MOUNT GREENWOOD — A new banner has been hung at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mount Greenwood.
Only this banner isn't suspended in the gym to celebrate a sports team. The latest recognition for the school at 3857 W. 111th St. comes from the U.S. Department of Education.
Ag School Principal William Hook accepted the Excellence in Action Award on July 1 in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes the school's "excellence, dedication and leadership in the field of Career Technical Education," the award states.
The school was nominated for the award by the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. It's meant to highlight exceptional vocational training programs, Hook said.
"It's a big deal for me personally but even a bigger deal for the school," said Hook, who was presented with the award by Johan E. Uvin, an assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education.
"Michelle Obama also spoke, so it was really nice," he said.
The banner hangs near the main entrance to the school on the far Southwest Side.
Meanwhile, incoming students were busy baling hay over the weekend. The students gathered some 840 bales in four hours from the school's working farm on the far Southwest Side.
That should be enough hay to feed the school's livestock throughout the winter, Hook said.
He said these types of activities directly correlate to the Ag School's latest award in that they expose students to life on the farm and careers in agriculture.
Uvin seemed to agree. In a letter to the school, he pointed out several ways in which career technical education, or "CTE," is important to students.
"I believe that high-quality CTE programs taught by inspiring teachers using inventive and effective approaches are essential to helping our students develop technical skills and prepare for career success," Uvin wrote.
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