Bates Middle School, the county’s first Performing and Visual Arts Magnet middle, has been recognized in an international feature in Edutopia, the online publication of the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
As part of the publication’s “Schools That Work” series, Bates is one of only 192 schools from around the world to be lauded by Edutopia for its exceptional approach to student success. Through its peerless resources for filmmaking, Edutopia’s profile closely examines and vividly shares Bates’ story of turnaround achievement spurred by empowering students through the arts.
“This has happened by design and it’s proof that when you put students first, success does follow,” said Principal Paul DeRoo who joined the faculty at Bates Middle School shortly after the PVA magnet program began in 2009 and became the school’s principal this year. “Delivering an arts integration curriculum has brought excitement and effectiveness to the teaching and learning process. We take this acknowledgement by Edutopia very seriously—as a way of showing other schools what can be done when an entire community invests in a school.”
Bates’ journey to greatness is chronicled on the Edutopia website. Other “Schools That Work” profiles, including how-to videos and additional instructional resources, can also be accessed on the site.
