On February 6, Shiloh Park Middle School held its first school dance, the Sweetheart Dance. The event provided students with an opportunity to gather after school for food, socializing, and dancing with friends and staff.
The dance included music, dancing, and activities that allowed students to connect with one another. Organizers expressed appreciation for those who contributed to making the event happen. “Thank you to everyone who helped make this special event possible!” read a statement from the organizers.
Shiloh Park Middle School is part of Zion Elementary School District 6 in Lake County. The district includes several schools: Beulah Park Elementary School, East Elementary School, Elmwood Elementary School, Lakeview School, Shiloh Park Elementary School, West Elementary School, and Zion Central Middle School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Zion Elementary School District 6 serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and enrolled 2,483 students during the 2019-2020 school year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The student population consists of approximately 4.9 percent White students, 36.6 percent Black students, 50.9 percent Hispanic students, and 0.2 percent Asian students (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
The district employs a total of 164 teachers with an average salary of $58,629 before pension contributions; most teachers are women at 83.3 percent compared to men at 16.7 percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). None of the district’s teachers have more than ten absences in a school year.
In terms of spending, Zion Elementary School District 6 spent $27,927 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $69,342,294 (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
Chronic truancy data from the same period shows that there were 179 chronically truant students in the district—defined as missing five percent or more of mandated school days without valid excuse—which represents a rate of about seven percent among enrolled students (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). This rate is lower than the statewide average.
The Sweetheart Dance was intended as an occasion for building community within Shiloh Park Middle School.
