Main Street Elementary School and Kindergarten Center announced on Mar. 27 the selection of its March 2026 GRIT Student-Leaders, recognizing students who have shown persistence and resilience in their academic and personal growth.
The recognition highlights the school’s commitment to developing students not only academically but also socially and emotionally. Ryan Scott, Principal at Main Street Elementary School & Kindergarten Center, said, “The goal is that no student is more prepared for College or Career or LIFE than our students. Much of this development is not inherited; it is learned. We must model & strategically reinforce with positive, timely (on demand) & specific feedback.” Scott added that both personal and collective benefits come from fostering these skills among students.
Scott explained the importance of perseverance in learning: “GRIT can be ‘grown.’ You need a few opportunities in your life where you experience struggle or maybe even failure and you don’t give up & experience some eventual growth or success.” He emphasized that sometimes classrooms are designed to include challenges so that students learn to embrace struggle rather than avoid it. “We want them to ‘lean into’ & embrace struggle,” Scott said.
This month’s focus on grit was sponsored by Dairy Queen owners Kirankumar and Sunita Patel. The recognized student-leaders were chosen based on teacher, staff observation, and peer input.
Shelbyville Community Unit School District 4 represents Shelby County schools including Main Street Elementary School, Moulton Elementary School, Shelbyville High School, and Shelbyville Kindergarten Center according to the Illinois Report Card. The district serves grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade with an enrollment of 1,190 students during the 2019-2020 school year according to state data.
District statistics show there are 88 teachers with an average salary of $53,412 before pension contributions; women make up about four-fifths of faculty members according to official figures. In terms of diversity, the district’s student body is predominantly White at over 95 percent as reported by ISBE.
Financially, Shelbyville Community Unit School District 4 spent $15,568 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure exceeding $18 million according to published data. Chronic truancy rates remain below state averages: just under four percent compared with nearly ten percent statewide as reported by ISBE.
Scott concluded by connecting character development with long-term outcomes: “We have all heard that we do not want the next generation to be ‘soft;’ I say ‘We want them to be GRITTY.’ This matches well with our mantra: ‘Be Nice; Work Hard.’”
