-School recognized for academic improvement-
OSOYOOS TIMES-December 5, 2007-
By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times
Hitting the books has paid off for Osoyoos Elementary School as it has been recognized as one of the top schools in the province.
Last month, the school received recognition as a School of Distinction for academic improvement as part of the annual Garfield Weston Awards for Excellence and Education.
Principal Bo Macfarlane said the school finished 15th out of 984 B.C. schools in the elementary category and gave credit to those who brought the accolades to Osoyoos.
The real champs of this award are the kids, he said, adding the school's students have been diligent in attending to their studies and focusing on their homework.
Students in Grades 4 and 7 write tests each May on subjects including math and literacy. The results of these assessments from a five-year period are analyzed by the Fraser Institute and schools are then awarded for their performance by the Garfield Weston Foundation, a United Kingdom-based charitable organization.
But the school's teachers were also instrumental in bringing about this distinction, Macfarlane said.
Teachers wrote personal growth plans towards fulfilling school goals of improving literacy, math skills and social responsibility among students.
We do a lot of our professional development around those goals, Macfarlane said.
Each teacher has focused on those areas in ways that they can grow as teachers. And I think that part of this award we got is seeing the fruits of that.rnMacfarlane points to a two-day math seminar teachers attended earlier this year as an example of the lengths the school went to in helping students achieve more.
Arithmetic guru Trevor Caulkins was brought in to show educators how to make math more relevant.rnTeachers then took what they learned to the classroom and showed students how math could be used in practical, real-life situations.
Our teachers take the academic achievements and success of our students really seriously, Macfarlane said. They embed that into their practice.rnNews of the school's achievements was broken to staff and students Dec. 3 in an awards ceremony.
Former principal Farida Lubbers, who left the school two years ago, was also on hand for the announcement.
She played a big role in this, Macfarlane said, adding Lubbers developed a number of academic programs within the school to give students more interaction with teachers.
Such praise for the school doesn't mean anyone plans to slow down, however, Macfarlane said.
It's not easy to get to the top. It takes more hard work to stay at the top, he said. We're not resting on our laurels.
