Council Lumberjack’s One Goal: To be the Best Small School in the State of Idaho!
At Council School District we have one goal, and that is to be the best small school in the state of Idaho. We talk about that goal with the students, we talk about it at staff meetings and I’ve talked about it at School Board Meetings. Everyone agrees that being the best is a great goal, but what does that mean for Council School District and how do we get there? According to the State of Idaho, school ranking is done by test scores, so if a school gets the top score on the ISAT Test they are considered the best school. But that is just part of the overall picture. It is the preparation to get to the test, the climb to the top that is important
Much like winning a state championship in football or any other sport, it doesn’t just happen because you want to win a state championship. It takes a lot of hard work, lifting weights, off season conditioning, studying playbooks, team chemistry, great leadership, good equipment and support from parents and the community to make it happen. Everyone must have the same level of commitment to achieving this lofty goal to make it happen.
To win an academic state “championship” requires the same level of commitment. In my experience working with top performing schools who were consistently ranked in the top 10 of the state each year, I noticed they all follow the same winning game plan, and the same blueprint to achieving success. We will adjust it to fit the Lumberjack Way!
But for me, being the best small school in the state is striving to be the best in all aspects of a school. Not only do I want to see high test scores, I also want to see our students playing for championships in sports, and winning contests in FFA, FCCLA and other extra-curricular activities. If we want to be the best small school in the state, it is going to take a team effort from all of us, but I know in my heart that we can get back on top, which is right where Lumberjack Nation should be and will be!
Clete Edmunson, Superintendent and Lumberjack Class of 1984