Teachers at Vogt Elementary School in the Ferguson-Florissant School District say they would choose to educate their own children at their school.
“That’s the ultimate testimony that I can give,” said Doug Ahlers, a fifth-grade teacher at school, “if I’m sending my own children here.” Ahlers’ two children are Vogt alumni.
On Friday, September 13, Vogt Elementary will receive the St. Louis American Foundation’s 2013 Monsanto School of Excellence Award at the Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala, held at the America’s Center Ballroom.
Ferguson-Florissant superintendent Art McCoy Jr., Ph.D., highly recommended the school for the award.
“Under the leadership of Principal Leslie Thomas-Washington, Vogt students, staff and stakeholders exhibit excellence and equity in education every day,” said McCoy, who will receive the 2013 Stellar Performer in Education award at the Salute to Excellence in Education gala.
Thomas-Washington oversees roughly 40 teachers and staff members who she considers to be like extended family.
Vogt is a K-6 elementary school with a large, diverse student population. Last year, Vogt educated 280 students, of whom 75 percent received free or reduced lunches, 56 percent were African American and 80 percent were children of color.
Thomas-Washington has the served the district for almost eight years, starting as a reading coordinator at Walnut Grove Elementary School. Since she began her teaching career in the Webster Groves School District, she has always admired the Ferguson-Florissant School District, but even more so after serving as a leader in the district.
“There are no hidden agendas,” Thomas-Washington said of Ferguson-Florissant. “They are truly about helping students become life-long learners.”
Thomas-Washington goes out of her way to keep parents and teachers informed and engaged, stating that parents and teachers are allies working toward a common goal: student success. She meets with all teachers regularly for data team meetings, called “Vogt’s Pathway to Proficiency.”
“Data drives our instruction,” Thomas-Washington said. “We discuss where students are and where they need to be. We look at our behaviors as educators.”
She uses the progress monitoring component of the Star Benchmark Assessment to compile data. The Star Benchmark Assessment is also a useful indicator on how well students will perform on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test, she said.
When Thomas-Washington became head principal at Vogt Elementary in 2009, she said the school’s MAP scores in math, communication arts, and science were below state standards. Gradually, Vogt has achieved tremendous gains on the state assessment and achieved significant levels of proficiency in 2012.
Gains in student performance in MAP scores include: 45.9 percent increase for fifth-grade mathematics, 35.9 percent for fifth-grade communication arts and 30.7 percent for fifth-grade science. Last year, Carla Baranowski’s fifth-grade class was ranked first in the district for communication arts, math and science.
“In addition to good teaching,” Thomas-Washington said, “I attribute that to STEM.”
Thomas-Washington insists that Vogt students have a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). She said STEM education helps students evolve into critical thinkers and future competitors in the global workforce.
Last summer, teacher representatives in grades three to six enrolled in a two-week intensive STEM Teacher Quality pilot program at Washington University. Baranowski and Chris Gardner, then fifth- and sixth-grade teachers at Vogt, were two of teachers who participated.
Gardner’s passion for science education was evident as he described a past school project. His students used solar energy, a 5-gallon bucket and an accordion sun screen to cook chicken outside.
“One of the main things the sessions focused on,” Gardner said of his STEM training, “was working cooperatively and collaboratively with other educators in order to enhance what you’re doing in the classroom.”
The 2013 Salute to Excellence in Education will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, September 13 at the America’s Center Ballroom, following a reception at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $85 each/$850 table, and VIP/Corporate tickets are $1,500 table. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.stlamerican.com and click on Salute to Excellence, or call 314-533-8000.
