Lake County Gazette

Two cross country athletes from Gurnee School District 56 earned medals at the state meet, marking a first in the district’s history. River Trail 8th grader Anna S. finished 11th out of 220 runners, while Viking 8th grader Haddin E. placed 23rd out of 223 runners. The event featured a total of 1,800 participants from across Illinois.

Gurnee School District 56 serves Lake County and includes Prairie Trail School, River Trail School, Spaulding Elementary School, and Viking School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The district has a diverse student population: about 21.7 percent White, 21 percent Black, 45 percent Hispanic, and 6 percent Asian (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the district employs 153 teachers with an average salary of $63,616 before pension contributions; most are women (86.3 percent), and there are no teachers with more than ten absences per year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In fiscal year 2020, Gurnee School District 56 spent $21,128 per student for a total expenditure of $41,537,628 (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

“Congratulations to our Viking cross country athletes on a fantastic state meet! For the first time in school history we have not one, but two state medalists! River Trail 8th grader Anna S., placed 11th out of 220 runners and Viking 8th grader Haddin E. placed 23rd out of 223 runners. The State Meet included 1,800 runners from across Illinois.”