Ashoka
Belmont-Cragin Elementary School
Belmont-Cragin has built a culture and climate where problems are brought forth to be solved and challenges are viewed as opportunities. Belmont-Cragin was chosen to be at the forefront of social and emotional learning, creating a strong sense of community. One reason being, the dedicated staff and strong, visionary leadership. It is Belmont-Cragin’s goal to carry this ideal to students as Belmont-Cragin molds them into the young leaders of tomorrow.
Stacy Stewart
Stacy Stewart was a teacher for 17 years and a teaching coach for 1 year before she became the principal at Belmont-Cragin Elementary School. She has been the principal for 4 years. Stacy’s personal mission is to ensure that children of color gain a high quality education that teaches them to be citizens. Under her leadership, Belmont-Cragin has gone from being one of the lower performing schools in Chicago to one of the better neighborhood schools. Despite the fact that the school is surrounded by four different gang territories, Belmont-Cragin has reached at 95% attendance rate. Growing up, Stewart’s parents did the best they could but she knew that if she got an education, she could not be denied her dreams.