And the Clean Data winner is…
Q: What do you get when you cross a scorpion, the 29th element, and an unparalleled attention to detail?
A: The first-ever Clean Data Competition winners, Desert Edge Copper!
But Desert Edge Copper, led by the relentless Michelle Brown, isn’t just a school full of Excel-lovers. Oh, no. It’s much more than that. As part of their prize for winning the Clean Data Competition (along with a little something else, pictured above), the Department of Data recently visited this bastion of student achievement in order to express our congratulations in person. Here’s what transpired…
Located in in the West Valley town of Goodyear, Desert Edge was built seven years ago and has earned a rating of “Silver” from the US Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System. They were the fifth school in the world to hold that distinction and are the only school in Arizona. By building with recycled materials, collecting rainwater to replenish local aquifers and using an efficient heating and cooling system, Desert Edge Copper isn’t just a leader of the pack in data collection.
But enough about the school itself, let’s talk about the great teachers inside of that environmentally-friendly building, led by a data-friendly rock star staff: Michelle Brown, Ilene Arnsdorf, Victor Diaz, Bethany Heinzen, Colleen Anderson, Emily Compton, John Fisher, Sarah Harris, Gracielle Loree, Kathryn Rice, Rob Salazar, and Ian Stormont.
During the super-official visit from the DOD, where we were treated to special music courtesy of Curriculum Specialist Victor Diaz (pictured above hypnotizing Desert Edge CMs, a new strategy we are piloting this summer), we were able to see the incredible things going on inside DE Copper’s classrooms. As an example of the incredible things going on at the home of the Scorpions, one needs to look no further than Alicia Laura (Wayne State) and Kathryn Richardson (St. Louis University), a pair of 2008 GNO Corps Members in Colleen Anderson’s CMA group who we had a chance to speak with briefly on Tuesday.
Teaching English this fall, Ms. Laura has seen her students go from a 50% average on the diagnostic to 89% mastery on daily objectives taught in her classroom. In another inspiring display of the power of Relentless Pursuit, her collaborative member Ms. Richardson reported that 12 of 14 students got a 100% on their last quiz.
Both Ms. Laura and Ms. Richardson agreed that their student successes were greatly assisted by a fellow member of their collaborative (and fellow GNO corps member), Mr. Brody Hale (Tufts). With teachers and results like these, it’s clear to see that Desert Edge Copper is a great place to be a TFA teacher. By the way, if you have the chance to visit, make sure you check out Ms. Forcier’s awesome classroom chant, which is quite pet-friendly. We also heard rumors that a tap dance performance is in store for us during the next D.O.D. visit.
Now, before we end this post, we don’t want you to think, “Wow, Desert Edge Copper sure is great. There’s nothing we can do to win the Clean Data Competition Title now…” Because, as it just so happens, there is!
Starting July 2nd, the Department of Data is proud to sponsor the second-ever Clean Data Competition. Who will win??? Can anyone defeat Michelle Brown’s Mighty Machine??? Who will get an entire feature dedicated to their school on the Department of Data blog???
Stay tuned…
