Published: November 03, 2009 08:30 am      

GIS leaders to receive honor roll recognition

Grandview Intermediate School didn’t need an award for its teachers and administrators to know the school was succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

It has been rated exemplary two years in a row by Texas Education Agency. Commended scores have taken off like bottle rockets.

On the other hand, it’s always nice to have hardware for the trophy case.

Principal Kristi Rhone and assistant principal Kathrine Stewart will travel to San Antonio Monday to receive Honor Roll recognition from Texas Business and Education Coalition, which rated their campus among the top 4 percent academically performing schools in Texas.

“It specifically deals with commended performance,” Rhone said. “They looked at a three-year growth period for commended numbers. Ours have grown each year to be in the top 4 percent. Our teachers are really ecstatic. A lot of times, we tend to focus on kiddos we’re worried about, and we neglect the kiddos at the top. Our teachers have done a good job pushing them to do better and better each year. We’re expecting an increase even this year.”

From 2007-08 to 2008-09, commended numbers in third-grade math went from 33 percent to 50 percent, in fourth-grade reading from 3 percent to 44 percent, in fourth-grade writing from 43 percent to 68 percent, in fourth-grade math from 70 percent to 77 percent, in fifth-grade reading from 33 percent to 41 percent, in fifth-grade math from 64 percent to 78 percent, and in fifth-grade science from 41 percent to 51 percent. The only drop was 64 percent to 63 percent in third-grade reading.

“The state sets the commended standard,” Rhone said, “and typically, it’s missing four or fewer problems on the math test and four or less on the reading. The commended scores do not affect the exemplary status. The exemplary is the number of students who pass.”

Grandview ISD’s formula for success has changed slightly over the years. The result has remained the same.

“We look at our data. We identify [lower performing] students,” Rhone said. “The district supports us, even with our kids who can’t stay for tutorials because of transportation. They’ve given us a tutorials bus. The teachers work closely together with the curriculum. I also brag on the teachers for taking the adopted textbooks and going even farther. We don’t use just the basic curriculum. We really push the kiddos.

“We encourage parent support. We have a mentor program for students we’re concerned about. We’ve gone the extra mile to build rapport. We have somebody here, either a community member or teacher or high school student, for kids who might not care about school or it might not be important at home,

“Mentors check on their work and sometimes do outside activities with them. I think some of the kids perform better because of that rapport.”

Most communities support their schools in such endeavors as athletics. Grandview goes beyond that.

“Our local bank and local real estate agent support us in our Star Students,” Rhone said. “We pick a student out of every class, each six weeks, who has gone above and beyond academically, in citizenship or just being a friend. The bank and real estate agent provide a pizza party at the end of the semester. We give the kids a magnet they can put on their refrigerator, so their parents can praise them. The local David’s donated 40 pumpkins to our mentor program. We did pumpkin carving.”

Parents and grandparents of present students grew accustomed to such community support when they were Grandview ISD students.

“It’s amazing how many grandparents come to a lot of our functions,” Rhone said. “We want them involved. It makes our jobs tons easier.”

Grandview Intermediate is renowned nationally for its ZZ Skippers gymnastics group, directed by PE teacher Trina Griffith.

It is becoming equally acclaimed for its music program under Vicki Nichols, who gives violin lessons to each student for 20 minutes a day.

“This is Vicki’s 10th year. The students start learning to read music in second grade. Then in third through fifth grade, they all get 20 minutes of hands-on violin time. The violins are here at school. Some of the kids will take it an extra step. They might get a violin for Christmas and go for lessons on the side, but every child gets the 20 minutes. Now, that also include cello and viola. We’re also trying to upgrade and replace some of the violins this year. The kids have played at Bass Hall and the Meyerson Center.

“Five years ago, they started going to Branson [Mo.]. They try out for the 30 to 35 spots before an outside judge. We go to Branson in May and stay for three or four nights and play at various shows. Those trips have been very rewarding, an experience a lot of kids wouldn’t otherwise have. You can pinpoint five to 10 kids out of that program who go on to take private lessons and pursue music outside the violin program.”

ZZ Skippers is similar.

“It’s after school,” Rhone said. “Trina Griffith starts with them in first grade. They get to do casual jumping. Then they graduate up to a competition team. They have students all the way up to 12th grade and even outside school. They travel nationally and internationally. A couple of years ago, they went to Africa for a competition.”

At Grandview Intermediate and Elementary, it’s all part of the package.

“Everybody is interested in what everybody else is doing,” Rhone said. “Everybody has bought in.”