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Town Elementary praised for test-score gains, attendance push and volunteer efforts
Summary
At the Dec. 15 Letcher County Board meeting, Town Elementary staff reported notable academic gains (described in the meeting as a "blue" rating), rising attendance goals and large volunteer and community-support efforts including 185 Thanksgiving dinners distributed to families.
Vanessa, speaking for Town Elementary, told the Letcher County Board of Education that the school has seen substantial academic growth and improved ratings, saying, "we are now the first blue rated or elementary or middle school in the county." She said the elementary also moved from the red category to the yellow category and reported the school holds the highest elementary scores in the county.
Vanessa described ongoing work to raise attendance, including use of academic interventionists and PRI supports, daily check-ins with chronically absent students and home visits. She said the school had raised its attendance goal to 93 percent and reported strong winter MAP growth despite weather-related testing delays.
The principal described cultural changes tied to a newly introduced house system — with staff attending Ron Clark Academy trainings — which she said increased student engagement and produced a loud house pep rally. She also highlighted extracurricular achievements: the middle-school academic team took first place in the county, the elementary team placed second, the robotics team visited Raymond Bay for a cave-exploration project, and sports teams reported improved results.
Vanessa said volunteers contributed 6,316 hours last year across 82 volunteers and 22 events, citing that the volunteer partnership helped expand student leadership opportunities. She added the school's coordinator provided Thanksgiving dinners to 185 families and that 166 students were participating in related programs this year.
Board members responded with praise, thanking Vanessa and recognizing staff and students for their work and the positive school culture. The board's acknowledgement concluded with no formal action beyond the recognition.
