PSD Board of Education Recognized
PSD Board wins National Magna Award
Alexandria, Va. (March 18, 2009) – Poudre School District in Fort Collins, Colo., has been selected from a field of more than 300 nominees as a first place winner in the American School Board Journal’s 15th annual Magna Awards program.
The PSD Board of Education will be honored in early April at the National School Boards Association's annual conference for winning the organization's highest award--the Magna Award, which recognizes districts nationwide for outstanding programs that advance student learning and encourage community involvement in schools.
To learn more about the PSD Board's use of Expert Panels in development of 21st century skills for students, access links here.
The district is being recognized in the over 20,000 enrollment category for its use of expert panels to engage the community in creating a blueprint for the successful education of students. About 75 individuals served on the five panels, attending two dialogue meetings and giving testimony at two-hour sessions. Panel members included parents, students, university and community college officials, and representatives of government, businesses, service clubs, interfaith groups, and character education. Teachers, curriculum specialists, and administrators also participated. By engaging expert panels, the board ensured the policies reflect the values and knowledge of the community.
Indiana’s Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation, Oregon’s Springfield Public Schools, and Washington’s Bridgeport School District earned grand prize honors in this year’s contest, which is presented with the support of Sodexo School Services. All of the winning districts will be recognized at the NSBA annual conference in April in San Diego.
This year’s three grand prize, 15 first place, and 15 honorable mention winners were selected based on three enrollment categories: less than 5,000 students, 5,000 to 20,000, and 20,000 and above.
“As schools face unprecedented challenges in today’s difficult economy, the Magna Awards are an opportunity to showcase innovation and the bold steps taken by districts every day,” said Marilee Rist, ASBJ’s publisher and associate executive director of the National School Boards Association (NSBA). “This year’s entries reflect the hard work of school boards, superintendents, and staff who strive to meet changing community needs in creative and innovative ways.”
Lorna Donatone, president of Sodexo School Services, said, "Sodexo is proud to support the Magna Awards because they celebrate partnerships that encourage fresh approaches to education. This year's winners inspire others by showing us how school boards and communities can innovate and persevere to advance student learning."
American School Board Journal initiated the Magna Awards in 1995 to recognize school boards for taking bold and innovative steps to improve their educational programs. An independent panel of school board members, administrators, and other educators selected winners from more than 340 submissions. This year’s applicants came from more than 45 states; districts in 22 states were winners or honorable mention recipients.
The 2009 winners are highlighted in a special supplement to the April issue of ASBJ and will be formally recognized on Monday, April 6, at the School Leaders Luncheon at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, Calif. The luncheon is part of NSBA’s 69th annual conference scheduled for April 4-7 in San Diego.
American School Board Journal (www.asbj.com) is the award-winning, editorially independent education magazine of NSBA. Founded in 1891, ASBJ covers a broad range of topics pertinent to school governance and management, policy making, student achievement, and the art of school leadership. In addition, regular departments cover education news and trends, school law, research, communications, governance, and school finance issues.
Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com) is a leading integrated facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. Sodexo serves more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, government, and remote sites. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., is a member of Sodexo Group, and funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.sodexofoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger in America.
Magna Awards website: www.asbj.com/magna
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