Photo by Tim Hacker/ Mesa Public Schools
For the second year in a row, Mesa Public Schools has nine schools among Arizona’s best kindergarten through grade 12 public schools.
Brinton, Las Sendas, Taft and Whitman elementary schools, and Summit Academy, Shepherd and Smith junior high schools, as well as Mountain View and Westwood high schools join the elite legacy of schools to have received the A+ School of Excellence award from the Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF).
To earn an A+ award, schools must show high achievement or significant improvement. Top schools identify and meet the needs of their students. Schools hold their title for 3.5 years. Mesa currently has 23 schools having earned the A+ School of Excellence designation.
“Schools earning the A+ designation go above and beyond expectations when it comes to the needs of students, staff and the entire community,” said Bobbie O’Boyle, AEF executive director. “They demonstrate overall excellence through a written application and rigorous site visit by a team of school leaders from across Arizona.”
The road to excellence
The application process is lengthy and encompasses a detailed description of things that happen at a school on a daily basis. Pat Estes, principal at Brinton Elementary School, says her school submitted a 58-page final document, which was reviewed by AEF and found to be of high quality, allowing Brinton to move on to a site visit.
“Reflecting on the writing and submitting of the A+ application, the Brinton community has been reminded of how we are rewarded every day by what we do for our students,” Pat stated. “We come to school and work exceptionally hard to meet the challenges of educating our students. A sense of optimism and joy is important when you deal with children’s futures, and this award is a wonderful validation of what we do.”
For two days, a panel of three judges from AEF observes all classrooms, and speaks with a variety of stakeholders, including parents, teachers, administration, staff members and volunteers. The visit helps AEF get to know each school and confirm the accuracy of the application. This information is reviewed, and AEF determines if a school is deemed excellent.
Validating schools programs
Since its inception six years ago, Summit Academy has provided exceptional choices for students through the International Baccalaureate and Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, programs. Students perform well on academic assessments, and they have an engaged community.
Principal Mark Andrews explained community support is evident in their enrollment.
“Summit’s student population is nearly 50 percent open enrollment, which means half of our students come from outside of our neighborhood boundaries to be a part of our school,” Mark explained. “Parents want their children at Summit Academy because we have a high parent approval rating, outstanding PTO turnouts and extracurricular events, and the A+ recognition validates everyone’s collective efforts.”
Since 1983, AEF has honored each A+ School of Excellence by giving recognition to remarkable Arizona public schools. Each of this year’s 40 award-winning schools receives $500 and an A+ School of Excellence banner. All staff and faculty at winning schools are eligible for partial scholarships from Argosy University/Phoenix.
For more information about all Mesa Public Schools, please visit mpsaz.org.