3 Schools Finalists for State Recognition

Valley View Middle School and Royal and Santa Susana high schools have been named finalists for recognition as California Distinguished Schools, state Department of Education officials announced last week.

Schools compete for the designation through a rigorous application process that gauges excellence in a wide range of categories, including test scores, school environment and safety, curriculum and teacher qualifications.

Observers will visit the finalist schools in late March or early April.

“The chances of getting it are 99 and 9/10,” Royal High School Principal Robert LaBelle said optimistically. “It will go on our letterhead and everything else.”

Valley View Principal Janet Britz said Simi Valley middle and secondary schools this year worked hard to receive the recognition.

“‘We worked on it day and night for about two weeks straight. It was a difficult assignment, a difficult task to crank out the application,” Britz said. “But we were proud of the results, and we’re especially pleased that we’re going to be granted a visitation.”

Santa Susana Principal Patricia Hauser said the nomination in some ways brings validation to the district’s newest high school.

All of the state’s public schools are eligible to apply. Recognition alternates between secondary and elementary schools from year to year. Simi Valley High School was recognized in 1995-96.