School News

Starry Night

The 2023 Prom will be held Saturday, April 29, 2023 at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Ticket Sales:

Tickets: $130 per person

Prom tickets will be available for purchase from Wednesday, March 1st through Monday, April 10th on RevTrak.  

If you are paying with cash or check, you must bring a signed permission slip and payment on Saturday, March 18th from 9-11am to the front hallway by the fireplace.  

Below is the information you will need:

Prom Information Packet 2023

Guest Request Dance Form (This is only necessary if you are bringing a guest from another school.)

Table Reservation Google Form (Only ONE person in your group should complete this.)

The Illinois State Deans Association has awarded Crystal Lake Central dean Dave Shutters Dean of the Year distinction for his outstanding service and dedication, innovation and commitment at school and with the ISDA. 

"This award leaves no doubt that he is one of the best Deans in the state of Illinois," said the Illinois State Deans Association. "Dave spends countless hours being proactive with promoting school safety, building relationships, establishing procedures, and creating plans for a safe learning environment."

Mr. Shutters began his leadership role in the ISDA in 2007 as the secretary, then moved to vice president, and then in November 2011, he was elected to the role of President. In recent years, Mr. Shutters became an integral part of navigating the organization through the pandemic, finding creative ways to communicate and running effectively.

"I am humbly thankful to the ISDA executive board and all the deans in the state who selected me for this award," said Dean Shutters. "It is a great honor to receive Dean of the Year from this organization. It is truly one of the best experiences in my professional career."

Mr. Shutters also earned this award in 2012.

District 155 celebrated the official opening of the new Health Careers Lab with a ribbon cutting ceremony. This state-of-the-art space at Crystal Lake Central High School will train 47 students this school year to become Illinois Certified Nursing Assistants.

"We have the ability to learn in the classroom and then jump straight into the lab and take a skill we've learned and put it right into practice," said Andrea Miculinich, school nurse and basic nurse assistant training program coordinator.

The district received a $1.5 million grant from Advance McHenry County to implement this program in our school district. The space with designed by FGM Architects, remodeled by Pepper Construction, and Northwestern Medicine provided equipment and supplies for the program. 

The National Merit® Scholarship Program named four District 155 seniors as 2023 National Merit® Semifinalists. The semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and are the highest-scoring students in each state.

Trini Feng - Crystal Lake South
Grace Moore - Crystal Lake Central
Madison Ross - Crystal Lake South
Erin Wadzinski - Cary-Grove

Trini Feng, a senior at Crystal Lake South, earned the title of state champion in the 2022 ACES Academic Challenge competition in the area of English. Trini is active in extracurriculars; a member of band and marching band, the math team, ACES Academic Challenge Team, and a writer for Gator Prints. Outside of school Trini enjoys creative writing and playing piano. Post high school she is considering computer science and pursuing a job in technology.

Grace Moore is a senior at Crystal Lake Central and has a strong interest in advocating for youth perspectives and mental health awareness. She is an honorary youth board member at the National Alliance for Mental Health Illinois of McHenry County (NAMI), founder and president of the Model United Nations team at Crystal Lake Central, and co-captain of the Varsity Cross Country team. Grace plans on applying to colleges in the Northeast with a major in political science or international politics.  
Madison Ross is the founder of the Model United Nations Club and involved in National Honors Society at Crystal Lake South. She’s also involved in Student Council, Gator Buddies, Gator Prints, Spanish Club, and Speech Team. With a passion for discovering the role monetary funding has on the largest world problems, she plans to study economics and political science post graduation. 

Erin Wadzinski, a senior at Cary-Grove, is deeply involved in her Cary-Grove community. She is a captain of the varsity volleyball team and a state qualifier for the Academic Challenge Team, a board member for Interact and Student Council, and organized the first inaugural Peach Fuzz volleyball game. Erin is also a member of the National Honors Society and was recognized as an Advanced Placement® Scholar with honors. Outside of school, she volunteers her time with the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association (NISRA) and Purrfect Cat Rescue. In college, Erin would like to study psychology with the intention of pursuing law in the future. 

High school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

Students will find out if they have advanced to Finalist standing in February 2022. Beginning in March 2021, National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and ending in July.

District 155 schools have all ranked in the top eight percent nationally and the top 12 percent in the state according to U.S. News and World Report's Best Public High Schools 2022 list. Twenty-four thousand public high schools throughout the country were evaluated, with results based state exam performance and college preparedness. 

All D155 schools ranked in the top 100 in Illinois; with Cary-Grove earning the no. 54 spot in the state, Prairie Ridge earned no. 55, Crystal Lake South sits at no. 66, and Crystal Lake Central is at no. 83 in Illinois rankings. More than seven-hundred schools in Illinois were evaluated for this prestigious list.

"This type of prestigious recognition is a testament to the supportive families in District 155 along with the staff and students' determination and dedication towards learning." said Steve Olson, D155 Superintendent, "Our mission is to empower students to Enter with Promise and Leave with Purpose. These rankings are proof of our commitment to excellence and preparing students for the future."

To view the full Best Public High Schools list, and further detailed results of D155 high schools, please click here.