Points of Pride: Bellevue Community School District

Mr. Meyer and Mr. Recker

"A passion to achieve excellence" is a motto of the Bellevue Community School District, and a visitor to this school district can see this motto in action when one looks at their classroom expectations for ALL:

• Focus on student engagement
• Big idea/essential question posted
• Writing - EVERY day, EVERY class, EVERY teacher, EVERY student
• Checks for understanding
• Relevance to the students - all ages and grade levels
• Professionalism  

A quick view of the display cases boast success not only in sports but also academics. BELIEVE in the BLUE is proclaimed throughout the MS/HS building.  Superintendent Tom Meyers exudes a  passion to achieve excellence as he talks about where Bellevue School District has been and where it is headed.

DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHICS
Enrollment:  625 students
Free and Reduced Lunch:  less than 20%
Staff:  48 full time

Mr. Meyer has been in the district for 11 years with this his first year as superintendent.  His initiatives for the district?  Problem-solving and critical thinking.  This year the District Leadership Team will focus on determining the goals of the district and marketing the schools.  Technology in Bellevue is seen as an enhancement to education and not a replacement with a 1-to-1 initiative in grades 5-12. Students are required to take at least one online class before they graduate.  Those not proficient on MAP and Iowa Assessments are assigned to Plato, an online learning environment.  Through this program they have seen major improvements in math.

Middle School/High School Principal is Jeff Recker.  One of the most popular classes at Bellevue is offered  during grade 11 called Real Life Class which includes home and car repair, cooking and health, and financial literacy.  Industrial Tech classes include robotics, CAD, STEM, and a soon to be used plasma cutter.  Graduates from Bellevue High School average 25 hours of college credit.  This spring, 9th graders at BHS can enjoy problem-based learning during a "Comet Term" after first semester.


Bellevue Elementary Principal, Jeanetter Hartung-Schroeder, explains that hers is the oldest school
building in the state.  In 1848 it served as the Jackson County Courthouse and now houses preschool through grade 5.  Initiatives include ST math and Everyday Math, both resulting in high scores by students.  "Learning by doing" is a theme put into practice in each classroom.  The school offers an after school program originally funded by a 21st Century Grant but now it is parent funded.  The first hour offers homework help and the second hour includes a variety of "doing" including bowling, conservation awareness, and harvest time activities.


All involved in education across Iowa can always use the following reminder found on Bellevue's chart describing its graduates:  "The primary aim of education is not to enable students to do well in school, but to help them do well in the lives they lead outside of school."  Best of luck, Bellevue, in your passion to achieve excellence!