An A+ rating is more than just a rating a school receives; it is a symbol. It is a testament to how our school can be trusted with their students, environment, staff, and teachers. However, some students don’t understand the significance of this title. Nonetheless, the work put into archiving this rating paid off in the end.
“What makes us different and stand out is our community and culture,” Principal Mr. Barnes said. This means that our school is more than just a school that is an ordinary school. The school holds value, history, and meaning.
A lengthy application process was completed to be considered for this distinction. Once it was deemed that Greenway was worthy of a site visit an eight member panel of professional educators descended on campus to evaluate our school. Observations were made of every classroom, and every group of employees at Greenway were interviewed.
This is a distinction that only 11 high schools in the entire state of Arizona were awarded.
In February, it was announced that the land of the Demons were named an Arizona Education Association A Plus high school.
Greenway celebrated by having an A Plus Spirit Week and culminated with an A Plus Assembly. Representatives of the AEA attended to officially present Principal Barnes with an official banner.
Students were elated and the crowd was loud and proud. It took on a theme of an Astronomical Achievement with glow sticks and alien props.
Even with this assembly, some students didn’t understand the significance of what a special distinction it is to be named as an A Plus school.
“Honestly, I don’t blame students for any lack of excitement over our A+ rating. I don’t think a lot of students really are aware of what went into earning this rating as a school,” Math teacher Mr. Mrozinski said. This is due to us not thinking what goes through getting us recognized by the district that we’re a good school and should be certified for the school we know we are.
Furthermore, we stood out from the other schools in our district based on our culture.
We should be appreciative of the title, but not because it’s a title to gloat about or because of the we are part of a small statistic; we should be proud because it shows that our school brings a hospitable feeling towards its students that will keep bringing a history to it.
