School takes big pride in big award

The dogged efforts of its teachers to help students overcome personal challenges and achieve great things in their studies is shining a light nationally on Evergreen Elementary School.

Evergreen, part of the Bethel School District, has been named a National Title I Distinguished School. The prestigious recognition goes to a small number of schools across the United States that excel academically despite having a large percentage of low-income students.

Besides being the first Bethel school to ever receive the honor, Evergreen, which is in Spanaway, is one of only two schools in Washington that earned the designation this year.

Along with the bragging rights of being a Distinguished School comes a $25,000 award for the school and a trip to Philadephia, Pennslvania next year for a delegation from the school for formal recognition at the National Title 1 conference.

Since 1996, the National Title I Association has been singling out schools that the organization describes as ones that “demonstrate a wide array of strengths, including team approaches to teaching and learning, focused professional development opportunities for staff, individualized programs for student success, and strong partnerships between the school, parents and the community” that lead to gains in student achievement.

Principal Jaime Burnett said Evergreen’s starts with teachers’ attitude of “no excuses” for underachieving students.

“Teachers have that mindset to not give up on any student,” Burnett said.

Evergreen’s success didn’t come because teachers decided to work, but rather by working smarter, said Alex Taylor, a fifth-grade teacher.

“We were sick to death of failing and working hard at failing,” Taylor said. “And that’s what we’ve been able to change. Now we hold each other accountable.”

Taylor said teachers and administrators truly believe that everyone must be held to a certain standard in their work, so they call each other out if they see something they don’t like. They also point out the positives.

“We’re competitive in a way. Not against each other, but with each other. We want Evergreen to be the best it can be,” said Sherry Mayfarth, a fourth-grade teacher.

Another fourth-grade instructor, Bobbie Dysart, noted “we’re not really good at taking no for an answer” from students, “each other” or the administration.

Bethel superintendent Tom Seigel said Evergreen and Bethel’s Thompson Elementary School, which also produces above average test scores despite having a large percentage of low-income students, are proving “that poverty is not a limiting factor as far as getting kids to perform at very high levels. That’s because the teachers have dedicated themselves personally, not just professionally, to obtaining that goal. That’s when you have remarkable things.”

Title I emerged in 1965 from the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It provides resources to schools to help students reach state standards in reading and math. Such schools are in low-income communities which often struggle to provide a high-quality education. Using $14 billion, Title I serves 21 million students at schools nationally who are eligible for additional support.

In Washington, one-third of the public schools have Title I programs that serve a combined 350,000-plus students annually, according to the state superintendent of public instruction.