Lake Road celebrates journey to Blue Ribbon honor

Lake Road Elementary School opened its doors Tuesday morning to show the community why and how it earned the highest achievement for a school.

Lake Road earned the status of being named a National Blue Ribbon School last October. This program recognizes schools where students achieve at very high levels or that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program sets a standard of excellence for all schools striving for the highest level of achievement.

“We were ‘that school’ known for low academic achievement, poor attendance and behaviors that were out of control,” Lake Road Principal Erica Weadon said. “We wanted to be known as more than just ‘that school.’”

Weadon, who took the helm of Lake Road nine years ago, said she and her staff constructed a vision for the school and wanted to be known for more at the community, state and national levels.

While set goals are suppose to be obtainable, Weadon said her staff wanted Blue Ribbon on their goal list. Weadon said she supported this vision because she also has high expectations for the school.

“This truly has taken us nine years, but we can still even be better at what we are doing,” she said.

In 2010, Lake Road had over 400 office referrals when Weadon joined as principal.

Lake Road had to change its culture and became a Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support School (PBIS) where expectations are the same all over the building and creates a system of support.

“Now referrals are at 38 this year and 93 percent of our students have zero office referrals,” Weadon said.

Teachers at Lake Road practice positive behavior support and capturing kids hearts. This is done in all the classes, but looks a little different in each.

Teachers at Lake Road believe if they have the student’s heart, they have their mind to teach.

Fourth grade teacher Amanda Johnson has been at Lake Road though its “journey” and said one word kept coming to mind.

“Battle,” she said. “I mean that in the most positive sense. A battle is a fight to achieve something and that’s what we have set out to do.”

Johnson added all the staff at Lake Road battles for the students each day so when they walk through the front doors each morning they know they are loved and accepted.

While battles are not won by a single person, but an army, Johnson praised the leadership of Weadon for taking the school to where it is today.

“We truly would not be where we are today without her leadership,” she said. “She has high expectations for her staff and in turn we have the same high expectations in the classroom for our students.”

From a teacher’s prospective, Johnson added this journey Lake Road has been on makes her truly believe now that teamwork makes the dream work.

Pastor David Stewart and his church, First United Methodist Church, have a partnership with Lake Road and are often invited into the school.

While at a conference, Stewart said a discussion was held on how to make a difference in generational poverty.

First United Methodist Church spends an abundance amount of money each year helping people in the community make ends meet, he said.

During the conference, attendees were told the number one thing found to help make a difference in generational poverty is making a difference at the third grade reading level.

Stewart and his congregation was excited because this vision was already in place with the partnership at Lake Road.

“We are not just changing the lives of kids here, but they are changing the lives of adults and my congregation,” he said.

While on a mission trip to Puerto Rico, Stewart was accompanied by an 80-year-old retired physician from the community.

When asked what the most important thing he was doing in retirement, the physician was quick to share the work being done at Lake Road and what the students were doing for him.

“There are some amazing things that happen when you start to get involved and make a difference in kid’s lives,” Stewart said. “This not only makes a difference for them, but makes a difference in our lives as well.”

Andy Moore, who is the parent of a fourth grade student at Lake Road, has noticed a change in his daughter since the beginning of the school year.

Like a lot of parents, Moore said he would get typical one-word, vague answers from his daughter when asking about her school day.

Now, Moore’s daughter is excited to tell about the things she gets to do and shares about her day, he said.

When preparing to share with the community what his daughter loves about Lake Road, Moore said she gave him a list, but one item stood out.

“The teachers like our ideas and we get to try them,” Moore’s daughter told him.

This is why he believes the students and school are successful.

“This allows the students to feel listened to and get to control their environment,” he said.

The school was also presented a resolution from the Missouri House of Representatives honoring its Blue Ribbon designation.