Monday, March 19, 2018 - 10:15am By Ed Martin, Editor
Proud Liberty Middle School students unfurl 2018 Schools to Watch Banner during Friday's (March 16) recognition event.
Proud Liberty Middle School students unfurl 2018 Schools to Watch Banner during Friday's (March 16) recognition event.
Gary Feinstein/Feinsteinfotos

There were plenty of high fives at Friday’s (March 16) celebration of Liberty Middle School’s colorful ceremony celebrating its recent designation as a California “School to Watch,” a unique honor given to California’s high-performing middle schools.

Even before the ceremony officially students and Liberty School Principal Ben Luis exchanged the classic “high five” denoting the recognition of a job well done. During the event, students cheered some of their student groups who performed before the unveiling of the official “Schools to Watch” banner.

Lemoore's Liberty Middle School celebrate high fives with Principal Ben Luis during Friday's special event.
Lemoore's Liberty Middle School celebrate high fives with Principal Ben Luis during Friday's special event.
Gary Feinstein/Feinsteinfotos

Students, staff, administrators, and parents of the Lemoore Union Elementary School District – and especially Liberty Middle School – are certainly a proud bunch. The local middle school was recently named a “School to Watch” by the California Department of Education.

California State Superintendent Tom Torlakson announced last month that 22 high-performing California middle schools were recognized in the 2017-18 Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage program.

"Congratulations to these schools for doing excellent work to help students believe in themselves, set high goals, and dream big," Torlakson said. "These schools are outstanding examples of how educational innovations can keep students engaged and learning throughout a transitional time in their lives."

According to Torlakson this year’s “chosen ones” demonstrated academic excellence, social equity, and responsiveness to the needs of young adolescents.

“There are several recognition events associated with this award,” said LUESD Superintendent Cheryl Hunt. She and other school officials began their victory laps at the March 1 California Middle Grades Alliance honoring district superintendents and board presidents.

Liberty Middle School Principal Ben Luis and staff have repeatedly been honored, including at a Saturday, March 3 California League of Middle Schools Conference.

“In addition, Lemoore Middle School will be honored and recognized at the national conference in Washington, DC on June 30,” continued Hunt. I am extremely proud of the leadership, dedication, and focus of our Liberty Middle School team. They are an exceptional group of instructional leaders and truly deserve this recognition.”

Students, staff, parents, district leaders, school board members and community members and leaders were in attendance Friday, celebrating the district’s new-found recognition.

 

The 22 newly designated “Schools to Watch” schools are:

The 24 re-designated “Schools to Watch” schools are:

The Schools to Watch program is sponsored by the California Department of Education, California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) , and the California Middle Grades Alliance . To earn this designation, schools must complete an extensive application that is reviewed by middle grades experts. To retain the designation, each school is re-evaluated every three years. All the schools will be recognized in Sacramento at the California Middle Grades Alliance annual luncheon March 1, 2018. For more information about the program, please visit the CLMS High Performing Middle School Models Web page.