Nationwide Competition : 3 Area Schools Rate Among Best in U.S.

Three San Fernando Valley-area elementary schools rank among the best in the nation, according to the U. S. Department of Education, which this week recognized 270 schools across the country for excellence.

Melvin Avenue in Reseda, Lupin Hill in Calabasas and White Oak in Westlake Village were among 210 public elementary schools and 60 private ones that were winners in the inaugural year of a nationwide competition, the department announced.

“They are among the best and the brightest in the nation,” department spokeswoman Jane Glickman said. “These schools are doing an excellent job of educating their kids.”

Melvin Avenue was the only school in the Los Angeles Unified School District to win the honor.

Lupin Hill and White Oak are part of the Las Virgenes Unified School District.

18 Schools

Fifteen public and three private schools in California were among those honored, Glickman said.

The schools were chosen from 509 nominations submitted last winter by top education officials from 49 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Defense Department’s schools for overseas dependents. New Jersey did not submit any nominations, Glickman said.

The schools had to complete a 17-page application and pass muster at the district and county level before being nominated.

A panel of 38 educators and others familiar with elementary education narrowed the nominations to 257 candidates. Another 35-person team visited each of those schools for two days in the spring.

The schools were rated in a variety of categories, ranging from their standardized-test scores to such intangibles as their level of involvement with the community and school pride, Glickman said.

Awards Ceremony

Shirley Halby, principal of Lupin Hill School, which has 320 students, said the judges may have been impressed by her school’s monthly awards ceremony recognizing citizenship and writing achievement.

Melvin Avenue School’s principal, Judy Hergesheimer, said a team approach that emphasizes cooperation among teachers, parents and administrators makes her school outstanding.

Among its 440 students, 56% are from minorities, and 21 languages are spoken at home, she said.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for all the hard work the students and the teachers have done,” she said.

Renee Lamkay, principal of the 430-student White Oak School, said the panel was probably most impressed with the school’s special-education program, which tries to integrate participants into mainstream school activities.

The winning schools’ representatives each will be presented with a flag and a certificate at an awards ceremony in Washington this fall, Glickman said.

Others Nominated

The state nominated two other schools from the Los Angeles Unified School District: the Emelita Street School in Encino and the Robert Hill Lane School in Monterey Park, Assistant Supt. Kathryn S. Lee of Region E said.

Lamkay said two other Las Virgenes district schools, Round Meadow in Calabasas and Yerba Buena in Agoura, were nominated by the state.

This was the first time the U.S. Department of Education, which has honored outstanding secondary schools for the last three years, has recognized elementary schools for excellence.

From now on, the department will honor elementary and secondary schools in alternate years, Glickman said.