Juanita Elementary Makes History, Earning Four 2012 Achievement Awards

Juanita Elementary in Kirkland has become the first school ever in the Lake Washington School District to win four different categories in the Washington Achievement Awards issued annually by the state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Seven other Kirkland schools were also honored in the 2012 awards, which recognized 381 schools across the state and are based on statewide assessment data for the three previous years.

Juanita Elementary won in the overall excellence, math, science and high progress categories. Founded in 1904 and one of the oldest schools in Kirkland, Juanita Elementary is also one of the more diverse schools in the Lake Washington District, with almost half the student body Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Black.

"It's a very positive thing for us," said Dana Stairs, in her third year as the school's principal. "I'm most proud of the high progress award. That's a new award and it means we are competing. Regardless of demographics, our kids are achieving."

About 33 percent of the students at Juanita Elementary receive free meals each school day, which is a high rate for an Eastside school. Stairs said that because the school is diverse and has a fairly high percentage of kids from low-income families, some might have lower expectations for their achievement.

"Our staff doesn't believe that," she said. "It is hard. But my students work really hard and staff have high expectations for these kids. They pour their hearts and souls into this school."

Other winners among Kirkland schools:

• Lake Washington High earned two awards, in overall excellence and language arts.

• Juanita High and International Community School won awards for their extended graduation rate - Juanita for the third year in a row.

• Kirkland Middle School earned honors for overall excellence.

• Northstar Middle School, Discovery Community School, Environmental and Adventure School and Peter Kirk Elementary were recognized in science.

• International Community School earned an award in math.

Here is a press release from the Lake Washington School District announcing the winners:

Redmond, Wash. – The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the State Board of Education (SBE) have announced that 381 schools across the state will be honored with 2012 Washington Achievement Awards. The list of schools includes 20 schools in Lake Washington School District. They will receive a total of 29 awards.

Juanita Elementary School became the district’s first ever winner in four different categories (overall excellence, math, science, and high progress). All award-winning schools will be honored during a ceremony on April 30 at Kentwood High School in Covington.

“These achievement awards confirm the hard work of our students, teachers and parents,” said Dr. Traci Pierce, superintendent. “I am proud that so many of the district’s schools are being recognized in a variety of areas.”

Schools are recognized as top performers in seven categories: Overall Excellence, Language Arts, Math, Science, Extended Graduation Rate, Closing Achievement Gaps and High Progress (Title I schools only). Some schools are honored in more than one of these categories.

Nine Lake Washington schools will be recognized for overall excellence: Carson Elementary (Sammamish), Juanita Elementary (Kirkland), Mann Elementary (Redmond), Rockwell Elementary (Redmond), Rosa Parks Elementary (Redmond), Wilder Elementary (Woodinville), Kirkland Middle School (Kirkland), Eastlake High School (Sammamish) and Lake Washington High School (Kirkland). Six of these schools were recognized in 2011: Juanita Elementary, Mann Elementary, Rockwell Elementary, Rosa Parks Elementary, Eastlake High School and Lake Washington High School.

Lake Washington schools also fared well in science, with 12 schools recognized in this category. Audubon Elementary School (Redmond), Blackwell Elementary (Sammamish), Discovery Community School (Kirkland), Juanita Elementary (Kirkland), Kirk Elementary (Kirkland), Mann Elementary (Redmond), McAuliffe Elementary (Sammamish), Rockwell Elementary (Redmond), Rosa Parks Elementary (Redmond), Rush Elementary (Redmond), Environmental and Adventure School (Kirkland) and Northstar Middle School (Kirkland) all will be recognized in this category.

Four schools were honored for achievement in math: Explorer Community School (Redmond), Juanita Elementary (Kirkland), Rosa Parks Elementary (Redmond) and International Community School (Kirkland).

Juanita High School will be recognized for their extended graduation rate for the third year in a row while International Community School is being recognized in this category for their second year in a row.

Lake Washington High School is also being honored in Language Arts.

Juanita Elementary will also be recognized in the High Progress category for Title I schools. This category recognizes a school as being in the top 10 percent of Title I schools for both performance and improvement in both reading and math for three years.

Schools are selected for awards based on their statewide assessment data for the three previous years. This data is analyzed using the Achievement Index and methodology approved by both OSPI and the SBE. For more information, visit the Washington Achievement Awards section of the OSPI website.