Two Waynesboro schools earn state education honors

Waynesboro’s Berkeley Glenn Elementary was one of only 86 Virginia schools to receive a 2012 Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence on Thursday from Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Joining Berkeley Glenn among Waynesboro schools being honored was Westwood Hills Elementary. Westwood earned a 2012 Board of Education Excellence Award. It was one of 188 schools in Virginia earning that distinction.

In addition, Fort Defiance High School in Augusta County received the 2012 Board of Education Competence to Excellence Award.

Berkeley Glenn’s award recognizes a school meeting all state and federal achievement benchmarks for two consecutive years and achieving excellence goals including those for elementary reading and enrollment in Algebra I by the eighth grade.

Berkeley Glenn Principal Sharon Tooley said the award “reflects our staff, parents and kids at Berkeley Glenn. It is well deserved for these people because they are such dedicated educators.”

Tooley said Berkeley Glenn’s reading scores have increased annually because of a focus on reading.

She said an instructional coach and reading specialist work on small group reading with five students at a time. In addition to students reading 90 minutes a day, Tooley said there are reading activities outside of school.

Westwood Hills Principal Renae Deffenbaugh said her school spends a lot of time looking at the strengths and weaknesses of individual students so that instruction can be tailored to individual needs.

“It is very hard work but very rewarding,” she said.

While recognition is nice, Deffenbaugh said it is a new year with new challenges.

“We will work very hard to move students as far as they can go,” she said.

Waynesboro schools Superintendent Robin Crowder said the awards for Waynesboro schools reflect “teachers and administrators working hard to increase reading and math scores.”

Crowder said the school district’s instructional program is tweaked annually.

The superintendent said he also believes the presence of a new pre-kindergarten center at the Wayne Hills Center would help with continued growth of the instructional program.