that are better suited for them. Some kids struggle in the lower-level classes because it's too easy. Once they get moved up to a higher-level bracket, their brain suddenly wants to be involved, ¨ sophomore Olivia Contreras-Balnius said. 

According to the Fair Opportunity Project, “Taking challenging classes in high school allows students to step out of their comfort zone by allowing them to explore their interests, find new friends, and most importantly, prepare you for college academics.” 

“Career Development classes are currently being expanded as we identify the interests of our students.  We have added career exploration classes to the master schedule to aid students in identifying prospective careers and learning about others.  In addition, due to the increasing graduation requirements being mandated by the State, we have many resources available to students as part of the Schoolinks platform,” Mr Holifield said.

According to the Illinois school report card, our school currently has 31 career development classes. The Nebraska Department of Education states that students involved in career development classes “Become more motivated, self-directed learners when they understand the relationship between academics, career and education planning and achieving their own career goals.”

¨I would say I like all the diversity we have with so many clubs and activities, so many different types of classes, such as AP classes from first-year students through the seniors,” Mr Blackwood said.

Mr. Blackwood likes the fact our school has a sizable number of options for students, education-wise and extracurricular-wise, for all grade levels to explore interests. 

“To continue improving our clubs and athletics programs, we must prioritize accessibility for all Crete-Monee High School students.   The Office of Activities and Athletics wants all students in our school district to fully participate in a club, activity, or interscholastic athletic activity during their educational career with us in our school district.  Our office is tirelessly exploring opportunities to expand our programming to meet the ever-changing and diverse needs of our students,” District Athletics Director Mr. Konecki said. 

The athletics program is being expanded by enhancing the current programs, ensuring adequate resources and support for coaches and sponsors, and fostering partnerships with the community to expand our school offerings. The programs can be bolstered by coaches, sponsors, and participants to have a renewed emphasis on recruitment and promotion of the programs offered in the school district. 

“Since taking over in this office, we have made tremendous strides in expanding and revitalizing our athletics and club programs throughout the school district. Looking ahead, we are planning for the full implementation of girls' flag football at the high school in the fall of 2025,” Mr Konecki said. 

The sum of the initiatives taken to offer robust and diverse programs that cater to all students' interests and talents reflects our school's dedication to expanding Crete-Monee’s athletics program. 

All of this culminates in the growing amount of teachers who are choosing to stay at the high school, as the retention rate has grown from 73.5% in 2017 to 89% in 2024. Further, teacher attendance is up so far this year at 65.8% over last year’s 60.8%. 

“Eighty-nine percent for teacher retention does not appear high, but for the high school, it has been at its highest level in a long time.  Individuals leave institutions for various reasons.  Some of the reasons may be good, i.e individuals who left for advancement in other districts and because there were no additional growth opportunities at the moment. Some leave because it is not an appropriate fit while others leave because of valid issues where HR works diligently to conduct exit interviews and learn from the feedback to make the appropriate changes,” Mr. Holifield said.