Two Kent schools win state achievement awards

Kent Elementary and Kent Mountain View Academy, both of the Kent School District, are recipients of the 2010 Washington Achievement Award. The two schools joined 184 other Washington State schools receiving the award based on three years of data from the Washington Achievement Index. The state index has several functions including providing feedback to schools and districts and identifying exemplary student and school performance. The Washington State Board of Education and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sponsor the award.
Kent Mountain View Academy earned the Washington Achievement Award for making gains on the Extended Graduation Rate and working with students who need more time to earn their diploma. Principal Debbie Dempsey noted the school is able to achieve this success by focusing on the individual students.
“It’s all about the entire staff paying attention to each student. We take them from where they are and work with them until they get their diploma,” Dempsey said.
Kent Elementary received the Washington Achievement Award for Overall Excellence. Kent Elementary was noted for significant improvements including reading, writing, mathematics, and closing the achievement gap.
“The staff and community deserve a lot of the credit because the teachers, parents, and community have all worked together to help our students succeed. Our vision at Kent Elementary is we are all learners – students, staff, parents, community members. We are always learning, every day,” Principal Sherilyn Ulland said.
Superintendent Dr. Edward Lee Vargas added, “This is a tremendous honor for these two schools and the students, staff, parents, and community members who work so hard to make success happen each and every day with our students. On behalf of the school board, I congratulate both Kent Elementary and Kent Mountain View Academy for this incredible honor.”