Mt. Hall Elementary Earns National Recognition Award

With a history spanning nearly 60 years, Mount Hall Elementary School is one of the landmarks in Boundary County cherished by thousands of people.

They have good reason to be proud of their little school.

For the second year in a row, Mount Hall has been awarded the Distinguished School Award from the Idaho State Board of Education.

Sixth grade students in Mr. Gause's class at Mt. Hall Elementary, which was awarded the Distinguished School Award from the Idaho State Board of Education for the second consecutive year.

The award is given to the top five percent of Idaho schools that closed the achievement gap for economically-disadvantaged students. It was created by the No Child Left Behind Act to recognize schools exceeding the Idaho Annual Yearly Progress target.

Only two other schools in the Idaho earned this recognition: Webster Elementary School in Lewiston and Trail Wind School in Boise.

Principal Angela Armstrong said that each spring students take a proficiency test that covers the areas of reading, mathematics and language arts. Fifth graders also take a test in science.

The tests are then sent to the Idaho State Office of Education, where they are scored. Armstrong was notified in September that Mount Hall had earned the recognition.

"Although we do follow the state standards, our teachers do not teach to the test," Armstrong said. "Part of our success is that teachers are involved and interested in making sure that every student is learning and making progress toward academic goals."

According to Armstrong, every morning all staff members - from the principal to the aides and volunteers - are focused on doing their jobs, which is to help kids succeed.

She said that even the school cook, Sandy Daniels, plays an important role in the students' achievement because she makes sure that every student has breakfast and lunch, which help them concentrate better during class time.

"Our staff members do a phenomenal job of helping all the students reach their potentials," said Armstrong. "Teachers here have a way of working with students so that the kids feel free to take risks in the classroom and feel good about themselves, which can only open up to learning."

Armstrong cited an example of the extra effort that teachers do to help students. Veteran teacher Dave Gause volunteers his time after school to tutor those having difficulty in math. She said she has seen students want to stay after school with him to improve their math skills.

"It's really neat to see," she beamed.

"I do think the achievement award does reflect a lot of hard work, especially considering that we have a number of students who come to us not speaking English or with very little English," said Gause.

Armstrong lauded parental involvement for a great deal of Mt. Hall's success.

"Parents play a big role in education, from supporting the school at home to volunteering at school and giving us honest feedback," she said.

Armstrong laughed when she said after all the tests are completed in spring, students are rewarded with an extra recess outside where ice cream is served.

"The kids really enjoy it and look forward to it," she added. "They even ask me when all the testing will be done because they are so excited."

Armstrong plans to hang the framed Distinguished School Award certificate in the school's main office alongside last year's certificate.

"At the end of the day, we make all our decisions based on what is best for the students," she added. "It's really refreshing to see that what is best for kids is what matters most, and that is why we do what we do."