Three local schools are among the 167 recognized throughout the state with School of Recognition awards.
Gresham Community School, Tigerton Elementary School and Marion Elementary School were the area schools to be selected for the award from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
All of the School of Recognition recipients will receive a plaque and $500.
Tigerton Elementary School received the honor for the fifth year in a row. Gresham Community School received the honor for the fourth year straight for its high school students and its third in four years for elementary students.
DPI Superintendent Tony Evers praised the schools in a written statement, recognizing that they face the difficult challenge of providing a quality education for a student population where the vast majority lives below the poverty level.
“The staff and administration of these schools are committed to breaking the link between poverty and low academic achievement through rigorous programming and attention to student needs,” Evers said. “The partnerships these schools create among teachers, parents, administrators, other school staff members and the community provide an educational environment that supports children’s learning so our students graduate college and (are) career ready.”
Tigerton is one of nine schools that has received the honor for the last five years, and it will receive a flag recognizing that feat at an awards ceremony in October.
All of the local schools were recognized in the Beating the Odds category, which means they are in the top 25 percent of poverty schools in the state and achieve above-average scores on reading and math exams.
Tigerton was also recognized as a High Progress School for falling within the top 10 percent of schools experiencing growth in reading and mathematics and having achievement gaps of fewer than 3 points between student groups or showing evidence of reducing those gaps.
Gresham School District Superintendent Keary Mattson said his students and staff work hard to not let the financial background of families factor into how students learn and grow. Seventy-two percent of the elementary school students live at or below the poverty level; the high school average is 66 percent.
“There seems to be a link between poverty and academic achievement, and I think we break that pretty good here,” Mattson said. “Our kids achieve quite high.”
Newell Haffner, a science teacher in Gresham, said he is committed to making sure students do good work and willing to put in the time after hours if needed.
“I don’t accept D’s and F’s,” Haffner said. “I always expect them to try hard and give me their best effort. They may struggle, but if we pull them in during their study halls, before or after school, or whatever — generally, I sit with them for a couple of minutes, and they get it.”
David Battenberg, principal of Tigerton Elementary School, said teachers, by maintaining close relationships with each other and the students, help break down the barriers between haves and have-nots.
“They’re all extremely committed to reflecting on their own teaching styles and skills and changing them so they can become better teachers,” Battenberg said. “They work as a team, conversing with each other all the time. That helps kids transition from one grade to the next.”
The Tigerton staff is well aware of how big the honor is this year.
“It’s actually something we’ve talked about for a couple of years,” Battenberg said. “We get special recognition in the Capitol that day. We’re very pleased.”
Marion School District Superintendent Mike Gaunt is out of the office until Monday and could not be reached for comment.
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