The gymnasium at Southside School, 100 Academic Drive, Morrison, IL, held nearly all its 242 enrollees, by 10:15 a.m., on St. Patrick’s Day, Friday, March 17, 2017. Just as across the Irish countryside, there were 40 shades of green to be seen. Asher Ernst was chic. But the children were gathered in celebration of the conclusion of a week of testing. These rigorous, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests took all of four days and part of Friday morning. Written responses were incorporated into English, Language Arts, and Math questions.
To allow the release of all that tension, teachers repeatedly commanded the children to reply to a verbal prompt, “PARCC!” Each time, the room thundered, “It’s over!”
There were rewards for every student for their difficult week, due to generous sponsors. Teachers distributed Golden Tickets to children for “putting forth effort” during testing, especially challenging written parts. Ten of these students had their names drawn from a drum and won a tablet. Editor’s note: Most names were verified by Principal Jennifer Oetting and staff, but there likely are names listed that may not be exact spellings. Variety in spelling names is problematic.
The Golden prize winners were
Elizabeth Vance was a Golden Ticket holder who won a tablet. She owns a tablet, so she offered to let another child have the new one. Elizabeth, right, drew the name of Allie Anderson, left.
