Thursday, January 18th, 2007
School receives state recognition
By William Kincaid
ST. HENRY - St. Henry Middle School has been recognized as an Ohio School To Watch (OSTW) - a designation bestowed on only three other schools in the state.
During a recent school board meeting, middle school Principal Julie Laipply applauded the efforts of her teachers, who helped the junior high achieve the state recognition.
OSTW is a partnership between the Ohio Department of Education and other state organizations that selected four middle schools they consider high performing.
"It's a pretty impressive honor," Laipply said. "It just shows we're on the right track."
A press release from OSTW said St. Henry Middle School has demonstrated a passion for student learning; understood and met student needs; engaged all students in a challenging curriculum with high-quality teachers; and organized itself as a community where adults are learning all the time.
OSTW also is affiliated with the National Schools to Watch Program, which means St. Henry is one of 55 schools selected for the honor nationally.
Laipply said representatives from the OSTW program came into the middle school to observe and evaluate the learning process at St. Henry. She said parents also filled out surveys, while students provided input.
"It's a community effort," she said.
