T.O. SCHOOL ENJOYS BLUE RIBBON DAY.Byline: Sherry sherry [from Jérez], naturally dry fortified wine, pale amber to brown in tint. The term sherry originally referred to wines made from grapes grown in the region of Jérez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain; today it may refer to any of the Joe Crosby and Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writers Four years ago, leaders of Meadows Elementary School elementary school: see school. launched a self-improvement program at the La Granada Drive campus in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , an effort that culminated Friday with the receipt of a prestigious National Blue Ribbon blue ribbon denotes highest honor. [Western Folklore: Brewer Dictionary, 127] See : Prize Award. During ceremonies at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., Meadows was recognized as one of just 28 schools in California and 263 in the country that achieved Blue Ribbon status from the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, Meadows was among six schools honored nationally for its professional development. ``We are a microcosm mi·cro·cosm n. A small, representative system having analogies to a larger system in constitution, configuration, or development: "He sees the auto industry as a microcosm of the U.S. of what all grade schools should be,'' Timothy Stephens, the school's former principal, said after the awards ceremony. ``We have supportive parents. We have dedicated teachers, and we have a community of active learners. We are all working as a team.'' Stephens, first-grade teacher Judy Bowers Bowers is a surname, and may refer to
``It's wonderful recognition of our years of hard work and the many, many hours of parent involvement, which we feel is instrumental in driving this institution,'' Kelsey said. ``The parents are seen as partners in our children's education.'' The road to Washington began in 1993, when educators changed the structure of the school's curriculum to make it more meaningful to students, Stephens said. ``We tried to connect what they did in school with the outside world,'' he said earlier this week. ``We really tried to make the school something that was exciting.'' Students took field trips to Sacramento, the state's capital, while an outdoor life lab re-created the four climatic regions of California. ``We felt strongly that kids should have being-there experiences,'' Stephens said. ``Kids are doing things, not just drill sheets.'' When federal officials visited Meadows to evaluate the school's application for Blue Ribbon status, Stephens said, ``there was more happening than actually had been written. It wasn't overstated o·ver·state tr.v. o·ver·stat·ed, o·ver·stat·ing, o·ver·states To state in exaggerated terms. See Synonyms at exaggerate. o - it was understated.'' While Stephens no longer heads the school, he said the focus of the campus remains ``continual self-improvement.'' ``The Blue Ribbon validates all the changes we've made at the school,'' he said. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion