A Don Eichhorn Award Winning Middle School 2005-2006
Students and staff of the Seneca Valley Middle School have cause for celebration.
The group was notified earlier this year that they are among an elite group of schools in the state to be named a Don Eichhorn Award Winner. This prestigious award, named after the founding father of the middle school concept, was given this year to only three schools in the Commonwealth. Awarded by the Pennsylvania Middle School Association, the Seneca Valley Middle School is the only school in the western part of the state to be recognized. Considering there are 501 school districts in Pennsylvania, and nearly 1,000 secondary schools, this is high praise for an outstanding program right here in Seneca Valley! The award honors outstanding Pennsylvania middle schools based on 14 essential educational elements that middle school experts agree make a successful learning environment:
- Educators who value workingwith this age group and are prepared to do so
- Courageous, collaborative leadership
- A shared vision that guides decisions
- An inviting, supportive, and safe environment
- High expectations for every member of the learning community
- Students and teachers engaged in active learning
- An adult advocate for every student
- School-initiated family and community partnerships
- Curriculum that is relevant, challenging, inte- grative, and exploratory
- Multiple learning and teaching approaches that respond to
their diversity- Assessment and evaluation programs that promote quality
learning- Organizational structures that support meaningful relationships and learning
- School-wide efforts andpolicies that foster health, wellness, and safety
- Multifaceted guidance and support service
These tenets are part of the Pennsylvania Middle School Association’s “This We Believe – Successful Schools for Young Adolescents,” a position paper of National Middle School Association.
