Seven of USD 253 Emporia’s nine school buildings have been nominated to be recognized as Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools.
That was one of the many highlights of the latest district strategic plan quarterly update presented to USD 253 Board of Education members during Wednesday night’s regular meeting. The CKH model has been added to district schools periodically since 2013, with all buildings officially adopting the model last year when it was implemented into both Emporia High School and the Jones Early Childhood Education Center, which was recognized as a rising star winner.
District Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Judy Stanley is very proud of the work of district staff and students in achieving such an accomplishment.
The buildings nominated were Jones, Village Elementary School, Timmerman, Riverside, Logan Avenue, Walnut and Emporia Middle School. The only buildings not nominated were EHS and William Allen White, however, Stanley says that does not detract from the work that has taken place in those buildings, noting there just wasn’t enough data collected for those buildings to be considered.
On top of the CKH announcement, Wednesday’s presentation also noted significant improvement across nearly all grade levels in common areas of study, including Math and English Language Arts. That said, Stanley tells KVOE News there are still significant challenges ahead for the district with the biggest being the ability to “meet student needs within the boundaries that are set for us from the state.”
In other business Wednesday, board members approved a bid from Two Trees for new network equipment compatible with the district’s existing network management system and had a first and second reading of board policy updates. Members also received a presentation from members of the Emporia High School Theatre Department and convened two executive sessions, one for attorney consultations and the other for negotiations.
The USD 253 Board of Education will next convene on Wednesday, March 26th at 6 pm inside of the Mary Herbert Education Center.
