It’s an exciting time for Joliet Catholic Academy technology: just seven years after kicking off its 1:1 Technology Initiative, JCA has been chosen to be a Microsoft Showcase School for its second year.

In September of 2022, JCA received word that it had been chosen to be a Microsoft Showcase School after it completed a lengthy application process to graduate from the Showcase School Incubator program. JCA had to prove that it is leading the field in various areas, including thought leadership, a culture of learning and growth, personalized learning, use of technology, and data insights.

In September of 2023, JCA learned it has again been accepted to be a Microsoft Showcase school, this time for the 2023-24 school year.

In JCA’s acceptance letter, Microsoft said, “Microsoft Showcase Schools are pioneers in education. You are part of an exclusive global community, recognized and celebrated for educational transformation that includes vision and innovation in teaching, learning, and preparing students for the future.”

As a college prep school, JCA takes “preparing students for the future” very seriously. Microsoft is still the leading platform at the university level and in the workforce. JCA’s online learning platform, Microsoft Teams, is used by 91 of the Fortune 100 companies. JCA graduates consistently come back remarking how they were unphased by the learning platforms in college and in their first job because they had learned how to use Teams at JCA.

As one of only four Microsoft Showcase Schools in Illinois, and one of only 36 in the country, JCA is excited to serve the community in new ways with this exciting opportunity.

Adding to this year’s tech excitement is the news that seven JCA educators applied for and were accepted into the prestigious ranks of Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts. MIEEs are, by definition, “a thriving community of passionate educators who are constantly learning, growing, and working together to change students’ lives and build a better world.”

Joliet Catholic Academy : 1200 N. Larkin Avenue : Joliet, IL 60435 : Ph: 815-741-0500 : jca-online.org