Mercer School receives state award

MADISON, Wis. — The Mercer School is one of 167 across the state to be honored with a Wisconsin Title I School of Recognition award today in Madison, through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

School board members Kelly Kohegyi and Deanna Pierpont traveled to the state capital to receive the award from state superintendent of public instruction Tony Evers.

Award recipients were classified into three sections, including “high achieving schools,” “high progress schools” and “beating the odds schools.”

All of the awards winners receive federal Title I funding to provide services to high numbers or high percentages of economically disadvantaged children. Schools also had to meet the state’s test participation, attendance and drop-out goals.

It is the sixth consecutive year Mercer was included on the list and was classified as a “beating the odds school” this year.

According to Pierpont, she and Kohegyi have attended the ceremony before. It also includes workshops for attendees.

“In the past, we loved them,” Pierpont said. “We were able to learn a lot while we were there.”

Other schools in the area on the list include Bayfield Elementary, Drummond Elementary for the second consecutive year, Mellen Elementary, South Shore Elementary for the seventh consecutive year, Lake Superior Intermediate School in Ashland for the third consecutive year and the Marengo Valley in Ashland for the 11th consecutive year. All of the schools were classified as “beating the odds.”

South Shore Junior-Senior High School was classified as a “high achieving school” for the 10th consecutive year.

For Pierpont, the award is “very special.

“(District administrator) Erik Torkelson has worked very hard, and the teachers are just amazing,” Pierpont said. “The teachers are busy with testing, so Kelly and I are going down to receive the award, and we are very honored to do so.”

For more information, or to see the full list of award recipients, visit dpi.wi.gov.