Ridgely Elementary School is our Club's adopted school, and, over the years, we have cultivated a strong, working relationship with the school. Our Club built and installed its MicroPantry and Little Library with support from Rotary District Grants. We have also supported numerous projects at Ridgely with District Club and Literacy grants that we secured.We enjoyed learning more about developments at the school on Monday, August 12 when Jennifer Butcher, Principal of Ridgely Elementary School, spoke to us.
Principal Butcher thanked us for our continued support of their programs through our grants and our volunteer efforts to keep its MicroPantry and Little Library stocked.
She also informed us that its student body continues to experience academic success and personal growth. She attributed this progress to Ridgely’s dedicated teaching staff, engaged parents, and growing number community partnerships.
Ridgely student performance progressed despite the continued need to overcome learning consequences that materialized during the COVID pandemic and attendance struggles due to homelessness.
Our Club enjoyed learning the following from Principal Butcher:
Rotary’s grants, the MicroPantry, and the Little Library have helped the school address basic food needs of its students and supplement its literacy efforts, respectively.
Ridgely moved from a Targeted to a Commendable Designation (notable difference is there are no underperforming student groups).
One of Ridgely’s targeted school groups demonstrated growth on the math portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR).
Chronic Absenteeism at Ridgely dropped significantly between 2021-2022 and 2023-2024.
Focusing on climate/culture in the school led to significant improvements in student life skills and competencies and notable decreases in office discipline referrals (ODRs).