New York State Names SHS a Reward School!

We are proud to share that the New York State Education Department has recognized Rush-Henrietta Senior High School as a High Performing Reward School for a second consecutive year! This honor acknowledges outstanding student achievement and our significant progress in closing gaps in student achievement among subgroups.

This recognition is given on a very selective basis. There are more than 4,800 individual schools in New York, and less than 75 from Upstate New York were chosen for this honor. The only other Monroe County schools to be recognized are Brighton High School, Honeoye Falls-Lima Senior High School, Penfield Senior High School, and Pittsford-Mendon High School. I took special note of the headline that appeared on Channel 8’s website. It read: “State lists Pittsford, Brighton, Rush-Henrietta … as ‘Reward Schools.’” As a district, we should be especially proud that we achieved this recognition while working with a more diverse and challenging student population.

Our Senior High School will receive a certificate from State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia citing this accomplishment. Each person who works for our school district should take pride in this recognition and take a moment to celebrate it. Our staff members at the Senior High School have done a terrific job in helping students achieve at higher levels. At the same time, we know this could not have been achieved without the district-wide contributions of those who teach in our other excellent schools, as well as each member of our support staff.

This is the second major recognition that our school district has received in recent months. As part of USA Today Network's New York State School Quality Index, the Democrat and Chronicle unveiled a list of best public school districts in Monroe County. This new index took into account “non-academic factors that parents say they value, but can be hard to measure.” I like to refer to this as a measure of school climate. The rankings were based on data regarding class sizes, diversity, suspension rate, attendance rate, and teacher experience, among other factors. Rush-Henrietta ranked as the No. 1 school district in all of Monroe County! We hope the celebratory banners that are posted outside of each school serve as a constant reminder of the significant progress we have made.

Such public recognition does not occur by chance. Each instance is a reflection of the good work we have done as a team, and evidence that our efforts are making a significant difference for the children we work with each day. Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our community. We thank you for supporting our efforts!