SAN ANGELO, Texas — The San Angelo Independent School District announced Tuesday the selection of seven SAISD campuses as Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools for the 2022-2023 school year.
Alta Loma, Austin, Bradford, Fannin, Goliad and Holiman elementary schools and Lincoln Middle School were chosen for the national honor. This is the first year Austin and Lincoln have received the recognition.
The award recognizes campuses that go above and beyond in building a safe and welcoming environment where students are relationally connected and eager to learn. Schools are selected annually by the Flippen Group through a process that includes measuring key performance indicators, gathering campus data and surveying staff and students.
SAISD commended the leadership of the campuses selected for the honor including principals Lauri Herndon (Alta Loma), Brooke Kalnbach (Austin), Berta Carrasco (Bradford), Dana Felts (Fannin), Shannon Klepac (Goliad), Stacy Fischer (Holiman) and Joe Gandar (Lincoln).
“This is a huge recognition for Lincoln Middle School! Our mission is to love, encourage, and empower our students, and each other; and that is what Capturing Kids’ Hearts is all about,” Lincoln Middle School Principal, Joe Gandar, said in an SAISD release. “A quote that stood out to me from Capturing Kids’ Hearts is, ‘When you have a kid's heart, you have their mind.’ That is so true. True learning happens when teachers truly love and care for their students, and my staff does just that. It’s such a great feeling for our school to get recognized for that. I’m proud to be the principal of Lincoln Middle School, and I’m proud of the adults that have committed to love our kids with me.”
“We are thrilled to be recognized as a National Showcase school for Capturing Kids’ Hearts,” Austin Elementary Principal, Brooke Kalnbach, said. “We strive to empower our students to learn and lead and CKH gives us the tools to build strong relationships so that we can help students accomplish their goals. Our staff is purposeful in connecting with and affirming students. They work hard to support the social emotional needs of our students so that academic growth can occur. I’m thankful to be on a team of adults who are champions for children.”
Through experiential training, expert coaching, an social-emotional learning curriculum for students, and personalized support, Capturing Kids' Hearts® equips professionals in K-12 education to implement transformational processes focused on social-emotional wellbeing, relationship-driven campus culture and student connectedness.
Capturing Kids’ Hearts campuses across the country were considered by the Flippen Group for the National Showcase School award based on criteria including survey and performance data from students, staff, teachers and administrators, data demonstrating that Capturing Kids’ Hearts has made a significant improvement in attendance, discipline, climate/culture or academics, as well as positive campus culture and climate.
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