DEBORAH CORRAO / L’Observateur / October 2, 1999

Last week the Louisiana State Board of Education released the 1999 School Accountability Roster which ranked all of our public schools on academic performance. Some schools scored well, others not so well.I am fortunate that my granddaughter attends the highest scoring school in the River Parishes – Mimosa Park Elementary.

I asked principal Mary Lou Sumrall what had contributed to her school’s success.

“The main thing is our teachers work really hard in planning their lessons and collaborating with each other,” she said.

She also credits the teachers with developing lessons to accommodate the needs of different students and a program that’s in place to help disadvantaged students.

So much for what the school can do.

Second on her list was parental involvement with business and community involvement right behind.

You see, Mimosa Park has parents who support the school in many ways, from volunteering in classrooms and raising money for school projects, to providing their children with learning environments at home.

And Mimosa Park’s business partner, Shell Chemical in Norco, has employees who come to the school regularly to read to students and conduct science experiments.

Much has been made, positively and negatively, about the quote, “It takes a village to raise a child.”I, for one, believe it to be true.

We cannot rely on our families, or our schools, or our communities alone to educate our children. It takes a collaborative effort.Just as the teachers at Mimosa Park collaborate to meet the needs of the students in their classrooms, we must all collaborate to see that each and every student gets the rich education he deserves.

Sumrall’s goal for the year 2000 is to raise her school’s score of 118 to at least 125, designating Mimosa Park as a school of Academic Distinction.

“We’re confident it will happen,” she said. “We know we’re going to getthere.”With a little team effort, it can happen at other schools as well. So,parents and grandparents, get involved in your child’s education. Make ithappen at all of our schools.

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