WAURIKA, Okla_There is some
new information on Waurika Elementary's journey to becoming a blue ribbon
school. We told you in February they were one of many Oklahoma schools in the running for the
title. On Friday, they learned they were one of only six schools in the state
and the only one in Southwest Oklahoma who
received the title, for displaying extremely high performance levels throughout
the school year.
Only 269
schools in the entire nation are granted this honor each year. So when Waurika
heard they officially won the title for exemplary test scores they were elated.
They are a true example that hard work really does pay off.
It's one of the
highest honors in the educational system a school district dreams of year after
year hoping that they can achieve.
"Words
can't describe it, I didn't know what to think at first, I knew that we were a
deserving school, but I also knew that there are rigorous requirements for
that, there are a lot of other schools that are put up in the nation and once
the initial shock set in, I couldn't be more proud," Principal Cody
Simmons said.
But the road to
success hasn't been an easy one. Principal Simmons said each day, in addition
to regular classwork, the students read something new for 90 minutes. On top of
that, they have 30 separate minutes of group skills to reflect on what they
just read. Then after that, 60 additional minutes every day are used to focus
on learning new math skills, something Simmons said he believes gave Waurika
the extra edge.
"It takes
dedication on everybody's part, and we have to stay with what we know works. All
of our curriculum is researched based and we start from the curriculums and go
from there, we supplement when we need to and do what we can to make sure every
student is successful."
Simmons said
getting the high honor of blue ribbon school is an achievement by the students
and teachers.
"This
shows us what kind of school we are, and where we need to be. This is going to
raise our expectations, we already have very high expectations, but this is
just going to take them to the next level and give us something else to keep
achieving for."
In November, there will be an awards ceremony in Washington D.C.,
Waurika school officials will be attending. There they will get their blue
ribbons flags, and a plaque to post in the school.
