“SIJ Provides Solid Academic Foundation”
Hinsdale, Ill. – November 5, 2007 – Recent graduates
of St. Isaac Jogues (SIJ) school attend several
top-ranked colleges, including Harvard, Yale, Cornell,
Northwestern, University of Notre Dame, West Point
and Vanderbilt, underscoring the success of the
elementary and junior high’s rigorous academic
curriculum.
“SIJ instilled in me the academic discipline and
intellectual curiosity that has carried me through
high school and college. I enjoyed learning in SIJ’s
nurturing environment, which gave me the drive
to want to succeed academically,” said Maggie
Hines, a junior at Harvard University.
“We couldn’t exist in Hinsdale unless we maintained
high academic standards. We stick to the basics
and try to motivate students to achieve their
personal best,” said Rick Cronquist, SIJ principal.
“It’s great to have students clear impressive academic
hurdles like admission to Ivy League schools, but
more important is that each student grow and develop
his or her whole self, not just intellectually, but
spiritually, socially and physically also.”
“At SIJ I learned how to think critically and work
independently. SIJ prepared me well in all subjects,
and helped me form good study habits. SIJ students
might have more homework than other students,
but it really paid off when I got to high school,” said
John Lagedrost, a freshman at Cornell University.
“SIJ established a solid foundation in reading and
writing, which are essential to academic success
in college. I learned well how to comprehend
a variety of texts, and whenever I write a paper I still
use the skills and techniques I learned at SIJ,”
said Brigid Calhoun, freshman cadet at the United
States Military Academy at West Point.
Standardized test scores, including the Explore
Entrance Exam as well as the TerraNova tests,
consistently place St. Isaac’s better than the top
25% both nationally and locally. In addition,
St. Isaac’s graduates more than its share of National
Merit Scholars, with four in the 2007 graduating class.
National Merit Scholars are students placing in the
top 1% of seniors nationwide based on PSAT scores.
The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills will be replacing
the TerraNova testing of grades 3-7 starting this year.
Testing took place at St. Isaac’s the week of October 15.
Founded in 1932, St. Isaac Jogues is a Catholic
institution serving kindergarten through 8th grade,
with three classes per grade from 1st through 8th.
With a total of 597 students, St. Isaac’s provides an
intellectually stimulating yet nurturing and faith-based
environment that encourages children to develop
and grow into responsible, caring and productive
members of the community.
St. Isaac’s is located at 421 South Clay Street in
Hinsdale. Families interested in learning more about
SIJ are encouraged to call Principal Rick Cronquist
or Vice Principal Diane Sullivan at 630-323-3244