Lincoln Trail Elementary Celebrates Achievements, Marks Awareness Day
Last week, Lincoln Trail Elementary School in Mahomet, Illinois, celebrated World Sanfilippo Awareness Day while also highlighting its impressive academic achievements. The school, which serves approximately 794 students and employs 43 teachers, played a pivotal role in helping the Mahomet-Seymour School District achieve exemplary ratings on state report cards.
The district has successfully reduced its chronic absenteeism rate from 21.1 percent to 11.9 percent, significantly below the state average of 25.4 percent. According to Principal Megan Hunter, the drop in absenteeism—particularly at Lincoln Trail, where the rate decreased from 13.5 percent to 7.7 percent—demonstrates the collective effort of the entire school community. “While I am proud of every statistic our staff and students worked so hard to achieve, the number I am most proud of is the number of students that are chronically absent,” Hunter stated.
Exemplary Performance and Community Effort
This marks the first time Lincoln Trail has received an exemplary report card, a distinction shared by only 26 of the area’s 145 public schools. Other schools achieving this honor include Bismarck-Henning Elementary, Cerro Gordo Elementary, and LeRoy High School. The recognition creates a sense of pride and accomplishment within the local education community.
Teachers at Lincoln Trail emphasize the importance of teamwork in fostering a positive learning environment. “We work like a village, lift each other up, and make school a place students and adults are excited to walk into every day,” said Kristine Rousseau, a fourth-grade teacher. Her sentiments were echoed by fellow educator Lindsey Denault, who highlighted the dedication of all staff members, from teachers to custodians, in their shared mission of supporting students.
Leading Academic Growth
The Mahomet-Seymour School District has also emerged as a leader in year-over-year math growth, outperforming 63.4 percent of its peers. Lincoln Trail Elementary led the way with a growth rate of 65 percent, followed by the junior high at 62.3 percent and the high school at 55.2 percent. This academic success reinforces the district’s commitment to educational excellence.
In addition to these achievements, Mahomet-Seymour is the first district in the area to achieve a perfect score on exemplary report cards for the same year. It is also home to the largest schools in the region, with the high school enrolling 1,070 students, followed by the junior high with 806, Lincoln Trail at 795, and Middletown Prairie at 735.
As the school year progresses, the commitment to reducing absenteeism and enhancing academic performance remains a top priority for Lincoln Trail Elementary and the Mahomet-Seymour School District. The collaborative efforts of the staff and the supportive environment they create will continue to play a crucial role in the success of their students.
