Wauseon Exempted Village School District was recently informed that Wauseon Middle School was one of 37 Ohio Schools designated as an Ohio High Performing School of Honor. The school is the only recipient in the four county region for 2013.
“This is the second Wauseon School Building to receive this Ohio Department of Education Recognition in as many years. When you see that WMS was the only school in the area with the next closest recipient in Maumee, you can get a sense of the magnitude of this award for our middle school. Congratulations to the Wauseon Middle School students, staff, parents and supportive community members. We enjoy celebrating successes here at Wauseon and this is a great confirmation of academic growth and progress”, Mr. Larry C. Brown, Superintendent went on to say.
High Performing Reward Schools are Title I eligible and must have a 90 percent or better average proficiency rate over a five-year period on the Ohio Achievement Assessment an Ohio Graduation Test plus meet several other criteria established by the Ohio Department of Education.
Mr. Joe Friess, Wauseon Middle School Principal, shared his thoughts by stating, “I can’t say emphatically enough how proud I am of the efforts of the students, staff, and parents of not only Wauseon Middle School, but of the entire school district. At the risk of sounding cliché, an honor of this significance is truly a team effort. I will be proud to display the banner in Wauseon Middle School, but it belongs to everyone. To be one of only 37 school buildings total and one of only 3 middle schools in the State of Ohio to qualify for this award, I proudly accept this honor on behalf of the entire community of Wauseon.
“Schools of Promise and the prestigious High Performing Schools of Honor are examples of what can happen when principals, teachers, parents and community members all believe that children can learn,” said Dr. Richard A. Ross, superintendent of public instruction. “These schools overcome challenges, sometimes significant challenges, to provide a high-quality education to Ohio children. What they have done is working and I am urging them to help other Ohio schools learn how they can overcome their challenges as well.”
By rewarding worthy schools, the Ohio Department of Education hopes to motivate schools that are not making progress, infuse more energy into those that are making gains and create exemplars for others to model.
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