Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47
Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47 is a school district containing elementary and middle schools. The district serves Crystal Lake, Lakewood, as well as parts of Lake in the Hills, Cary, Woodstock, Huntley, Bull Valley, and McHenry. District 47 has an area of 44 square miles, and has a student population of about 7,800 students from Pre-K through 8th grade, as well as about 1,100 staff and administrators. The current Superintendent is Dr. Kathy Hinz. History. The creation of District 47 took place during the late 19th and early 20th centuries . Schools. In District 47, there are nine elementary schools, three middle schools, and one early childhood center. Middle schools. Richard F. Bernotas Middle School. Bernotas was established in 1969. Its first name was North Junior High, but in 2002, it was dedicated to Richard F. Bernotas. There are about 1000 students in it. Bernotas's sports teams go under the "Bernotas Vikings". Their mascot is Thor, represented by a viking. The school colors are blue and gold. Unlike the three middle schools in the district, RFB has its own unique school song, and not a rewrite of lyrics. Leon J.  Lundahl Middle School. Lundahl Middle School was established in 1959 as South Junior High. In 1974, a new addition including a new gymnasium, learning center, locker room area, and science complex was opened. Mr. Richard Carlstedt became principal in 1989. In 1990-91, a new north end classroom addition, cafeteria, locker room area, and second gymnasium were added to the Lundahl campus. The school became an accredited middle school in the spring of 1995, and its name was officially changed to Lundahl Middle School Campus for the opening of the 1996-97 school year. Lundahl's colors are purple and  gold, and they compete in athletics as the Lundahl Lions, female-oriented sports teams being referred to as the Lady Lions. Hannah Beardsley School. Hannah Beardsley Middle School opened in 1996. Its namesake, Hannah Beardsley, was the first school teacher in the Crystal Lake area. The first principal of Hannah Beardsley Middle School was Ron Ludwig. HBMS was opened to accommodate Crystal Lake's burgeoning population, which had been fueled mostly by an influx of middle-class families from Chicago during the 1990s. When it first opened, Beardsley was already close to capacity. Rising enrollment necessitated the construction of an  additional wing of classrooms on the building's upper floor, which was completed in 2000. Present enrollment is over 1100 students in grades 6 through 8. Beardsley's sports teams compete as the Beardsley Bears, and its school colors are Blue and Orange.