Henry County HS Rewarded for Progress
Press Release
Release Date: For Immediate Release
Contact: J.D. Hardin, 770-957-5107 ext. 608, john.hardin@henry.k12.ga.us
(Release # 0024-11-13)
Henry County High School Rewarded for Progress
School notified of its removal from state “priority” designation
HENRY COUNTY, GA – There is a buzz in the air at Henry County High School these days. It is a mixture of the work being done by students and staff echoing through the halls, and it now has the added excitement of knowing their hard work has paid off.
Henry County High School was recently notified by Georgia Department of Education officials that their school was no longer on the state’s “priority school” designation list.
Dr. Cayanna Good, State Director for the Office of School Improvement with the Georgia Department of Education, shared her excitement for the school and district in a message to Henry County School Officials.
“I’m truly thrilled for everyone in Henry County,” said Good. “I am extremely proud of Mr. John and his team. I know we will continue to see great things out of HCHS.
Superintendent Dr. Ethan Hildreth also added, “The students, staff, and members of the Henry County High community have worked diligently over the past several years to accelerate success for students at the school. Their hard work has resulted in increasing graduation rates, heightened test scores, and a school culture that is focused on ensuring success for every student. We could not be more proud of their hard work.”
Henry County High School has utilized a School Improvement Grant (SIG) over the past three and a half years to help improve the academic performance of the school.
In order to be eligible for the grant, the school had to be recognized as a low performing or lowest achieving school. While not a grand distinction at the time, the school took on the challenge to remove their name from the list as soon as possible. This effort would need to make substantial changes in tangible data regarding testing results and graduation numbers as examples.
You wouldn’t recognize the same school today from where it stood three and half years ago.
In order to receive the School Improvement Grant, a self-reflection, tough-changes approach had to be implemented. Once everyone was ready to move forward, an intervention model known as a “transformation model” was selected to guide the school to the change it and the state wanted to see.
According to the application letter submitted to Department of Education Officials, the particular model chosen to change Henry County High School would “not only offer the students at HCHS an unprecedented opportunity to experience unparalleled growth and advancement as they work towards their academic goals,” but it would “also allow the staff to see significant changes in the deliverance of professional learning.” The goal was to use small learning communities as a “framework to change the culture of the school.”
Other initiatives that were a part of the transformation process included:
- Collaborative planning meetings
- Meaningful parental engagement
- On-going community involvement
- Academic learning attached to vertical learning
- Transitioning students from middle to high school
- Reading and math supports for students
- Dual enrollment opportunities for students
- Incentives for teachers and students
One of the most noticeable changes for the school involved the naming of a new principal. Scott John took the reins of the school during the transformation and quickly made a positive impression.
He made sure that every teacher bought into what they were moving towards as a school and he worked with his cluster schools to ensure that all feeder schools were on the same page.
“Our only goal was to provide our students with an education that would open the doors to their dreams instead of finding doors closed and presenting obstacles,” said John. “Henry County High School is very proud to see the past three and a half years of hard, intentional work has been worth all the effort put forth.”
John worked with district grant co-coordinators Barbara Nanney and Marian Tillotson throughout the duration of the grant to make sure that all efforts were streamlined to meet the goals set before them.
Greg Benton, Executive Officer for School Leadership over the Central Area and an integral part of the grant oversight team, also noted what the past few years have meant for the improvement of Henry County High School.
“The School Improvement Grant we received from the Georgia Department of Education was the catalyst for transforming Henry County High School from a low-achieving high school to a high-performing high school,” said Benton. “Our focus from the inception of making the application for the three-year grant was to increase student achievement and strengthen the professional learning opportunities for our faculty.”
He added, “Now that three years of time has elapsed, HCHS has realized substantial gains in student performance as evidenced by state assessments, teachers’ knowledge and skills are greatly enhanced, and the overall school climate continues to promote student and parent engagement. We are most appreciative of the ongoing support and guidance from the Georgia Department of Education and while the grant funding is no longer available, we remain steadfast to ensure HCHS remains a high-performing high school.”
This is a remarkable turnaround, no doubt, from where the high school was just over three years ago. Now the work remains focused on taking student achievement to even higher levels than those realized today.
The school will be honored by the state Department of Education at a ceremony on Tuesday, November 12, along with other schools making their way off of the “priority school” list. Henry County High School will also be recognized at the Henry County Schools Board of Education November Regular Meeting.
You can find out more about Henry County High School at www.henry.k12.ga.us/hch.
Photo 1: Dr. Ethan Hildreth addresses the faculty of Henry County High School with a word of congratulations for their hard work increasing student achievement and professional learning