SANTA MONICA : 2 Schools Draw Praise, Honors for Excellence
As summer vacation gets under way, students and faculty from two Santa Monica elementary schools are still basking in their distinction as winners of this year’s California Distinguished School Award.
Roosevelt and Will Rogers elementary schools were among 211 campuses honored in the 1995 school year with the award, which goes to about 4% of the state’s 5,000 elementary schools every other year. Roosevelt Principal Jerold Harris said the school will build on the award “to get students to do their personal best.”
Harris said Roosevelt stood out among the approximately 600 applicants for the award because of its innovative community programs. In addition to a student-run recycling program, which generates money to buy computer equipment, Roosevelt students bring an extra lunch to school each Thursday to donate to the homeless.
Will Rogers Principal Juli Di Chiro said the award validates the work of the school’s teachers, students and parents. She attributes Will Rogers’ success to a strong literacy program that has dramatically increased the reading levels of students.
Both schools officially received their awards at a California Department of Education ceremony in Anaheim last month.
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