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West Boulevard school wins Hall of Fame award
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
BOARDMAN
West Boulevard Elementary is the winner of the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators’ 2011 Hall of Fame school recognition award.
“This has been a great year for West Boulevard school,” said Frank Lazzeri, superintendent, when he honored the staff and principal at the board of education meeting Monday.
At the start of the school year, a parent nominated West Boulevard for the award, said the building’s principal, Al Cervello.
“It feels wonderful” that a parent nominated the school, Cervello added.
Staff members began the paperwork required for the award in October.
“The paperwork was very tedious. It was very overwhelming at the beginning,” Cervello said. “It took quite some time, but it was well worth it.”
The process culminated with a site visit by a committee of active principals in February.
“They were looking for academic growth,” Cervello said. “They were looking to see if we were meeting the needs of all of our students.”
Last year, West Boulevard had the highest performance index of any kindergarten through fourth grade elementary school in Ohio.
The committee also looked at the activities and programs provided to benefit all students and families, such as the school’s math mentor, big brother/big sister and student snack-sack programs.
The honor “means we’re moving in the right direction,” Cervello said.
“We got recognized at the board meeting for the staff’s accomplishments,” he added. “It truly is the staff, but it is everyone working together. We call it the West Boulevard school family and, honestly, that’s exactly what it is. It’s the parents, it’s the community, it’s the students, it’s the entire staff that work together for the benefit of the students.”
West Boulevard has 485 students and 45 staff members. Seven schools in Ohio received the award.