State and National Recognitions

Reprinted from front page article in “The News Progress” on May 14, 2008, by Keith Corum

Five elementary schools in Mecklenburg County have been singled out as Title I Distinguished Schools by the Virginia Board of Education (VBE). The high honor is achieved by maintaining full state accreditation under Virginia’s Standards of Learning for two consecutive years, meeting federal benchmarks in reading and mathematics and having average test scores in both subjects at the 60^th percentile or higher.

Boydton, Buckhorn, Clarksville, LaCrosse, and South Hill elementary schools have achieved Title I Distinction based on student achievement on state assessments during the 2006-2007 and the previous school year. In all, 13 public school divisions and 118 schools across the state were recognized by the VBE for raising the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students, a key objective for Title I Distinguished School Recognition.

“These awards show that all children – regardless of family income – can learn and achieve,” said Virginia’s Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge.” “ With all this success it is easy to forget that there once was once widespread belief that children from economically disadvantaged communities should not be expected to meet high standards.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction for Virginia Schools, Billy K. Cannaday Jr. acknowledged the teachers who continually make a difference in Mecklenburg County and else where in the state.

Educators in these schools overcome challenges everyday as they prepare children for brighter futures. They focus on each child and are not daunted by higher annual benchmarks”, said Cannaday.

Each school here achieving Title I Distinguished status will receive a certificate celebrating the high honor and lofty achievement from the VBE.

Click here to read the press release from the Virginia Department of Education. 

Reprinted from the South Hill Enterprise 

RICHMOND - Seven Mecklenburg County schools - including South Hill Elementary, Bluestone Middle, Boydton Elementary, Buckhorn Elementary, Chase City Elementary, Clarksville Elementary and La Crosse Elementary - have been named as recipients of the state Board of Education's VIP Competence to Excellence Award.

"I am excited to see that Mecklenburg County continues to excel," Helen Hill, the superindent of Mecklenburg County Schools, said Friday. "The principals, teachers, parents and students are continuing to do an awesome job."

"Students in these schools are soaring far beyond the minimum requirements of the Standards of Learning and No Child Left Behind," said Governor Kaine.

The Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) program awards points to schools and divisions based on the percentage of students achieving at the advanced level on Standards of Learning assessments and progress made toward educational goals advocated by Governor Kaine and adopted by the Board as part of its comprehensive plan for further strengthening public education.

Nineteen school divisions and 475 schools earned the Board of Education's VIP Excellence Award, the second-tier honor in the VIP program. These schools and divisions also have met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and have made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunity set by Governor Kaine and the Board of Education.

 "The criteria for all of these awards are rigorous," said Board of Education President Mark E. Emblidge. "That so many schools and school divisions qualified reflects the commitment of educators across the Commonwealth to excellence and high standards."

Park View and Bluestone High School's received the VIP Competence to Excellence Award. Twenty-five school divisions and 322 schools earned the Board of Education’s VIP Competence to Excellence Award. This award recognizes schools and districts that have met all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and are making progress toward VIP objectives reflecting the goals of Governor Kaine and the Board.

Click here to read the VIP Award of Excellence press release from the Virginia Department of Education

Click here to read the VIP Competence to Excellence Award  press release from the Virginia Department of Education.

PVH Building Leadership Team:

Front Row (Left - Right) Ben Taylor, Trudy Gentry, Karen Champion

Second Row (Left - Right) Chrystal Harris, Sarah Trumbull

Third Row (Left - Right) Denise Kirby, Jolanda Stevenson 

(Article reprinted from South Hill Enterprise) 

SOUTH HILL - Mecklenburg County school officials are singing the praises of Park View High School, which has been named by U.S. News & World Report in the magazine's listing of the best high schools in America. "Out of thousands of high schools in the nation, Park View was selected as one of the best," Helen Hill, the Mecklenburg County superintendent of schools, said during Monday's school board meeting. "This is quite an accomplishment."  "I know that there has been a great deal of work by teachers and administrators to get where we are," said John Ball, the county school system's director of federal projects, during Monday's meeting. Park View was named a Bronze Medal school in the magazine's Best High Schools 2008 listing. Park View was the only school in Mecklenburg County named to the list; none of the schools in the surrounding counties of Brunswick, Lunenburg or Halifax made the list.

"We're obviously pleased with this award," Park View Principal Ben Taylor said this week. "What makes it so special is that we didn't seek this out. The state department sent out our test scores and we were 1 of 41 schools in Virginia recognized out of 315 in the state. "Our staff does a good job teaching kids that are below the poverty level, we beat the state norm. We teach the whole gamut. The kids, despite what advantages or disadvantages they may have, come ready to learn and that makes our jobs easier. "I really have to tip my hat to the staff," Taylor said. "The teachers take it to heart... they set the bar high and the students meet that level every time. We're extremely proud of that. They're not just good teachers, they're good people." Virginia did well in the listing. The list's No. 1 school in the country was Fairfax County's Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Also making the list of the country's 100 gold-medal schools were two other Fairfax schools: Langley High at 37th and Oakton High at 88th. No other state schools were listed in the Top 100. The list included 405 silver-medal schools, with eight in Virginia; and 1,086 bronze-medal schools, including 30 in Virginia. The list named 100 Gold Medal schools in the country, with 405 Silver Medal schools and 1,086 Bronze Medal schools. The list was U.S. News & World Report's first ever ranking of America's Best High Schools. Using a formula produced in collaboration with School Evaluation Services, a K-12 data research and analysis business run by Standard & Poor's, a total of 18,790 high schools in 40 states were judged according to three criteria: how each school's students performed on state tests, adjusting for student circumstances; how well each school's disadvantaged students did; and the school was successful in providing college-level coursework.