Local Students Spearhead Effort to Name Dolostone Illinois’ Official State Rock

Thanks to the efforts of grade school students from Burr Ridge and Naperville, Illinois now has an official state rock!

Govorner Pritzker, during a ceremony at Morton Arboretum on Monday, announced that dolostone is Illinois’ official state rock.

The Morton Arboretum was pleased to host @GovPritzker today to designate Dolostone, a form of limestone, as the official rock of the State of Illinois. Pritzker was joined by legislators, students and teachers to make the announcement. pic.twitter.com/6tCo9qr0kh

— MortonArboretum (@MortonArboretum) June 6, 2022

Students from Pleasantdale Middle School in Burr Ridge and Maplebrook Elementary School in Naperville initiated the effort when they realized Illinois didn’t have such a designation.

The importance here isn’t really about dolostone (which is actually an important part of our area’s history). It’s more about seeing young people get involved in the civic process. Pritzker noted that fact during his address at Morton Arboretum:

“Seeing young people use their voices and the democratic process to make change in our state is truly inspiring. These young leaders have a bright future of organizing and civic engagement that I am excited to watch. They could not have picked a better rock to represent the strength and stability of Illinois.”

Congrats to these local kids who saw something they wanted to see happen and following it through to see the fruits of their labor. The process they went through is well documented in the video from our friends at NCTV17!

Speaking of fruits, did you know the official state fruit is the GoldRush Apple?! Or the official state microbe is the penicillium rubens?! Or the state pet is “shelter animals?!”

There’s also an official state grain, snack food, turtle, soil, song, vegetable, pie, and even an official state exercise (bicycling!). Check them out here.