Kevin Carroll, the band director and music teacher at Saint Patrick High was awarded the “Heart of the School” Award in the Arts category. This award is given to a teacher that makes outstanding contributions to instilling a love of the arts among students. They may be teacher of art, music, drama or other art form, or they may be teachers of other disciplines who integrate the study and appreciation of the arts within the classroom.

A product of an all-male Chicago Catholic high school, Kevin Carroll knew from the beginning four years ago that his decision to work at Saint Patrick High School would be the right choice. “I am blessed to have had opportunities to study and to contribute to the education of others,” said Carroll. “I have performed with professional ensembles and musical artists throughout the country, earned a master’s degree, pursued a doctoral degree and have become a published editor and producer; however it has only been through the full support of Saint Patrick’s administration that I have been able to establish and develop a jazz program this is thriving and creating tomorrow’s music performers, educators and audience.”

Carroll, who attended the Essentially Ellington Band Directors Academy in Aspen, CO sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center, regularly attends the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and participates in Illinois Music Educators Association activities that help him broaden his knowledge of jazz pedagogy and history.

Being able to integrate his faith and education at Saint Patrick has given Carroll the focus to strive to make this philosophy apparent to his students on a daily basis, in and out of rehearsals. He schedules performances in a variety of ways including concerts for parents, friends and the community, at adjudicated festivals and athletic events in support of the school teams. Professional performance experiences are scheduled to demonstrate real-world expectations to his aspiring musicians while giving them an opportunity to represent their school in a positive way.

With the band program doubled in size since starting with Saint Patrick four years ago, Carroll is especially proud of his students appearance last September when the Honors Jazz Band represented their school, parishes and community as the first high school band ever to perform at the Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park.

Christopher E. Perez, who is the freshman physical sciences teacher at Saint Patrick High School earned his “Heart of the School” Award in the Leadership category. This award recognizes classroom teachers that have exhibited exceptional dedication in the classroom, school and community by providing leadership in one or more of the following areas; student activities, parent/school organizations, school administration, or state or national professional teacher organizations.

Christopher Perez believes that he has five personal accomplishments of which he is proud: graduating as the valedictorian from Saint Patrick High School, earning his Bachelor of Arts with Honors and being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at Loyola University Chicago, earning his Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Loyola, serving as the Assistant Principal at Our Lady of Lourdes School, and having the honor of being asked to return to teach at Saint Patrick High School.

Perez believes that he exhibits his philosophy and motivation to the students, parents and administration through his teaching and his involvement in extracurricular activities including his involvement with the professional development program for the teachers of the feeder elementary schools for Saint Patrick. This program helps provide the teachers with lessons and equipment in physical science that they can use in their classrooms.

The team leader for the Phoenix Program Summer School, Perez is also the faculty moderator for the robotics program in which students design and build a robot for competition and is one of his school’s two Freshmen Moderators, who initiated sending postcards to every member of the freshman class on his birthday. “I have been pleasantly surprised to see how many students and parents take the time to thank me for the postcard when they receive them,” said Perez. “An action as simple as acknowledging one’s birthday can have a big impact on a student’s day.”

CDW-G, a direct provider of computing solutions to educational institutions and government agencies, is the sponsor of the 2005 Heart of the School Leadership Awards