By Lynn Briggs

SMITHFIELD

During the week of May 20, Isle of Wight County Schools was recognized by multiple organizations for actions in support of the division’s mission and vision.

On May 23, Smithfield Foods released their 2018 Sustainability Report, which includes information on the Smithfield Foods Legacy Project. The Case Study: Building and Education Legacy, features the construction of the new JROTC Fieldhouse and creation of a MakerSpace lab at Smithfield High School, both funded through a $3 million donation to IWCS. The Legacy Project supports Smithfield Foods’ commitment to helping communities where their people work and live. The Sustainability Report and IWCS case study can be viewed at: https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/sustainability/report/2018/helping-communities/case-study-building-an-education-legacy.

On May 21, the article “Frameworks for Fostering the Skills Students Need for the Future” highlights the work of Isle of Wight County Schools on developing a Profile of an IWCS Graduate and identifying the skills students will develop before leaving school. The post, written by education consultant John McCarthy, commends the division for identifying observable behaviors at different grade ranges. IWCS created Focus Documents to provide a common language for various practices and concepts, such as Profile of a Graduate. Edutopia is a website published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Edutopia focuses on six core learning strategies, including comprehensive assessment, integrated studies, project-based learning, social and emotional learning, teacher development and technology integration. The article can be viewed at: https://www.edutopia.org/article/frameworks-fostering-skills-students-need-future.

The online data site, backgroundchecks.org, recently released rankings of top school districts by state. Isle of Wight County Schools was listed in the top 25 rankings (25th). An explanation on their website explains the methodology used to determine the rankings, which include: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, teacher quality, school funding, student to teacher ratio, and standardized test results. The report can be viewed at: https://backgroundchecks.org/top-school-districts-in-virginia.html.

LYNN BRIGGS is the director of community and media relations for Isle of Wight County Schools. She can be reached at 365-1611 or lbriggs@iwcs.k12.va.us.