Mokena Junior High School eighth grader Chloe Walker has been selected for the 2026 All-State Junior High Orchestra. Walker, who plays double bass, has participated in the Mokena orchestra program since it began in 2022.
The selection process started last fall with about 23,000 students from elementary, junior high, and high schools across Illinois auditioning virtually. Of those, 7,000 were chosen to take part in district music festivals statewide. From the district festival participants in grades 7-12, a total of 2,000 students advanced to the Illinois Music Education Association’s Junior and Senior All-State Student Programs. Walker is one of just 150 seventh and eighth graders from across Illinois selected for the inaugural Junior High All-State Orchestra.
At the end of January, Walker traveled to Peoria for the Illinois Music Educator Conference. There she rehearsed with other All-State Orchestra members under conductor Joanne May over two days before performing at the Peoria Civic Center for an audience of musicians, educators, and parents.
Walker prepared for the event over a month with Mokena School District 159 Orchestra Director Vicky Nyder. Nyder attended the performance and said, “Chloe put in a lot of work during morning orchestra rehearsals and in after school practices to learn the pieces. She did a fantastic job in the final performance. I’m incredibly proud of the work that she has done and how it reflects the Mokena Orchestra. Since this is the first time for the Junior High All-State Orchestra, it is a big honor for Chloe to be selected to perform as part of it.”
Mokena School District 159 serves Will County and includes Mokena Elementary School, Mokena Intermediate School, and Mokena Junior High School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The district enrolled approximately 1,531 students during the 2019-2020 school year and provides education from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). According to state data, District 159 spent $23,197 per student in 2020 (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/), with overall spending totaling $35.5 million that year.
The teaching staff consists of 97 teachers earning an average salary of $61,802 before pension contributions; most are women (85 percent) (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The student population is predominantly White at about 85 percent; Hispanic students make up nearly eight percent while Black and Asian students represent smaller proportions (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
In terms of attendance challenges within District 159 during the same period there were 46 chronically truant students—about three percent—which remains below Illinois’ statewide average chronic truancy rate of nearly ten percent (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).
