Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Students At Nevada High Receive Award Of Education Achievement

Seven students in the class of 1998 at Nevada High School have received the High Schools That Work Award of Educational Achievement presented by the Southern Regional Education Board (SERB) to career-bound 12th-graders who meet high standards of academic performance.

The recipients include Travis Bailey, Casey Curtis, Alisha Fielding, Rosa Garcia, Keith Hyatt, Jayson Rhodes and Ricky White.

"We are very proud of these young people," Naomi Butler, high school counselor at Nevada, said. "They have demonstrated that taking challenging courses in high school and scoring high on rigorous exams can lead to individual recognition and increased likelihood of success in the workplace and further education."

To qualify for the award, students earn four credits in vocational-technical studies and complete high-level academic courses. They also meet SERB.'s goal on the High Schools That Work assessment of reading, mathematics and science.

The High Schools That Work assessment is administered to more that 50,000 12th-graders in 22 states. It is based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), referred to as "the nations's report card."

Award recipients receive a personalized certificate and a congratulatory letter from SERB. The back of the award tells parents, employers and post secondary representatives what the young person is able to do based on his or her demonstrated performance.

"The award is a powerful way to communicate to young people that taking challenging high school courses can pay off in the future," Gene Bottoms, senior vice president of SERB and director of High Schools That Work, said. "The award is motivating career-bound students to take harder courses and to do their best on the High Schools That Work assessment."

The Southern Regional Education Board is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a multi-state compact for education. High Schools That Work is the largest whole-school improvement effort in America with more that 800 school sites in 22 states.

High Schools That Work is supported by member states and grants from organizations such as the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the BellSouth Foundation, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Novartis US Foundation.