Testimonials


Andrea Nevoral  Class of 2001 1st Grade Teacher
“You can always go home again.” This phrase could not be more fitting for me! My Holy Cross journey began in Kindergarten, took me all the way through 8th grade, led me to Deerfield High School, then the University of Illinois for college...and back again!
Thanks to all of the teachers at Holy Cross, I was well prepared for the challenges that I would face in my academic career. Thanks especially to Senora Heinemann, I was well prepared and confident walking into an honors Spanish class as a freshman in high school. This preparation later led to living with a host family for a semester abroad, and earning a minor in Spanish in college.
The education at Holy Cross not only prepares students academically; it helps to shape them morally, emotionally and spiritually as well. Holy Cross is unique because we are more than just a school community – we are a faith-based school community. This is one of the things that makes teaching here so rewarding.
I graduated from Holy Cross School knowing that I was part of a family that had, and would continue to, support me in the years to come. I feel so blessed that Holy Cross has welcomed me back home.
Holy Cross played an instrumental role in shaping me into the person I am today. Thinking about my former teachers, I am both inspired and excited to be that guiding force in the lives of my students.

                                                                                                                                                                             

Reflection from Jenny Stagl - - -  Class of 1999 

        What makes Holy Cross so different? Holy Cross prepared me for an academic career that has taken me to the University of Notre Dame for college and now Johns Hopkins University for graduate studies.  Thanks to Senora Heinemann, I was well prepared to walk into a sophomore-level Spanish class as a freshman in high school, a semester abroad in Spain, and today a Spanish-speaking patient’s room. As a result of Mrs. Miles’s current events curriculum, I learned to appreciate the world outside of school walls. Through their instruction and example, the devoted teachers at Holy Cross instilled in me a love for learning and the self-confidence to believe that I can achieve anything.
Why is Holy Cross so special? Holy Cross is more than a school; it is a community, where I attended weekly mass with my classmates and spent Sunday mornings surrounded by friends and family in worship. At Holy Cross, I discovered that faith calls for more than an hour on Sunday morning. Holy Cross emphasizes service to others and provides students with opportunities to experience the joys of giving. The service I began at Holy Cross never stopped. From Habitat for Humanity, to service trips in Appalachia, volunteer work in an impoverished clinic, and most recently a medical mission trip to Haiti, service has become a fundamental component of my faith.  
Growing up with Holy Cross meant having a second home just minutes away from the first. More than ten years after graduating, I still feel as much a member of the Holy Cross community as the day I began kindergarten. I am confident that my Catholic education at Holy Cross has helped shape me into who I am today and continually challenges me to live by Christian values. My experience at Holy Cross makes me grateful to my parents, teachers, and Father Hal for the dedication and care that went into my Catholic education.  

 Maureen Doyle  - - - Class of 2003 
          
For me, the essence of Catholic education is love. From the first time I entered Holy Cross a tearful, shy kindergartner, comforted by Mrs. Moore’s warm hugs, to celebrating graduation Mass eight years later, I knew my classmates and I were loved. And what a special love too— it’s an environmental love, one that emboldens you to take risks and try new things; it’s a love that intensifies when you make mistakes; it’s a transformative love, one that empowers you to love yourself and others as you’ve been loved, as an inimitable daughter or son of God.   
I’m now three years removed from Catholic education, seven from Holy Cross, and am at a stage when the “real world” looms. It suggests many things that will supposedly make me happy, things of its own invention codified into a recipe for success. As I evaluate my options, I’m so deeply grateful for this Catholic background of love. The love of family, friends, and teachers reflects Christ’s love, a gentle reminder that another Option exists. It is a much more difficult road, but one whose rewards are true and whose joy is deep. 
Thank you, Holy Cross and Woodlands, for starting me on this path and empowering me to continue.

A Holy Cross Parent

We are fortunate to have exceptionally bright children.  After testing and consulting, the staff at Northwestern University's Talent Development encouraged us to choose a school that could respond with an accelerated curriculum.  As we began to explore our options in Deerfield in regards to supporting the educational process of gifted children, we heard of the startling statistical norm of Holy Cross students as indicated by a measure of Terra Nova tests.  We were advised Holy Cross students consistently score on average one to two standard deviations above the national statistical mean on Terra Nova intelligence measures.

It became clear that at Holy Cross, our children would be in a population of very bright students. An additional attraction was that Holy Cross had a history of providing an excellent foundation to an entire population of intelligent to extremely intelligent students.          As the school year began, we were quickly and actively engaged in discussions with the teacher regarding our child's special needs. Throughout the year we have been surprised and delighted with the challenging work and thorough engagement between the staff and our children.  Our children are challenged, encouraged, and supported in their learning.  Our experience is the teachers of Holy Cross are caring, above and beyond any job description. They have shown us an amazing dedication to their students.  Again and again, they demonstrate a deep concern about learning in their classrooms.   
 
Holy Cross School 720 Elder Lane Deerfield, IL 60015 (847) 945-0135
Last Modified: Friday, Feb. 11, 2011
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