Lee Erwin Reporting
lerwin@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Hundreds of students along with faculty and staff filled the gymnasium at Hazelwood Elementary School Thursday morning to welcome a very special guest and to celebrate a very special achievement.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam was at the school as part of the announcement of the state’s Reward Schools for 2013-2014. Reward schools in Tennessee are those that are in the top five percent for academic achievement and the top five percent of schools in annual growth.
Just about all of the youngsters carried signs saying things like “Hazelwood is Awesome” and yelled the school’s name as they entered the gym walking between two rows of teachers and staff before enjoying the Governor’s visit, which was a surprise to students and most staff members.
State Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman joined Haslam in recognizing Hazelwood and all of the 168 schools across the state. The Governor talked about Hazelwood and the Reward Schools program. “We’re here because we can’t be at every school all over the state, but we want to recognize those schools that are really doing extraordinary work,” Haslam said.
Haslam added that there’s a lot of discussion about education in the state today. “There’s better teaching going on in Tennessee right now than I think has ever happened,” he said. “It’s really fun to be here rewarding one of those schools that have shown those results.”
This year’s list recognizes 67 schools for overall academic achievement and 84 schools for annual value-added growth. The list also names 17 schools that earned both designations which included Hazelwood Elementary. A banner with the school’s name as a Reward School was unveiled in the gym by one of the students.
Hazelwood Principal, Jessica Harris, spoke to the students and staff assembled in the gym. “It is all about teaching every child every day. That is exactly how we got to this place and I could not be more proud than in am at this very moment,” she said.