By MICHAEL STRAND

Salina Journal

WACONDA -- Out of more than 1,500 public schools in the state of Kansas, just 74 were recognized this fall with the Governor's Achievement Award for their students' performance on statewide reading and math tests.

Of the 74 schools honored, four were in the Waconda School District.

Put another way, the district, which has about 0.01 percent of the state's public school students, earned 5 percent of the awards given under that program.

The award is given to schools that score in the top 5 percent on state reading and math tests, and meet other requirements, as well.

"We're pretty excited, pretty ecstatic about getting four of them," Superintendent Jeff Travis said Monday afternoon. "We've gotten three in each of the past few years, but four is something new."

While Travis was quick to credit the district's teachers and parents for the success, another contributing factor is the small class sizes in the early grades, he said.

"We start them in smaller classes, and they get a lot of one-on-one," he said.

The district has two schools, one in Glen Elder and one in Downs, for children in kindergarten through third grade, and class sizes are typically in the 10 to 12 range.

"A lot of districts close buildings when they get to that," Travis said. "But to us, it's worth it. ... We think we're getting a lot of bang for our buck right now."

Travis said a celebration was held Monday night, and he's also planning a surprise for teachers in the near future to "show how proud we are of them."

n Reporter Mike Strand can be reached at 822-1418 or by e-mail at mstrand@salina.com.

Join the Discussion:

Salina.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here. Read our full online terms of service policy.

Post a comment
Your best chance of getting your comment posted:

• No profanity
• Be civil
• Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Comment:

Poster:

Enter text seen above:

Read our full use policy.