Stew-Stras Schools Earn Exemplary Status at Grade School and High School Levels

Stewardson-Strasburg School Superintendent Justin Deters has announced that BOTH their Grade School and High School have received the Exemplary Status on the Illinois Report Card designation score.

The score is a combination of various factors including test scores, graduation rates, absenteeism, etc. Exemplary Status is obtained by being in the top 10% of schools across the State.

Deters said, "Many of you have heard me use the term Stew-Stras Family before over the last decade. What does it mean when I use that term? To me our Stew-Stras Family is EVERYONE that is involved in the growth of our local youth. As a Superintendent, and father of three, I personally believe that “it takes a village” is a statement that holds true, and we have one fantastic village.

A comprehensive list would take more space than I have, but our fantastic teachers, support staff, administrators, Board of Education, parents, extended family, neighbors, friends, etc. make up this family. These are the people that help our students learn and grow as individuals. It takes EVERYONE. From our teachers and staff that educate day in and day out, to High Schoolers helping mentor our Grade Schoolers, to parents helping students instill strong educational values at home, to our bus drivers greeting students in the morning and saying goodbye at the end of the day, to our Community that supports programs and extra-curriculars, and the rest of the list of individuals that could continue on and on and on. I want to personally thank each and every one of you for your valuable time for our students.

"Last but not least, I’ll close with a simple saying, 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.' We can all mentor and educate along the way, but at the end of the day, it is our students that have to perform, and perform they did! Our students earned this recognition!

As Superintendent of Stew-Stras Schools, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done, small or large, because it does take a village."