2 Natomas Charters are Gold Ribbon Schools

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

Two charter schools in Natomas have been honored under the state’s new Gold Ribbon Schools Award Program.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on May 5 named Westlake Charter Middle and Natomas Charter among middle schools and high schools honored statewide.

The Natomas-based account for two of the 10 2015 Gold Ribbon Schools located in Sacramento County; 373 in all were recognized throughout the state.

“I’m so proud of what our school has accomplished,” Westlake Charter Middle principal Jenifer Wilhelm said. “Our teachers and staff all work very hard and collaborate to ensure the success of our students. It’s great to see our school recognized with the Gold Ribbon award, we are all very excited.”

Westlake Charter Middle School opened for the 2010-11 school year and currently serves 224 students in 6th through 8th grades. Teachers and staff celebrated the award announcement with hot fudge sundaes made from Gold Ribbon ice cream.

“It is an honor to have our incredibly dedicated staff recognized at the highest level for their commitment to our students,” Westlake Charter executive director John Eick said. “This type of success only happens through teamwork.”

The California Gold Ribbon Schools Award was created to honor schools in place of the California Distinguished Schools Program, which is on hiatus while California creates new assessment and accountability systems.

Schools applied for the award based on a model program their school has adopted that includes standards-based activities, projects, strategies, and practices that can be replicated by other local educational agencies. The new award is recognizing middle and high schools this year and elementary schools in 2016.

The Gold Ribbon awards recognize California schools that have made gains in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. These include, the California Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, California English Language Development Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards.