INSIDE OUR SCHOOLS
(Top) South Pasadena Middle School. (Bottom) Foothills Middle School (Photos – spusd.net, ausd.net)
The U.S. Department of Education has recognized the academic excellence of South Pasadena Middle School (South Pasadena Unified School District) and the Foothills Middle School (Arcadia Unified School District) as “Exemplary High Performing Schools”.
By Jerry Friedman
The category of ‘high-performing school’ is based on the results of state and national assessment tests. The award “affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content.”
There are about 135,000 schools eligible in the Blue Ribbon Program, but only 420 can be nominated each year. For 2022, only 297 made the cut.
Dr. Benjamin Acker has been the principal of the 629 students at Foothills Middle School in Arcadia since 2014. He believes “that it is our responsibility to set high standards for achievement and to support our students in meeting and exceeding those standards.” The entire organization is honored by the National Blue Ribbon School flag and it will fly there as a “widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.”
Ms. Cheryl Busick became principal at South Pasadena Middle School (1146 students) just 2 years ago, but she is no stranger to Blue Ribbon Awards. She was the principal of Arroyo Vista Elementary when it became a Blue Ribbon school in 2019. Busick has an extensive list of professional achievements and advocates for “continuous improvement in students learning” – Clearly South Pasadena has a successful program!
The National awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 3rd and Friday, November 4th in Washington DC.
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