Issue link: http://frankenmuthcvb.uberflip.com/i/1513356
22 Awards, recognitions, and milestones share a unique trait. Although the fields of endeavor may be different – academics, sports, music, painting, business-building, military service, and so on – most of the respective awards and milestones originate from the same source. They originate from the hearts, commitment, and talents of those participants involved. Think about it. If all of the individuals and groups willing to work together toward a common cause suddenly gave up and quit, there would be absolutely no reason to continue handing out trophies and awards, right? The recognitions would be meaningless. This is why I believe it's a good idea to highlight the origin story behind a special award whenever possible. Usually you'll find a number of good people made it happen! And this is what I'm going to do in this article. I want to tell you about one of FSD's most recent recognitions. It's possible you may not have seen or heard about this, but if you're reading this article, it's likely you played a part in helping us earn it: Receiving Level 1 Certification from Marzano's "High Reliability Schools" Network (HRS) marks a significant first-step achievement for our district. It means FSD has made steady progress in building a strong foundation for school improvement during the last 10-12 months. Marzano's school improvement framework contains five levels, and the Level 1 Certificate demonstrates our progress in four key action areas: 1. Establishing a safe and collaborative environment. 2. Ensuring quality teaching practices are in every classroom. 3. Providing curriculum all students can access and realistically be taught within available time. 4. Using standards-referenced grading and reporting to communicate student progress and proficiency. For a school district and community already anchored in a tradition of high standards and excellence, I'm grateful to our board, staff, and our entire school family for embracing & getting on board with Marzano's continuous improvement model last summer. Not everyone would choose to make the attempt to go from "great to even better" – but this was a challenge FSD staff relished every step of the way. With our new Strategic Plan in mind during its rollout in the fall of 2022, we admired the eagle's unique ability to powerfully soar above the storms and turbulence hampering other birds below. So, we began by having our district's leadership team meet with Mario Acosta from Marzano Resources to explore how to effectively align our own Strategic Plan's action goals within the Marzano's HRS framework. "Awards, milestones, & recognitions are different - but they're often the same in a very big way" Along with every Eagle who cares about the future of our district, we welcomed the opportunity to build upon FSD's Culture of Excellence. From Great to Even Better: FSD's Triumph in Education Excellence By Grant Hegenaur