Oak Prairie Junior High School Lockport

April 19, 2018 kerrijonikas

If you are considering moving to the Lockport area and are interested in the local schools then you are in a great place. There are 5 districts total in the Lockport and Homer Glen Area: districts 89, 90,91,92, and 33c.

Today, I was extremely grateful to have the opportunity to visit with the Principal of Oak Prairie Junior High, Mr. Mark Murry. Oak Prairie Junior High is part of Will County School District 92 and located in Homer Glen. It is a medium sized school with a population of 550 students.

As a visitor in the building I was greeted by a friendly and welcoming staff seemingly willing to help in any way possible. The overall atmosphere of the building was positive and upbeat. The students were happy and excited to engage in conversation with the principal. By his interaction with the students, you can tell Mr. Murray (the Principal) takes an active role in the student’s success and is proud of what the school has to offer.

I was amazed by their ability to think outside of the box when developing curriculum’s for their students. The programs include a variety of options catering to the likes of students which helps them succeed. When I went to school we had two options for music, either band or choir. This is not the case at Oak Prairie Junior High! Oak Prairie expands its options to allow students some individuality. They can choose to learn how to play the guitar or ukulele. You can learn to pair technology with music and create a ringtone for a phone. This approach is spread throughout the curriculum, even to physical fitness. In the typical gym class we have all come to know, students play organized team games or sports. Oak Prairie takes it a step further and has set up a gym to allow students the opportunity to individualize physical fitness with a workout and training routine. How cool is that?

This approach is also apparent in the physical learning environment. Flexible seating arrangements allow students a bit of reprieve from the staleness of assigned seating. This includes the ability to work at a stand up desk, add a specialized fidget device to a chair, or even sit on a balance ball chair. On fair weather days, the school is also able to provide outdoor learning thanks to the fifteen acres of land surrounding the building.

In the words of Mr. Murray, “there is something here for everyone!” Oak Prairie’s novel ideas and non-traditional solutions to both its teaching curriculum and the learning environment makes the school stand out above the rest. If you are looking at moving into the area, I encourage you to experience Oak Junior High yourself by scheduling a tour. You may do so by calling the office at 815-836-2724.

Interview with Mr. Mark Murray, Principal at Oak Prairie Junior High in Homer Glen (Lockport School District 92)

While speaking with Mr. Murray, I had the opportunity to ask some of the frequently asked questions from buyers in the area. If you have any additional questions about the local schools please email them to me!

Does your school provide bus service? Yes

What kind of tutoring services or learning specialists does your school provide? We have math and reading interventionists.

Do you have any after school homework support? Yes- we have math and a secondary after school study hall four days a week staffed with math teachers and regular ed. teachers.

If so, is there a fee for this? It is FREE and we provide transportation with an activity bus Tuesdays and Thursdays.

What other after school activities do you offer? If you go to our web page there is a full listing. www.d92.org

Does the school have a program for gifted students? Yes, we have honors classes and gifted cluster pull out classes.

Does your staff receive anti-bullying training? Yes

What is your school’s disciplinary stats? We don’t have a lot of disciplinary issues at our school.

What would you say distinguishes your school from others? We have elective courses for each student , they can take classes based on their interests

Do you have a rule of thumb how much homework is given? Depends on your level, more for honors.

How do you support children with different learning styles and needs? Our teachers are well trained in differentiation for all students

Does learning happen outside the classroom (Field trips) If so, how many per year? We have at least one per class per year. Sixth grade goes to Camp Duncan for team building, seventh grade to Springfield for a Lincoln trip and eigth grade goes to the Holocaust Museum in Skokie. Other trips are as needed and are all district funded.

Do teachers in the same grade collaborate on a curriculum? Yes we have both grade level and department teams.

Do you utilize online textbooks or traditional textbooks? Both, and we are moving to one-on-one technology (ipads) in the school for each student.

What professional development opportunities do teachers have? In what ways do teachers collaborate? They are offered all the professional development they want. They collaborate in too many ways to list.