Outstanding Test Results Earn St. Viator School Faculty $52K Award Big Shoulders Fund Presents Award on March 22nd The Big Shoulders Fund, which provides financial support to many Catholic schools, announced St. Viator School as the 2006 recipient of the Cardinal's Award for Teacher Achievement. The award was created and is funded by Mr. and Mrs. John and Rosemary Croghan. It provided a more than $52,000 gift this year to the faculty and staff of St. Viator School. "We feel the strong reading and writing focus at St. Viator has helped to increase our test scores," said Ms. Kathleen Kowalski, the school's principal. "The use of Junior Great Books, Accelerated Reader, Book It, Book Adventure and our own reading incentive programs helps to keep the students engaged in learning." Joshua Hale, Executive Director of the Big Shoulders Fund said, "I am thrilled that St. Viator has achieved this wonderful distinction. While the Cardinal's Award is given to a school based on their ability to increase test scores, it is really about teachers being at the top of their game. The faculty and staff at St. Viator are exemplary of what this award stands for." The award ceremony and check presentation took place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22nd, at St. Viator School, 4140 W. Addison St. Ms. Kowalski accepted the award on behalf of the school's faculty and staff in front of special guests which included, Mr. and Mrs. John W. Croghan, Mr. James J. O'Connor, Co-Chairman of the Big Shoulders Fund, and Monsignor Kenneth Velo, President of the Big Shoulders Fund. The Office of Catholic Schools provides the Big Shoulders Fund with documentation and data on the top five performing schools annually. This ranking is based upon students' performance on the Terra Nova Test. The principal and faculty of the identified schools then complete and submit an application provided by the Big Shoulders Fund. Mr. and Mrs. John W. Croghan review applications and make the final determination. The Big Shoulders Fund was founded in 1986 by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin to provide assistance for the inner-city Catholic schools in Chicago that are poorest in resources. To date, the Big Shoulders Fund has raised more than $140 million which has been used to help defray tuition costs and operating expenses and assist with capital projects at 93 inner-city elementary and secondary schools serving more than 25,000 students. For the first time in ten years, no schools supported by the Big Shoulders Fund in the Archdiocese of Chicago will be closed or consolidated because of a special grant of $1.4 million for the 2006-07 school year over and above the $9 million already committed to the schools. The Fund is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit entity that receives and distributes privately raised contributions to needy inner-city Catholic schools. For more information, visit http://www.bigshouldersfund.org or call 312-751-8337.