December 09, 2008
FORSYTH COUNTY - Three Forsyth County schools – Sharon Elementary School, Otwell Middle School and South Forsyth High School – have been named 2008 Georgia Schools of Excellence. Additionally, Otwell is one of only two middle schools in the state selected.
There are only 26 Schools of Excellence chosen each year and they are honored in two categories: Top 10 percent – schools that are in the top 10 percent of schools in Georgia as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics; Greatest Gains – schools that demonstrated greatest continuous gains in student achievement for the past three years as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics.
The principals at the three local winning schools were thrilled to be chosen for this prestigious award.
"It takes a true collaborative effort to earn this level of distinction," said Sharon Principal Amy Bartlett. "I commend our students, staff, parents, and community members for their dedication, commitment and hard work. We are honored to be recognized for this extraordinary achievement."
"My initial reaction to the news was an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment on behalf of the teachers," added Otwell Principal Steve Miller.
"I am so very fortunate to be part of this incredible group of professionals that go above and beyond each and everyday for kids. At Otwell we talk about how 'The Possibilities are Endless' for our students. At the beginning of this school year I added 'Every child, Everyday, no excuses' to our tag line. The teachers have worked tirelessly for gains in the double digits in Language Arts and, in a year when many middle schools experienced a dip in math scores, Otwell's scores rose once again. The teachers are truly focusing on every child, everyday. Thanks to the teachers for their hard work and dedication to our students and thank you to our students for putting forth your best efforts in school - we are extremely proud."
South Forsyth High Principal Jason Branch expressed similar feelings.
"It has been a tremendous week for the South Forsyth High School Family. Earlier in the week our students and staff were recognized as a Silver Award Winner by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement and today we have been named a 2008 School of Excellence," he said. "It is a pleasure to be part of such an outstanding learning environment and these awards are a testament to the hard work and dedication put forth daily by our students, staff, and community. At South we strive for excellence in everything we do and these awards recognize and reward those efforts. We are very proud of our kids."
Superintendent L.C. (Buster) Evans praised all the award-winning schools.
"Being named a Georgia School of Excellence is by far one of the greatest accomplishment a school in Georgia can attain," he said. "I am extremely proud of the work being done at Sharon, Otwell and South Forsyth HS, along with all of our Forsyth County schools. I think it says much about our school system as a whole that three out of 26 Georgia Schools of Excellence from across the state are right here."
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