McClave School wins national award
The small town of McClave, located in Bent County, has recently been put on the map.
McClave School, which is a Preschool-12th Grade school, was recently named a National Elementary and Secondary Education Act Distinguished School. This act was passed back in 1965 by former United States President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Many other educational acts have been passed since 1965 that have helped the National ESEA become what it is today. Since 2012, the organization names up to two schools in each state annually as National ESEA Distinguished Schools for outstanding achievements from the school’s students.
To be awarded, a school must showcase success in one of three categories.
Category 1 is exceptional student performance and academic growth for two or more consecutive years, Category 2 is closing the achievement gap between student groups for two or more consecutive years, and Category 3 is excellence in serving special populations of students.
McClave was awarded for its success in Category 1. The Preschool-8th grade portion of the school was awarded for their outstanding test scores.
Principal Maggie Pacino was very pleased with the hard work of her students and staff.
“We are extremely proud,” Pacino said. “We know our kids are just hardworking and we have an exceptionally dedicated staff that just put in year-round effort to ensure our students’ success.”
According to the letter that McClave received, The ESEA will now provide additional resources for vulnerable students and federal grants to state educational agencies to improve the quality of public elementary and secondary education.
The association makes sure that all children, especially those living in economically disadvantaged conditions, receive a high-quality education.
Pacino also wanted to give credit for the award to the school’s Superintendent Brianne Howe, who was the former principal of McClave.
“I think just for all of us and for Mrs. Brianne Howe especially, it’s just an exceptional honor for us,” Pacino said. “It’s not just our elementary staff but our entire staff preschool through 12th grade that go above and beyond every day and we just have a terrific community that really buys into our four core values of honesty, integrity, excellence, and respect.”
The school will be honored Jan. 19 and also will receive a banner for their achievements at McClave.
“The Colorado Department of Education will come down on the 19th (of January) and present that (the banner) here at the school for the kids and the administration staff,” Pacino said. “Everyone will be part of that.”
With McClave being a small town in eastern Colorado, she hopes that the school get more attention and, hopefully, attract students in the area to attend McClave.
“We certainly hope so,” Pacino said. “We know we have a great school, but I think this just shows everyone else that we are a school of excellence, and we definitely hope that that message gets out to the larger community.”
By winning the award, McClave School is now one of more than 500 schools to be named a National ESEA Distinguished School.
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