The Confidence in Kansas Public Education Task Force has announced 100 Kansas schools have been named recipients of the 2024 Challenge Awards, and Garfield Elementary School in Parsons is among them.
Since its inception in 2002, more than 2,000 Challenge awards have been presented to schools across the state.
“We at Garfield are so proud of our students and staff for being named a Challenge Award winner for the third year in a row,” Garfield Elementary Principal Barney Pontious said. “This is not something that is easy to do, but our staff and students have really earned it. They have worked so hard at their jobs as educators and students that it is rewarding to see it pay off for them. “
The Challenge Awards recognize schools for outstanding achievement and uncommon accomplishments of students based on the Kansas Assessment Program (KAP) results in math and reading, especially those students of an ethnic minority group and who qualify for free and reduced-price meals. The graduation rates when calculating high school results and chronic absenteeism rates for middle and high schools are also included in the award criteria. These students are making a notable difference in their achievement despite facing significant challenges in their school population.
"I'm so proud of the work of our students and staff at Garfield. Challenge Awards have just become an annual thing there. But, looking at the data, to outperform the state average by almost 20 points in math, as well as having the highest math scores in the SEK, is just unbelievable. It's a credit to everyone's hard work!" Parsons USD 503 Assistant Superintendent Jeff Pegues said.
Both the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Quality Performance Accreditation program have as a foundation the belief that all children can learn. The purpose of this award program is to affirm that belief.
“The recipe for success here at Garfield has a number of ingredients. We start with the solid foundation built at Lincoln by our awesome early childhood team. From three-year-old Pre-K through first grade, we have a great group of teachers who strive to send us their best,” Pontious said.
“We are grateful to all of the parts of our Garfield building team as well. Our Title I staff members and Instructional Coach, Ms. Robin McCleary, do an amazing job working with students to close those gaps and get them to grade level. Our 2nd grade and special education teams also continue the work from prior years and truly achieve amazing growth. Their commitment to ensuring that our students are ready to show their stuff by 3rd grade is second to none,” Pontious continued. “When all of the groundwork is laid, our climate and culture is strong and positive, and we turn these students over to our 3rd grade team, they are truly ready to excel. They, as individual students, show that they want to be the best by owning and taking pride in their learning. With our amazingly strong 3rd grade teaching team who possess a remarkable set of skills we have a great opportunity to do well.”
“When we are supported by excellent district leadership, a supportive school board, our outstanding Garfield families, and even the Parsons community, we just have to do our part with a positive attitude and keep the momentum rolling,” he said. “ It is amazing what happens when a school, district, and community like Parsons all pull on the same rope. We show that right here, in our little community, that we have the schools and educators to prepare our students for success and that we can do it as well as any community.”
Pontious said we are so lucky to have all of the ingredients to create one of the very best learning communities in the area and even the state.
“It is an honor to represent USD 503 and our amazing team by sharing in our success and preparing our students to be successful at all of our awesome schools that are filled with great teachers, leaders, and students,” he added. “Hard work really does pay off and Vikings do it as well as anybody.”