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SubscribeSolution Tree, an educational publisher and professional development provider, has announced Fern Creek High School as the winner of the second annual DuFour Award.
Named in honor of Dr. Richard DuFour, the award was created to honor high-performing schools that demonstrate exceptional levels of student achievement. In a career that spanned four decades, Dr. DuFour was a teacher, principal, superintendent, and champion of the Professional Learning Communities at Work™ process. His advocacy and tireless dedication to school improvement led to the founding of the DuFour Award in 2016.
Fern Creek High School was recognized during the Summit on PLC at Work™, which took place in Phoenix, Ariz., February 22-24, 2017. During the ceremony, Solution Tree presented the school with a check for $25,000.
“Fern Creek was a finalist for the first annual DuFour Award last year,” said Solution Tree’s CEO, Jeffrey C. Jones. “Through hard work and persistence, they were able to take it to the next level and earn the top honor this year. I’m delighted to honor their commitment to continuous school improvement.”
Fern Creek’s application included an essay and short video detailing the school’s dedication to the professional learning community process, improving student learning, and advancing instructional best practices.
“Fern Creek High School’s turnaround story is grounded in our commitment and fidelity to professional learning communities,” said Principal Nathan Meyer. “The workshops and institutes led by Rick DuFour that we attended when we were first identified as a Priority School in 2010 galvanized us and strengthened our resolve to improve student learning. Rick DuFour publicly recognizing our school’s work during the past year has been an incredible honor for our entire staff. This award becomes a tangible representation of our teachers’ commitment to the three big ideas of a PLC, centered on student learning, professional collaboration, and being results driven.”
DuFour Award Committee chairman Thomas W. Many said, “Along with a litany of impressive statistics, the school has expanded access to more rigorous curriculum, disrupted inequity, and expanded opportunities for college and career readiness all while improving their ranking in the state from the 10th to the 87th percentile in academic achievement.”
Fern Creek High School has been awarded a $14,000 grant from American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards, to further theater instruction at the school. The Classroom Resource Grant was made possible by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative.
The grant will allow students in the school’s theater program to formalize learning in scenic, costume, light, sound, hair/makeup and props for design and construction.
“Technical instruction is critical to prepare students for careers in the theater,” Alexander MacPhail-Fausey, theater director and teacher at Fern Creek. “By concentrating on the connections between design and construction in all disciplines connected to production, students will be able to start building portfolios before they graduate, giving them better chances of entering a theater program in college, or pursuing a career or apprenticeship in a theater immediately out of high school.”
Fern Creek is one of only three high schools in the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District offering the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Communication and Media Arts program, which includes instrumental/vocal music and theater, among other concentrations.
With the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation’s help, the American Theatre Wing is investing in public schools to help drama teachers get more of the resources they need to provide quality drama instruction in their schools. This project is an expansion of the work that the multi-Tony Award winning composer and producer has been doing to promote and fund arts education through his Foundation in the United Kingdom.