Chapa Middle School students, supporters and administrators proudly display the banner recognizing the campus as a 2011 Texas “School to Watch.” The award was presented to the campus by the Texas Middle School Association and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. The full student body and a large gathering of community supporters gathered for the honor at the Cougars’ gym. (Photo by Jim Cullen)
by JIM CULLEN
In its fifth year as a Hays CISD campus, Chapa Middle School has received recognition as a Texas “School to Watch” by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform and the Texas Middle School Association. Principal Lisa Walls, her student body and staff, district administration officials, and a host of local supporters and friends turned out for an awards program last week that emphasized student engagement and its resulting successes.
The Schools to Watch program is designed to identify middle-grade schools that are “not only academically excellent, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable, but which also have the organizational supports to sustain their success.”
Representatives of the sponsoring organizations were on hand to congratulate the Chapa faithful and present them with the banner that proclaims their newly-awarded status. Accolades and unanimous expressions of appreciation were offered by a wide array of program participants, including members of the Chapa Cougar student team that was interviewed as part of the organization’s study of the campus.
Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Lyon called the recognition “a remarkable achievement” and told the gathering, “our entire district is proud of our team at Chapa.” Lyon noted that the honor puts the campus on “a short list of schools nationally that have demonstrated they can meet high academic expectations while preserving a commitment to healthy development and equity for students.”
He added that the strategies and best practices for which Chapa is being recognized are being shared with all the district’s middle schools “so that all of our students benefit.”
Offering thoughts from another perspective, Chapa PTA Vice-President Lisa Turk told of being asked to speak and of first listing traditional marks of excellence like test scores. Thinking beyond scores though, Turk said, she asked herself “What sets us apart?” One by one she listed what she considers the Cougars’ major points: the Chapa staff, Chapa students, their parents and the community as a whole. The audience responded enthusiastically to each.
Walls had multiple expressions of gratitude for the same groups Turk mentioned, including school namesake Armando Chapa, an ongoing inspirational and mentoring presence on the campus. Walls also thanked Donna Newman, Executive Director of Middle School Performance, who urged her – twice – to submit an application for the recognition.
Newman said of that encouragement, “I have been on the Chapa campus numerous times this year visiting with Mrs. Walls and visiting classrooms. Chapa Middle School matched “Schools to Watch” criteria in that students were challenged and the school was sensitive to student needs.” She added her admiration for and pride in Chapa staff commitment to student excellence and her observation that students were at the forefront of the school’s decision-making.
As part of the package, Chapa Middle School will be recognized at the National Schools to Watch conference in Washington, D.C., this summer. A gala featuring U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will highlight the conference, at which Walls will be giving a pair of presentations.
