Catherine Cook School

Our Cougar Buddies reunited one last time before summer break! 🐾 Our buddy pairs were excited to share about their summers, make mementos for each other, and enjoy a last hurrah of the school year!

Our 8th Graders had fun in sunny Florida last week on their signature trip. Their week was packed with activities like airboat tour, kayaking, dolphin sightseeing, visiting a coral reef state park, and STEM based activities!

🐾 🎶 Our 6th Grade music class decided to share the love with some four-legged friends! This week, students took a field trip to Chicago Animal Care and Control to play their ukuleles for dogs and cats in shelter.

🎉 Congratulations to our Track Athletes who competed in state this past weekend! There are many accomplishments for us to celebrate:

8th Grader Brady was named 1A champion in the 800 and 1600.
7th Grader Isabella ‘Izzy’ placed 2nd in the 100 and 400.
7th Graders Avery, Lilah, Sydney, and Isabella ‘Izzy’ placed 2nd in the 4x200.
8th Grader Jack placed 8th in the 1600.
Many of our athletes broke our school records!

🎨 These little painters had a blast swinging through the air as they collaborated on a large-scale art project! Our Preschoolers have been exploring new ways to make art with motion, tools, and their imaginations.

This art/sensory experience heavily engaged their vestibular systems, helping them develop a stronger sense of balance, spatial awareness, and core body strength.

Today we celebrated the ten-year work anniversary of six incredible faculty and staff members!

Join us in honoring the following for their dedication to education and our school:
Kathy Gilmore, Head of Lower School
Nosson Cohen, Director of Information Technology
Nicole Hillas, Middle School Social Studies Teacher
Sophia Roberson, Coordinator of Co-Curricular Programming
Tony Johnson, Director of Marketing and Communications
Katie Burrows, Movement Teacher

It looks like we have some future science researchers and medical professionals on our hands! 🔬 This 1st Grade class was visited by parent Dr. Zellmer who taught them about PPE (personal protective equipment), which is used by scientists and health care workers to keep themselves and others safe.

At Cook, our classrooms adapt to the unique interests and curiosities of each class. Because this class has taken interest in health, germs, and systems in the human body, they were so excited for the chance to dress up and act out what they've been learning.

Andrew Bean, 8th Grade Science Teacher and Middle School Dean, has made it to the quarter finals and all votes count as double until 9:00 p.m. tonight (May 6). Voting for the quarterfinals ends tomorrow (May 7) at 7p!

Visit https://americasfavteacher.org/2026/andrew-bean
to lend us your vote!

Our 8th Grade student Finley had the incredible opportunity to present at Illinois Digital Educators Alliance's (IDEA) Student Advocacy Day at the Capitol Rotunda in Springfield last week. Alongside her Science Teacher Mr. Bean, she shared with lawmakers about her eco-friendly energy-efficient home project that uses online software, such as Minecraft Education, to lay out their homes.

Our student performers were glowing during our Fine Arts Assembly today! Students showed off an array of artistic expression from musical performances to dance and movement to live painting. Join us for our Art Show next week to see the culmination of our students' creative work.

A special thank you to our Art, Music, and Movement teachers for helping our students shine!