At the beginning of December, Springhill Lake Elementary School received one of 100 national awards for schools that achieved exceptional student performance and academic growth for two or more consecutive years and excellence in serving English learners.
“In the heart of a pandemic, they have managed to do really well,” said Jeri Erickson, membership director at the National Association of Elementary and Secondary Education Act State Program Administrators (NAESPA), the organization that administers the award. Erickson said Springhill Lake was nominated by the Maryland State Department of Education.
NAESPA’s history is attached to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, about which President Lyndon Johnson said, “full educational opportunity” should be “our first national goal.” The organization itself “is dedicated to building the capacity of education professionals to provide disadvantaged children with a high-quality education,” according to the NAESPA website.
Erickson said the school will show a video at the NAESPA convention in February. Principal Trena Wilson will also receive a banner for the school and buttons and certificates for the teachers and staff.