4 Corners October 2017 4 Corners October 2017

4 Corners A Publication of Lauderdale County Schools Volume V Issue 3 October 2017 LCSD RESULTS SHOW CHALLENGES MET The 2017 state accountability results have been released and once again Lauderdale County School District is among the best in the state. Our district is unique in that we serve 12 schools in 4 dis- tinct communities. While other districts are much smaller and may only have one school, it is especially difficult for a district our size and with our challenges to continue to achieve success. This is what sets us apart when compared to others. Our “B” rating places us in the top 32% of districts within the state. This year’s accountability was especially challenging, as we were unsure of what “cut scores” would be used in the new calculation. However, as always, LCSD accepted the challenge and produced results at a high level. We have two “A” schools, Clarkdale High School (ranked in the top 6% of high schools) and West Lauderdale High School (ranked in the top 18%), eight “B” schools (Clarkdale Elementary, Clarkdale Middle, Randy Hodges, Superintendent Northeast High, Southeast Elementary, Southeast Middle, Southeast High, West Lauderdale Elementary, and West Lauderdale Middle), and two “C” schools (Northeast Elementary and Northeast Middle). I want to personally thank ALL of our teachers at ALL of our schools for your work in mak- ing this district the success it is. Our district grade is a direct reflection of the hard work of each school. We especially want to recognize the schools that improved a level: Clarkdale High School, Clarkdale Middle School, North- east High School, and Southeast Middle School. Last week I met with the LCSD Student Advisory Committee, which was comprised of students from each of our four high schools. The purpose of this meeting was to provide a safe environment to discuss the tough issues students today are forced to deal with, such as drug and alcohol abuse, negative effects of so- cial media, sex, and teen suicide, just to name a few. As a school district, we are committed to educating the whole child. In this pursuit, it is important for us to know the problems stu- dents face in order to be able to provide support and resources. Through candid conversations within a non- threatening environment, we were able to communicate there are caring adults available to assist. I want to thank Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie, our school counselors, and all who participated in this meeting. I also want to take this opportunity to ask our schools and communities to keep Alixus Hearn in your thoughts and prayers as she continues to recover from injuries sustained in a car accident on October 2. Alixus is a senior at Northeast High School.