POINTS of PRIDE: Lake Mills Community Schools

Principals Schobrock & Wagner, Super. Sherman

Lake Mills Community School -  "Think locally - act globally!"

The day of my visit, there was excitement abounding as the school prepared for a special assembly to honor a Vietnam Veteran with a medal he had not been given earlier - a medal honoring his service to our country.  Mahatma Gandhi said,"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Service is valued at Lake Mills whether it be service by teachers as a faculty friend to a senior or service delivered by students to the community and documented in their Senior Project .  Superintendent Daryl Sherman is proud of his staff and believes firmly in the value they bring to this school district.  "Students will care how much you know when they know how much you care."

DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHICS:
Enrollment - 703
Free/Reduced Lunch - 37%
Open enrolled into the district - 110 including 71 from Minnesota
Average ACT score - 24
Five starters on the basketball team - 4.0 average
Parent-Teacher Conference attendance - averages over 90%

LMCS has a goal to improve achievement and the collaborative climate in a learner-centered school.  They believe every learner should be empowered to experience the excitement and motivation needed to reach success as LERCH - Lifelong learner, Effective Communicator, Responsible Citizen, Creative/critical thinker, Healthy contributor.

Lake Mills is a school district with strong acronyms.  Besides LERCH, they also use SOCCER to identify characteristics valued in the classrooms - Safe to risk, Ownership, Choices, Collaboration, Engagement, Real-World Tasks/Activities/Assessments. 

The character traits valued in this district also form an acronym:

Conflict resolution
Honesty
Appropriate sexual behaviors
Respect for authority
Attitudes valuing life
Citizenship
Tolerance and respect
Equity and multicultural understanding
Responsibility with freedom

As indicated in many of the districts in Iowa, Lake Mills operates within Professional Learning Communities and uses early outs every Wednesday to work in teams focused on Iowa Core implementation and analysis of assessments.  Their culture and climate is defined through Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS). 

One key component found in the educational program of LMS is their Senior Expo - where a student's faculty friend helps to guide the process of creating a presentation focused on the skills they have learned since kindergarten.  Seniors have two practice runs for their mentors who provide constructive feedback before the final exposition is delivered before invited guests and evaluated by community members.  Every senior incorporates into the presentation the five performance outcomes of lifelong learning, effective communication, responsible citizenship, critical/creative thinking, and healthy contribution (LERCH).  The senior expo validates these valued essential learner outcomes as skills students need to be successful in this century.

Superintendent Sherman is proud of the legacy he leaves at Lake Mills School.  After 39 years as teacher and administrator, he is "graduating" and moving on to new adventures beyond Lake Mills School.  He leaves the school with a strong foundation upon which to build, and he is to be commended for his leadership of integrity and passion.