2009 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Type of School: (Check all that apply) / [ ]Elementary / []Middle / []High / [X]K-12 / []Other
[X]Charter / [X]Title I / []Magnet / []Choice
Name of Principal: Ms. Melissa Nigh
Official School Name: Mellen High School
School Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 500
420 S. Main St.
Mellen, WI 54546-0500
County: Ashland State School Code Number*: 0060
Telephone: (715) 274-3601 Fax: (715) 274-3715
Web site/URL: www.mellen.k12.wi.usE-mail:
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.
Date
(Principal‘s Signature)
Name of Superintendent*: Mr. Jim Schuchardt
District Name: School District of Mellen Tel: (715) 274-3601
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date
(Superintendent‘s Signature)
Name of School Board President/Chairperson: Ms. Becky McKay
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date
(School Board President‘s/Chairperson‘s Signature)
*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.
Original signed cover sheet only should be mailed by expedited mail or a courier mail service (such as USPS Express Mail, FedEx or UPS) to Aba Kumi, Director, NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Office of Communications and Outreach, US Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Room 5E103, Washington, DC 20202-8173.
The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each of the statements below concerning the school‘s eligibility and compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.
1. The school has some configuration that includes one or more of grades K-12. (Schools on the same campus with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)
2. The school has made adequate yearly progress each year for the past two years and has not been identified by the state as “persistently dangerous” within the last two years.
3. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement in the 2008-2009 school year. AYP must be certified by the state and all appeals resolved at least two weeks before the awards ceremony for the school to receive the award.
4. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, the school must have foreign language as a part of its curriculum and a significant number of students in grades 7 and higher must take the course.
5. The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2003.
6. The nominated school has not received the No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, or 2008.
7. The nominated school or district is not refusing OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district-wide compliance review.
8. OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.
9. The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging that the nominated school or the school district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution‘s equal protection clause.
10. There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in question; or if there are such findings, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.
PART II - DEMOGRAPHIC DATAAll data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT (Questions 1-2 not applicable to private schools)
1. Number of schools in the district: / 1 / Elementary schools1 / Middle schools
0 / Junior high schools
1 / High schools
1 / Other
4 / TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: 12880
Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: 11413
SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
3. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:
[ ] Urban or large central city
[ ] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area
[ ] Suburban
[ X ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ ] Rural
4. 1 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.
9 If fewer than three years, how long was the previous principal at this school?
5. Number of students as of October 1 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school only:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade TotalPreK / 8 / 6 / 14 / 7 / 14 / 12 / 26
K / 15 / 15 / 30 / 8 / 12 / 9 / 21
1 / 12 / 7 / 19 / 9 / 9 / 5 / 14
2 / 11 / 8 / 19 / 10 / 15 / 7 / 22
3 / 13 / 11 / 24 / 11 / 11 / 4 / 15
4 / 14 / 5 / 19 / 12 / 13 / 13 / 26
5 / 9 / 10 / 19 / Other / 0 / 0 / 0
6 / 7 / 8 / 15
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 283
6. Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 5 / % American Indian or Alaska Native
2 / % Asian
0 / % Black or African American
1 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
92 / % White
0 / % Two or more races
100 / % Total
Only the seven standard categories should be used in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of your school. The final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic data to the U.S. Department of Education published in the October 19, 2007 Federal Register provides definitions for each of the seven categories.
7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 7%
This rate is calculated using the grid below. The answer to (6) is the mobility rate.
(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1 until theend of the year. / 14
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 8
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 22
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 303
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.073
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 7.261
8. Limited English proficient students in the school: 0%
Total number limited English proficient 0
Number of languages represented: 0
Specify languages:
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 51%
Total number students who qualify: 145
If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income families, or the school does not participate in the free and reduced-price school meals program, specify a more accurate estimate, tell why the school chose it, and explain how it arrived at this estimate.
