Pendleton Elementary students, staff and community partner honored; school reports strong third-grade outcomes
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Summary
Pendleton Elementary presented character awards to students, recognized cafeteria manager Colleen Halter and community partner Twisters Soda Bar, and staff reported strong assessment results — presenters cited about 98% third-grade passing on state-aligned reading checks.
Pendleton Elementary took the front of Tuesday’s South Madison Community School Corporation meeting to showcase student character awards, honor staff and recognize a local business partner, and to review recent assessment results.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Hall and the board of trustees, for giving us this opportunity to show off our school," Mrs. Hagerman said as she opened the academic spotlight and introduced teachers who presented awards to students including Connor Rogers, Wyatt Chitwood, Harper Bush, Nora Richardson, Michael Plovic and McKenna Ruffer. Teachers described the students’ character traits — citizenship, fairness, trustworthiness, caring, respect and responsibility — and presented certificates to each child.
The school recognized Colleen Halter, its cafeteria manager, with an "above and beyond" award. Presenters credited Halter with daily support for students and staff, organizing veterans‑day refreshments and helping run community events. "Colleen is one of the hardest workers I know, and she always gives her all," one presenter said.
The school also announced Twisters Soda Bar as the district’s community partner for the year; staff said the local business provides event support, gift cards and discounts for teachers.
Staff presenters then reviewed the school’s assessment data. Miss Cox said the school continues to “strive to improve our iLearn scores and continue to stay well above the state average in all tested grade levels,” and other staff reviewed NWEA results used for progress monitoring. Presenters described a number of interventions and tools — UFLY flexible groupings, Exact Path individualized curriculum monitoring, and quarterly data meetings — credited with supporting growth in early grades. Speakers reported that approximately 98 percent of third‑grade students met the end‑of‑grade reading benchmark in the most recent measure.
The presentation included remarks from several teachers and students about building a positive school culture (pride walls, kindness recognition and speech activities) and thanked families and community volunteers for their support.
The board recessed for a 10‑minute break after the presentation and reconvened to continue regular business.
The spotlight segment ended with the board and attendees congratulating students, staff and the community partner; no formal board action was required for the presentations.