The California School Board Assn. has chosen the Culver City Unified School District for the Golden Bell Award in the Community Schools through Partnerships and Collaboration category.
The reason:
Its exemplary, innovative program “Whole Child, Whole Community” Initiative.
School Board member Kelly Kent spearheaded application for the award, which recognizes the vision and leadership of President Steve Levin and the rest of the Board, Kathy Paspalis, Sue Robins, Anne Allaire and Dr. Kent.
Supt. Josh Arnold said the statewide educational honor underscores the School District’s commitment to making sure all students have the support and resources to succeed both in and out of the classroom.
“A student who is hungry won’t be successful in the classroom,” Dr. Arnold said.
“A student who is being bullied won’t be successful in the classroom.
“We recognize that it takes more than great teachers and a rigorous curriculum to make students successful. We are focused on addressing everything that goes into making our students prepared to succeed.”
The School Board was cited for creating outstanding programs, partnerships, and governance practices to better the lives and outcomes of students.
The District competed against school boards in school districts and county offices of education throughout California.
The Golden Bell reflects “the depth and breadth of education programs and governance decisions supporting these programs that are necessary to address students’ changing needs,” Dr. Arnold said.
The Whole Child, Whole Community effort includes a wide array of programs aimed at addressing the needs of students outside the classroom.
Critically, it is intended to assure that they arrive at school ready to learn.
Among those programs are the creation and implementation of the District’s Culver City Compact, in which the city, local businesses, higher education institutions and others agree to work collaboratively to give every student the tools necessary to attend college; and the Backpacks for Kids program, a PTA program in which volunteers provide backpacks filled with food for at-risk students to take home over the weekend.
In addition to receiving a Golden Bell, the School District will receive a $1,000 sponsorship award for the exemplary Community Schools through Partnerships and Collaboration program, sponsored by the Industry Leader Business Affiliates.
This award will be presented to Culver City on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the annual Golden Bell Awards Luncheon in San Francisco.
“Your staff and board members are to be commended for providing a program that promotes the importance of preparing students to succeed and for providing them with more opportunities for a brighter future,” said Lisa Hutson, coordinator of the Golden Bell Awards.
Mr. Maleman may be contacted at gmaleman@aol.com