10. Students receiving special education services: 17%
Total Number of Students Served: 49
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
1 / Autism / 1 / Orthopedic ImpairmentDeafness / 8 / Other Health Impaired
Deaf-Blindness / 12 / Specific Learning Disability
4 / Emotional Disturbance / 21 / Speech or Language Impairment
Hearing Impairment / Traumatic Brain Injury
2 / Mental Retardation / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
Multiple Disabilities / Developmentally Delayed
11. Indicate number of full-time and part-time staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of StaffFull-Time / Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 1 / 1
Classroom teachers / 17 / 0
Special resource teachers/specialists / 12 / 2
Paraprofessionals / 7 / 0
Support staff / 5 / 2
Total number / 42 / 5
12. Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number of students in the school divided by the Full Time Equivalent of classroom teachers, e.g., 22:1 16 :1
13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. Only middle and high schools need to supply dropout rates. Briefly explain in the Notes section any attendance rates under 95%, teacher turnover rates over 12%, or student dropout rates over 5%.
2007-2008 / 2006-2007 / 2005-2006 / 2004-2005 / 2003-2004Daily student attendance / 95% / 92% / 89% / 92% / 91%
Daily teacher attendance / 91% / 93% / 95% / 90% / 91%
Teacher turnover rate / 5% / 4% / 6% / 2% / 5%
Student dropout rate / 0% / 0% / 1% / 0% / 1%
Please provide all explanations below.
It is difficult to determine why the student attendance rate fell below 95% in 4 of the 5 years. However, looking at excuses logged for absences it is apparent that students were missing school for family obligations, working at home, illness, and appointments. In the past students were not always held accountable for attending school . Due to the poverty level of our families many families need their children at home to assist with chores and other family situations.
The teacher attendance rate was low the last several years in part due to low morale and poor school climate. Data also shows that teachers had family commitments and appointments that caused them to be gone. We also had many teachers absent due to meetings for our Rural School Alliance and implementation of our Charter School.
14. For schools ending in grade 12 (high schools).
Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2008 are doing as of the Fall 2008.
Graduating class size / 21Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / 43 / %
Enrolled in a community college / 24 / %
Enrolled in vocational training / 19 / %
Found employment / 9 / %
Military service / 0 / %
Other (travel, staying home, etc.) / 5 / %
Unknown / 0 / %
Total / 100 / %
PART III - SUMMARY
The Mellen School district is located in Northern Wisconsin in the heart of the Chequamegon Forest. Nearly 800 community residents are within walking distance of the historic three story brick and stone structure which shaped their formative years; from generation to generation the Mellen Public School has been the one touchstone common to all. It is the community's strength, its pride and its lifeblood.
The district’s mission is to provide opportunities for all PreK-12 students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities to become productive members of our society. The district is preparing students who pass through the halls to succeed in the wider world beyond. Whether a young man or woman aspires to attend a university, to seek technical training, or simply put foundational skills to work immediately upon graduation, the school has a curriculum suited to the purpose. Alumni hale from the ranks of medicine, industry, business, publishing, armed forces, government, and law. Many more manage to build fruitful lives assiduously serving the greater society in which they are a part. We also strive to inspire and encourage students to understand and live by the principles of socially acceptable behavior, moral integrity, and civic responsibility. At Mellen we expect our students and staff to adhere to the values of readiness, respect, responsibility, and safety. Working together on establishing these values in ourselves and our students has enabled us to become ahighly successful school.
In our high school 50% of the population receives free and reduced lunch. At the elementary and middle school level we are at a 52% free and reduced lunch rate. Our Charter school comes in at 49%. As you can see, we are in an area of the state where poverty is highly evident. The community is supported by three lumber mills, all of which have been facing difficult financial challenges at this time. Many of our parents have lost their jobs or have been reduced in time. Our students continue to battle adversity while working hard to achieve great success. Our parents never seem to give up on their children and their education despite having to deal with their own challenges. This difficult situation also leads to financial struggles within the school district itself. Due to budget constraints the staff must, and do eagerly, take on additional duties in order to reach all of our students on an academic and social basis.
Mellen High School has received the New Wisconsin Promise School of Recognition award two years in a row for meeting and exceeding annual yearly progress on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. The school was also selected by the US News and World Report to receive a bronze award for outstanding standardized test performance and high proficiency rates of all students, including the most disadvantaged.
Our elementary and middle schools have also received the New Wisconsin Promise School of Recognition award. These accolades come to us because of the strengths of the elementary and middle school reading and math programs. All of our Title staff have a 316 license which is not common in most small public schools. We stay up to date with best practices and always strive to be sure every student succeeds.