Four Mississippi High Schools Ranked Nationally in U.S. News Best High Schools Report
by Apr 26, 2013
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: April 26, 2013
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR, Director of CommunicationsJACKSON, Miss. – U.S. News & World Report recognized 77 Mississippi schools in its 2013 Best High Schools report, four of them received national silver medals for academic performance. The four Mississippi schools earning silver status include:
- Pass Christian High School in the Pass Christian Public School District
- Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, which is part of the Lamar County School District
- Petal High School in the Petal School District
- Pelahatchie Attendance Center in the Rankin County School District.
Six other schools earned a national bronze medal:
- Amite County High School in the Amite County School District
- Bassfield High School in the Jefferson Davis County School District
- Bay Springs High School in the West Jasper School District
- Belmont School in Tishomingo County Schools
- Biggersville High School in Alcorn School District
- Blue Mountain High School in South Tippah School District
“The Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi Board of Education congratulate these schools on this prominent recognition. We know a lot of hard work takes place in classrooms across our state, and this national honor validates the commitment of the communities, teachers, students and administrators who are responsible for their success,” said Dr. Lynn House, interim state superintendent of education.
According to a U.S. News release on the results, the online magazine worked with the American Institutes for Research, a D.C.-based organization, to evaluate schools on overall student performance on state-mandated assessments, as well as how effectively schools educated their black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. Performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams was then used to determine the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work.
U.S. News collected data on more than 21,000 public high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia. Nebraska did not report enough data to be included. The comprehensive rankings methodology is based on the key principles that a great high school must serve all of its students well, not just those who are college-bound, and that it must be able to produce measurable academic outcomes to show the school is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators.
Schools were ranked within each state, as well as on a national stage, so families can see how their public high school stacked up against rivals within the community and across the country. In the national rankings, 500 schools earned gold medals, 1,790 were awarded silver and 2,515 took home bronze.
To see a list of the best high schools in Mississippi, according to the report, visit U.S. News 2013 Best High Schools rankings.
BASSFIELD — Essence Walker loves sports.Softball. Track. Cheerleading. The Bassfield High senior did it all.
But where she really stood out was on the basketball court.
In fact, the now-6-foot-2 Essence was expected to be a cornerstone on the Lady Yellowjackets basketball team — the same team that advanced to the Class 2A State Tournament last season and got to the South State semifinals last month.
“She was the inside girl,” Bassfield head coach Sylvia Hall said. “We were expecting Essence to be a big part of our team.”
Read the full article here...
JACKSON - Bassfield will try to accomplish something today that hasn’t been done in this state since the early 1990s. When the Yellowjackets take the floor at 8:30 p.m. today, they’ll have a chance to win a boys basketball state championship in the same school year as the football team. The last time it happened, Philadelphia pulled it off in 1992-93. South Pike turned the trick in 1989-90, and it was never done before that under the current MHSAA playoff format. Bassfield (24-5) will have to get through Baldwyn (29-3) tonight, however, in order to join such rare company.
Senior point guard Trayrell Wright said joining his school’s football team as kings of Class 2A in their respective sport is something that’s very much on the Yellowjackets’ mind. “You could say that,” Wright said with a laugh. “Everybody doubts the basketball team. It’s driven us a lot.” Something else the Yellowjackets are using as motivation is the possibility of becoming the first Bassfield team in history to win a basketball championship. And doing it on their first try would simply be the icing on the cake. “It would mean a lot to be the first,” Wright said. “We know what’s about to happen. We’ve just got to come and play hard. At the same time, we’re just playing, trying to take it one game at a time.” Wright and his teammates are trying not to get ahead of themselves this season after the way last year ended for the Yellowjackets. In the South State semifinals, Bassfield fell to Williams-Sullivan in overtime 59-52.
Following last week’s State Tournament win over Coahoma AHS, head coach Charlie James cited last year’s season-ending loss as another source of motivation. “We came so close last year,” he said. “That bitter taste has been in our mouths all year. We were hungry to get to this point. You wouldn’t believe some of the games we’ve been in (this year), some of the teams that have put our backs against the wall. “But they found a way to get it done. When I didn’t have an answer, they found a way to get it done.” One of the most valuable pieces of the puzzle has been senior center Ron Logan. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder provides an inside presence not many 2A teams can match up with, and is one of the more athletic and agile big men in the state. Logan is the team’s third-leading scorer at 12.3 points per game, and the leading rebounder at 5.8 boards per contest. Logan said the formula for capturing the title today is simple. “We just need to play our style of game, play defense, and we’ll get there,” he said. “Even though it’s our first time, I think we can pull it off. It feels good. All the hard work we put in during the regular season is paying off.” James said he got a chance to scout Baldwyn in its State Tournament semifinal contest against Williams-Sullivan. “Baldwyn is an outstanding team,” he said. “They have some players, but I think we have some also. So we’ll just see what happens.”
Welcome back everyone! Here is the district lesson plan template for you to utilize to write your lesson plans. Remember effective instruction begins day one, August 6, 2012.
Ms. Harrien, Academic Specialist
