Another Grissom Award to a school system we’ve recognized

I wrote earlier about the Grissom Award that Dr. Dewey Hensley just won. This year, there actually were two Grissoms awarded and the second one also went to a group we’ve talked about.

Not long ago, the Franklin-Simpson High School caught our attention when they boldly decided to really make their high school diploma mean something. They did that by requiring every one of their current senior class either to achieve acceptable scores on the ACT college entrance test or to meet recognized occupational skills test and certification requirements that show the student really is ready for a quality, non-college career.

In other words, the graduates really will have evidence they are college or career ready. It was a gutsy move, but it was the right thing to do.

What makes this even more remarkable is that a few years ago Franklin-Simpson was identified as one of Kentucky’s Persistently Low-Achieving Schools, a bottom five percent performer. But, instead of going into denial, the staff at Franklin-Simpson dug in to change things – and, Oh! Boy! have they done that!

In the 2013 Unbridled Learning accountability system, Franklin-Simpson wound up as a “Distinguished” school ranking in the top three percent of all high schools in Kentucky!

Franklin-Simpson High Staff with Grissom Award

So, hats off to both Principal Tim Schlosser and his school’s Student Support Team! For your courage and your school’s Cinderella turn-around, your Grissom Award is richly deserved!