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State group lauds Rayen Early College
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Rayen Early College Middle School has been recognized for raising student achievement and improving school practices.
The Youngstown city school received the 2014 Making Middle Grades Work Middle School Improvement Award on Thursday from the High Schools That Work Ohio Network.
“It’s an organization that centers around high expectations for students and building relationships,” Principal Deborah DiFrancesco said.
Diana Rogers, executive director of the network, presented the school with a banner Thursday. She credited DiFrancesco, teachers, administrators, school board members and students.
The designation is based on the performance of the school on the 2014 MMGW teacher and student surveys administered every two years from MMGW member sites in 31 states.
Brenda Kimble, school board president, congratulated students.
“It shows you work really very hard to achieve your goals,” she said.
Richard Atkinson, school board member, said he’s sure the REC student body includes “future doctors, lawyers, teachers and great citizens.”
“And president,” DiFrancesco said.
Eighth-graders Keith Ellison and Sonya Lenoir, both 13, view the award as a point of pride.
“It’s special to me because ever since I came to this school in sixth grade, we’ve gotten this award,” Keith said. “I want to get it again this year because that will mean that we did better than the eighth-graders before us.”
Sonya said the award shows that students’ hard work is recognized and appreciated. They both said REC students are expected to be high achievers.
You can’t get behind or you’ll be lost, Keith said.
“When I was at my other school, I went at my own pace,” he said. “Now I go at the teacher’s pace.”
Sonya said REC students are expected to be more independent and rely on themselves to get things done.
“I remember when these two first got here,” DiFrancesco said. “They were like, ‘I can’t do that.’ You never hear that from them now.”