Lake County Gazette

Viking School eighth grader Grace B has been selected to join the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) District 7 Concert Band. Her selection followed auditions involving middle school musicians from 74 schools across Lake, McHenry, and Northern Cook Counties. The chosen students performed together at the ILMEA Festival on Saturday.

Viking School is part of Gurnee School District 56, which includes Prairie Trail School, River Trail School, and Spaulding Elementary School. The district represents Lake County and provides education to a diverse student body. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Gurnee School District 56 is composed of approximately 21.7 percent White, 21 percent Black, 45 percent Hispanic, and 6 percent Asian students. More details about the district can be found at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.

The district employs 153 teachers with an average salary of $63,616 before pension contributions; most are women and none have more than ten absences in a year. This information is available at https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/. In terms of finances, Gurnee School District 56 spent $21,128 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of $41,537,628 (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

"Congratulations to Viking 8th grader, Grace B, who was selected to participate in the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) District 7 Concert Band."

"To earn this honor, students auditioned against the best middle school musicians in Lake, McHenry, and Northern Cook Counties (74 total schools). Her selection culminated in a performance with the other selected student musicians at the ILMEA Festival on Saturday."