Two schools named Distinguished

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers PROUD-Principal John Duim leads Red Oak Elementary. Brookside and Red Oak elementary schools of the Oak Park Unified School District have once again been named California Distinguished Schools, an honor given each year to the state's top public schools.

The award program was established in 1985 to give recognition and publicity to schools that excel within the California educational system.

"This is no small task," said Tony Knight, superintendent of schools. "All Oak Park schools are honored by this achievement."

Brookside and Red Oak won the award previously. Schools must wait five years before seeking the award again.

To be eligible for the award, schools must obtain certain high scores under the federal No Child Left Behind Act and the state Academic Performance Index.

Schools that meet the eligibility criteria then submit an application detailing the programs they offer and the methods they use to increase the academic performance of their students.

"The application process is very rigorous," said Jon Duim, principal of Red Oak Elementary School.

If the application receives a high enough score, the school's claim is verified by a visit from judges and a program audit by county officials and the California Department of Education.

Parent power

The principals at Red Oak and Brookside attribute the success of their schools to the experienced teachers and administrators who serve each campus, and the dedicated parents who volunteer their time.

"We are very fortunate because parents in this area make education a priority," said Debra Burgher, principal of Brookside.

According to Burgher, parents volunteered almost 50,000 hours last year at the school.

"The people here are willing to put forth the effort to make sure their kids are properly educated," Duim said.

Both schools offer myriad educational programs such as geography and spelling bees and informative career days.

The schools also offer programs that teach topics outside the three R's, such as how to take care of the environment. Students at Red Oak recently raised funds to purchase five trees for the school in celebration of Arbor Day.

"We also have a dedicated PTA that does a lot of fundraising for the school," Burgher said. "Their fundraisers have helped to pay for our librarian, physical education teachers and computer lab."

The two principals said they hope to raise student test scores even further and implement new programs that will continue to foster educational excellence.

"We will only get better as we add programs that keep us on the leading edge of education," Burgher said.

Both schools are now eligible for Blue Ribbon recognition, a nationwide honor.