HUNTINGTON BEACH : Eader Named State Distinguished School

John H. Eader Elementary School was named a California Distinguished School last week by the state Department of Education, an award that marks it as one of the most prestigious schools in the state.

School officials flew a large white and blue California Distinguished School flag for the first time Friday.

“The kids were oohing and ahhing,” Principal Dareen Yonts said. “They were so proud. They were saying: ‘We did that. We’re the only ones in Huntington Beach to get that flag.’ ”

Eader was one of 206 schools in the state to be recognized as a distinguished school, after a visit by a state Department of Public Education team last month. Fourteen other schools in Orange County were honored.

Eader relies heavily on parent volunteers to enrich school programs, and the commitment by the parents played a role in the award, Yonts said.

Parents at Eader contribute about 25,000 hours a year. One of the things they do is check out books and then listen as youngsters discuss the stories they are reading.

The program fosters a love of reading and also gives each youngster a few minutes of one-to-one contact with an adult, “something society is finding itself less and less able to do,” Yonts said.

Parents also act as docents in a school arts program that introduces pupils to world-famous artists and their techniques.

The school places a heavy emphasis on fostering self-esteem and a feeling of self-worth among students. A variety of programs are part of that effort.

Parent volunteers have been trained in a program to help youngsters cope with problems.

“You see them moving ahead, willing to learn and be actively involved in their own learning process,” Yonts said of students who develop high self-esteem.

The school also provides a physical education specialist three days a week from school discretionary funds and a psychomotor physical education teacher for kindergartners and first graders. It has instituted a cooperative learning strategy that places a priority on how to think and work together.

Programs are also offered for youngsters with learning disabilities. Eader is the Huntington Beach City School District’s magnet school for the Gifted and Talented Education program, and about 20% of its 683 pupils are in the GATE program.