Canton Elementary Wins 2014 School Bell Award

Staff Report

Canton Elementary School STEM Academy, led by Principal Beth Long, has won the 2014 School Bell Award presented by the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals.

This distinguished honor is presented to 10 schools in Georgia each year in recognition of outstanding programs in the area of curriculum and organizational leadership.

Canton Elementary was selected for this honor based on its outstanding initiative, "Improving School Climate and Communication to Increase Engagement."

The selection committee chooses exemplary programs that show positive results and reflect significant involvement of staff, students, parents and community. The award will be presented, and the school will be formally recognized, during the Association's Fall Principals' Conference in Savannah.

The school and Long will be recognized by the Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo and the Cherokee County School Board on Wednesday, July 23.

"Congratulations to Canton Elementary School STEM Academy and the Canton community for this well-deserved recognition," said Petruzielo. "The leadership team at Canton..., along with teachers, support staff and parents, have worked hard to ensure they are providing students and families with the resources and support they need to be successful. Beth Long and her staff have enlisted community partners, pursued grants and worked tirelessly to bring great opportunities to the school and its students."

Canton Elementary serves a diverse population of learners, 89 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and 40 percent of whom need English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services.

Long collaborated with the Instructional Leadership Team, PTA and the School Advisory Council to develop plans for the initiative that would support three school goals: improve school climate, enhance communication and encourage community relations.

Components of the resulting initiative included:

• Enhanced staff development targeted at ESOL support and family engagement.
• Sending teachers to observe at Ron Clark Academy to learn innovative classroom strategies.
• Integrating additional technology into the classroom for students who did not have access at home.
• Hosting United Way Family Leadership Institute for parents to learn more about community engagement and personal and school leadership.
• Creating a Parent Resource Room and expanded the Canton Care Closet to provide materials and essentials for families in need.
• Hosting "Canton Connects" nights for families to come into the school and learn about curriculum, testing, Internet safety, STEM programs and more.
• Expanding use of translation services for parents whose native language is Spanish, and provided all emails and newsletter information in dual languages.
• Creating new school events, like a hot air balloon launch at the school and a day of rodeo-themed math events, to create excitement about learning.
• Hosting award-winning children's book author Carmen Agra-Deedy for two days to share stories with students and discuss writing and life as an immigrant.
• Hosting local community and school groups at the school, such as the YMCA board of directors, Chamber of Commerce Leadership Cherokee, ESOL endorsement classes and Title I Peer Review.
• Expanded involvement of community partners such as Oak Leaf Church, RaceTrac fuel station, Rotary Club of Canton, Soleil Book Club and Cherokee High School.

The results of the initiative have been greater community involvement, improved staff morale and increased student motivation, Long said. 

"Parents and community stakeholders have become more informed about the school's challenges, strengths, needs and successes through this initiative," she said. "The school is eager to receive results from standardized tests to determine the impact this program has had on student achievement."

Long will work with the school's Data Management and Leadership Teams to compare results of 2013 Needs Assessments and Title I survey results against those same instruments this fall to determine overall program effectiveness.

"Increasing family and community engagement, for the purpose of improving student outcomes, is a major priority at Canton ES STEM Academy," Long added. "Our goal is to continue to engage parents and business partners in meaningful and authentic ways to support student learning. We are extremely fortunate to have the outpouring of parent, community and district support to help ensure that our students have the best opportunities to reach their goals."