School honored for success
Published: September 29, 2006
Mendota Elementary principal Steve Goldade said his school has experienced a barrage of positive changes: a new superintendent, million-dollar construction projects and now a federal 2006 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools Program award.
The prekindergarten-through-fourth- grade elementary in Mendota Heights last week became the first school in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan district and the third school in Dakota County to be awarded a Blue Ribbon.
The award recognizes 250 schools, public and private, across the country. The winning schools either had at least 40 percent of their students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds showing “dramatic” improvements on state tests or public schools scoring in the top 10 percent in their state. Mendota was included in the latter category.
“We’ve always known we were a quality school,” Goldade said. “But frankly, most educators aren’t concerned about awards. We care about students first and foremost.”
In a district facing declining enrollment and a growing minority population, the award signals the district is headed in the right direction, said Superintendent Jay Haugen.
“We’re all thrilled about the award,” Haugen said. “Good things are happening at all our schools. It’s a hint of great things to come.”
Of the five elementary schools in the district, however, Mendota has the fewest number of minority students. Last year’s class of 359 students was 94 percent white, according to state data. In the same year, another district elementary school had a minority population of 66 percent and two-thirds of students on free or reduced lunch.
Goldade and Haugen agreed that Mendota’s high test scores aren’t a surprise given the demographics of the student body. But they also said the curriculum alignment in the district, instituted several years ago, is making a difference for all students.
First-grade teacher Cate McDonald began teaching at Mendota 10 years ago. When the curriculum was revamped, more students learned how to read in small groups in her class. That created opportunities to work with students one-on-one with reading comprehension or any other challenges they faced, she said.
Still, the array of students from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in the classroom is more noticeable than ever at Mendota, McDonald said.
A Spanish-speaking teacher has put in extra time to work with Latino students enrolled at the school and a bilingual family offered to help other Latino families, McDonald said.
The student success and high achievement at Mendota can be credited to parental involvement, Goldade added.
“Any school will be more successful with parent involvement,” Goldade said.
Victor Smith’s son is in first grade at Mendota. He said the award confirmed his decision in choosing a public school over home-schooling or private schools.
“It makes you have confidence in the school and that school system,” Smith said. “They know they’ve got a first-rate school.”
The district spent more than $3 million from a bond referendum to renovate Mendota Elementary in the past year. There is a new library and office, and the last phase will include general improvements to the building.
Nine Minnesota schools, including St. Paul’s Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet School, received a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools Program award. Two elementary schools in Plymouth were the only other winning metro area applicants.
Since 2003, the U.S. Department of Education has handed out the Blue Ribbons in an era of high-stakes testing under the federal No Child Left Behind legislation that holds schools accountable for student success.
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