Five Roanoke County Schools Earn Governor’s Award For Educational Excellence
Five schools in Roanoke County have earned the prestigious 2009 Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. Those schools are:
- Bent Mountain Elementary
- Cave Spring Elementary
- Glenvar Elementary
- Green Valley Elementary
- Hidden Valley High School (repeat winner)
To qualify for the Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence, schools and school divisions must meet all state and federal achievement benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and achieve Governor Kaine’s goals for elementary reading; enrollment in Algebra I by grade 8; enrollment in college-level courses; attainment of advanced diplomas; increased attainment of career and industry certifications; and participation, if eligible, in the Virginia Preschool Initiative. Schools and school divisions also earn bonus points for other performance measures, including the Governor’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Scorecard.
In all, 162 Virginia public schools earned the 2009 Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence. The award is the highest honor under the Virginia Index of Performance (VIP) incentive program created by the Board of Education to advance Governor Kaine’s “competence to excellence” agenda to encourage advanced learning and achievement in the Commonwealth’s public schools. Last year, 89 schools received the award, including four schools in Roanoke County.
“The fact that nearly twice as many schools met or exceeded the rigorous criteria for the award this year speaks to the progress Virginia’s public schools are making,” Governor Kaine said. “It also speaks to the wisdom of the Commonwealth’s approach of including in its accountability program incentives for schools to exceed minimum expectations for student achievement.”
“I’m so proud of the accomplishments of all our schools and our staff and students,” said Roanoke County Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Lange. “We work hard to maintain high academic standards in Roanoke County,” Lange said.
Each school earning a Governor’s Award for Educational Excellence will receive a display banner and a signed resolution of commendation from Governor Kaine.
In addition, the Roanoke County Public School division and 13 schools in Roanoke County were awarded the Board of Education Excellence Award. These schools also have met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and have made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunities set by Governor Kaine and the board.
Those schools are:
- Back Creek Elementary
- Bonsack Elementary
- Burlington Elementary
- Cave Spring High
- Cave Spring Middle
- Clearbrook Elementary
- Fort Lewis Elementary
- Glen Cove Elementary
- Hidden Valley Middle
- Mount Pleasant Elementary
- Mountain View Elementary
- Oak Grove Elementary
- Penn Forest Elementary
Further, seven schools in Roanoke County received the Board of Education Competence to Excellence Award for having met all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and are making progress toward the goals of the governor and the board.
Those schools are:
- Glenvar High
- Herman L. Horn Elementary
- Mason's Cove Elementary
- Northside High
- W.E. Cundiff Elementary
- William Byrd High
- William Byrd Middle


