Bay-Waveland, Picayune only school districts in state to win award

The Bay St. Louis-Waveland and Picayune school districts recently received word they are the only two school districts in the state to earn two prestigious Mississippi School Boards Association awards.

Both districts were the only ones in the state — with at least 90 percent of students on the free or reduced lunch program — to earn a letter grade of C or higher in the 2016 state Department of Education accountability ratings, and have at least one school rated a B or higher. The MSBA designation is called the Lighthouse School Leader Torch Award.

The accountability ratings — A through F — are intended to measure the progress of schools and districts from year to year.

In the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District, Bay High School and Waveland Elementary School both got an A. Bay Waveland Middle School and North Bay Elementary School earned B’s. Overall, the district received a B. The district has 93 percent of its students on the free or reduced lunch program.

“Statistically, we expect all of our children to perform well,” Superintendent Vikki Landry said.

“We are honored to receive these two respected awards and congratulate our administrators, faculty and staff for their continued hard work, professionalism and dedication that earned this recognition by the MSBA.”

In the Picayune School District, Picayune High School and South Side, South Side Lower and West Side elementary schools earned B’s. Picayune Junior High School and Nicholson and Roseland Park elementary schools received C’s. The district earned a B overall, and 100 percent of the students are on the free or reduced lunch program.

It’s the first time Picayune has earned the Lighthouse award, and a lot of work went into raising standards, said Mary Williams, the district’s curriculum director. The district brought in a consultant and implemented a computer-based program to help improve reading and math comprehension, she said.

Superintendent Dean Shaw agreed.

“Teamwork. That is the key to our success,” he said. “I’m really proud of our students, administration and the commitment they have.”

The two districts will be honored next week at the association’s annual Lighthouse Luncheon.

This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Bay-Waveland, Picayune only school districts in state to win award."