Griffith Elementary School rewarded students for unprecedented academic growth by kicking off their Friday with a schoolwide dance party.
After the state released last school year’s student achievement data, numerous Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools had positive developments to be proud of, and Griffith was no exception. In fact, not only were they among the 16 schools in the district that exceeded growth expectations last year, but they also achieved a C grade from the state for the first time ever and got off the list of low-performing schools. Principal Tiffany Krafft felt that the students deserved something special for all of the work that went into improving their end-of-year test scores and earning these impressive accolades, so the entire school was invited to put on their favorite Griffith Blue outfits and come to a massive dance party on Friday morning to read out the results and celebrate together.
“They’re the ones who put in all of this hard work,” Krafft said. “We want to make sure that they’re rewarded.”
Students were individually recognized for high scores from last year during the assembly before the party, and students who have had perfect attendance through the first few weeks of school were given a special prize – tickets to an upcoming Wake Forest University football game as part of their Stars of Honor program. These rewards tie back to a theme that educators at Griffith are trying their best to keep at the front of students’ minds – that they have the power to create their own success. Making it this far in student achievement has been a yearslong process for the school, and staff have worked tirelessly to instill good study habits, a strong work ethic, and a never-give-up attitude in their students to make it possible, as well as investing in personalized educational strategies that meet each individual scholar where they are in their academic journey. Now that it’s all starting to pay dividends, they’re feeling more encouraged than ever to succeed in the future.
“They should feel very motivated by this,” said PE Teacher Donald Lamonte. “They should feel inspired to just keep on doing better in the future.”
After having a chance to learn about their results and party with their friends, students at Griffith are definitely feeling inspired. They’re looking forward to getting more work done in the classroom and striving towards even more accolades for their school. Days like this are a reminder of how good it can feel to do their best.
“We worked hard and studied a lot all year,” said Fifth Grader Andy Adame. “It’s nice that we also get to have some fun.”