Ascension and St. Giles Schools Received Blue Ribbon Award - September and October 2025

Message from Father Carl - September 30, 2025

Today, I’m delighted to congratulate two of our schools – Ascension School and St. Giles School – on their individual achievements in the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence program.

As you may know, the Blue Ribbon program has long been regarded as a prestigious honor given to select schools nationwide that demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and exceptional teaching and learning. Earlier this year, the Council for American Private Education (CLICK HERE) nominated both Ascension School and St. Giles School to the Blue Ribbon program as part of a rigorous evaluation process of schools nationwide. Being nominated is a notable achievement and schools must meet a set of criteria to even be considered for the award.

On Wednesday, September 24, Greg Richmond, Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools Superintendent, recognized the Chicago-area schools that were awarded (CLICK HERE) the Blue Ribbon for 2025. I’m thrilled to share that St. Giles was among the 10 schools in the Archdiocese to receive the Blue Ribbon, placing it among the top 15% of schools nationwide. This prestigious recognition is one that every student, parent and teacher should be proud of.

As a faith community, we are blessed to have three vibrant Catholic schools that each deliver a nurturing, faith-filled educational experience to its students. Being recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School nominee or award winner reflects Ascension and St. Giles’ shared commitment to academic excellence, strong student outcomes, and faith.

Congratulations to both schools on their nomination and to St. Giles on its award. Your parish community is proud of you!

Fr. Carl Morello
Pastor
Ascension and St. Edmund Parish
St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish

St. Giles School burst with paw pride! - Principal Bigane attended a press conference in October 2025 where Governor Pritzker launched the new Illinois Governor’s Blue Ribbon Program and named St. Giles as one of 28 winning schools.

Blue Ribbon Celebration! - St. Giles School had an unforgettable National Blue Ribbon Award Celebration Week, filled with spirited activities to honor this prestigious national recognition! The campus was a sea of blue as students, staff, and families came together to celebrate our shared success and dedication to academic excellence. Festivities throughout the week included engaging school wide events like:

• Decorating the campus in blue to showcase the school pride.
• Buddy breakfasts, fostering connections across different grade levels.
• A dedicated "Wear Blue to School" day, where everyone proudly displayed the award pride.
• A fun and competitive school-wide rock paper scissors contest.
• An exciting all-school assembly that culminated in our special "Lion's Leap" reward: the chance to pie the principal!