Posted: 11/5/02

Honors for Columbus school

Honors are in store for Columbus Elementary School. The school has been named a recipient of the 2002-2003 School of Excellence Award.

The award is presented annually by the Minnesota Elementary School Principalís Association to schools whose principal, staff, students and community successfully complete a systematic program of self-assessment, develop a school improvement plan and implement the plan at the local building level.

Columbus Elementary, led by Principal Neal Fox, serves 487 K-6 students. Built in 1975, the school resides on 32 acres in a rural environment.

Each four-room grade level area has portable, sliding wall panels, giving teachers and students ample opportunity to cooperatively group and interact. The media center has 16 cross-platform desktop computers for research, in addition to the schoolís 32-station computer lab.

Because of its flexible environment, staff team on a weekly basis within grade levels, and twice monthly as an entire building staff.

In keeping with the school districtís goal to inspire and ignite learning, Columbus Elementary implements annual school-wide themes. The themes have promoted cooperative staff/district planning and cross grade level participation.

Other special programs include a foster grandparent program to meet the needs of academically challenged students and lyceums.The school has three to five lyceum programs a year with sponsorship by the Columbus Parent-Teacher Organization. Programs are chosen either in relation to the current school theme or as eclectic offering of educational or artistic experiences.

ìMESPA is pleased to sponsor the School of Excellence Award program,î said P. Fred Storti, executive director. ìWe believe that Minnesotaís elementary and middle schools are good, effective schools, with superior performance that deserves and needs to be recognized.

ìThe total commitment to excellence demonstrated by Columbus Elementary School is the very center of quality education in the state.

The award was established in 1985 in conjunction with the Minnesota Standards for Quality Elementary and Middle Schools programs, MESPAís school improvement and evaluation program that combines the findings of current research on effective schooling with the practical on-site experience of working principals.

Schools successfully completing the process are qualified to submit applications. Applications are reviewed by a group of principals who comprise the School of Excellence Review Committee. Since the inception of the program, 101 schools have earned the honor.

In ISD 831, Linwood, Forest Lake, Forest View and Scandia elementary schools have been recognized for excellence.

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