Oakview Middle School held a ceremony on May 25, to celebrate their recently being named a ‘School to Watch.?
Oakview was one of three middle schools in Michigan to receive the designation. The announcement was made a few weeks ago, and was reported in the May 10 edition of The Review.
The school-wide ceremony featured the Oakview Festival Singers and the Oakview Band, in addition to speeches by Lake Orion Schools Superintendent Chris Lehman, and Oakview Principal Alice Seppanen.
Students Kaitlyn Bartreau, Paul Couretas, Nathan Fedorisin and Cammie Lucas also spoke.
It was the first year that the state of Michigan participated in the Schools to Watch program, developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.
In all, 86 schools in 14 participating states were honored this year.
Thirty-nine critera were used by a review team, according to Nancy Fenton, the Co-Director of the Michigan Coalition of Essential Schools.
Fenton said the review team visited almost every classroom at Oakview, while also interviewing administrators, teachers and students. They also attended extra-curricular events.
‘Everything we saw pointed overwhelmingly towards Oakview being a ‘School to Watch,?? she said.
Oakview will receive a national award at a conference in Washington D.C. later this month.
The staff will also share a presentation on Lake Orion’s middle school program at the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals Conference in the fall.