Advanced Technologies Academy achieves Blue Ribbon status again

The familiar voice of Principal Karen Diamond carried to every corner of campus, stilling all classroom activity. She had an announcement, something most principals will never say in their whole careers. But the announcement has been made twice at this high school within a decade.

She told the students and teachers Thursday that they belonged to one of the top-performing schools in the country.

In fact, the magnet school is in the top less than 1 percent of all 100,000 schools in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Education, overseer of all public education kindergarten through 12th grade. The department picked America's top 71 academically performing schools for its annual Blue Ribbon awards. And Diamond's Advanced Technologies Academy, on Vegas Drive east of Rancho Drive, made the cut.

The department also honored the 234 most-improved schools, which included one in Nevada: Bendorf Elementary School in Las Vegas.

It's not uncommon for a Nevada school and sometimes two to make their way onto the prestigious list. The state has almost 600 schools, 357 of which are in Clark County. But a repeat is rare. It only occurred one other time for a Nevada school and in the 1980s -- Cannon Junior High School -- not long after the Blue Ribbon's 1982 inception.

The academy first earned the honor in 2003, leading to a visit from first lady Laura Bush. Repeats are made even more impressive by the fact that schools must wait five years between wins, meaning they can't rely on a golden batch of students. The school, itself, must prove consistent.

Diamond's intercom announcement spurred rowdy applause from the 1,080 students in eighth period, same as you would expect at a football pep rally for the returning state champs.

But the high school doesn't even have a football team, or any sports team for that matter. If students want to play sports, they must apply for a waiver and try out at nearby schools.

But the academy still has a mascot, the Mavericks. It's a fitting figure for the school and its students, outside the norm.

Kirstie McLavy, graphic designer, noticed it in her first month here.

"It's so weird to have kids say, 'Can you explain that?' " in the classroom said McLavy, starting her second year at the academy after leaving Centennial High School. "What, you know how to ask questions in high school?"

Students are here because "they want to learn," Diamond said of the school, whose seniors all pass the proficiency exams needed to graduate. That's impressive in a school district where only half of the 20,000 seniors are on track to graduate.

The academy seems like more of a college than a high school. The students must meet minimum GPA and testing requirements to apply and are chosen in a lottery. They take the general classes and pick an emphasis -- architecture, business and finance, engineering and more. Some even go directly into their career field. The difference is parents don't have to pay tuition. It's the same as going to their neighborhood high school.

Of course, the school has an advantage, said law teacher David Eason, who spent half his class time at Canyon Springs High School "settling squalls" and policing students.

"Students make it a whole lot easier to teach here," he said.

"We never have fights," said senior Iun Chen, who is applying to University of California-Berkeley. "We're here to learn."

Schools across the district and country have magnet schools, which is why the honor was still a surprise, English teacher Maury Lowe said. The difference is higher expectations, she said.

"They're asked to stretch themselves, therefore they do," she said.

Students won't excel unless a higher bar is set, which has been the position of new Superintendent Dwight Jones, who has called for a weaning away from remedial classes in all high schools.

To be eligible for the award, the state superintendent must first nominate the school. The school must have met No Child Left Behind's adequate yearly progress in the most recent year. The academy has done so eight out of nine years. It then submits an application detailing per pupil funding, students' races, how many are poor enough to receive free or reduced lunch, the graduation rate, standardized test scores and much more.

No money or any material reward comes from winning the Blue Ribbon, but it does something far better. It keeps the ball rolling, attracting the same kinds of students, said English teacher Mary Ziegler, who was here the last time the ethnically diverse school won.

"The benefit is the community attitude," she said. "The number one thing we have going for us is they choose to come here."

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@review journal.com or 702-383-0279.

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Comments

Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.

1. Clarified Sep. 18, 2011 | 3:44 a.m. Report Abuse

   Proud to be a parent of a student at ATECH and knowing that my child is in the best possible place I can have her for her education make me smile. We hear in the news about all of the problems in school with the amount of students that are dropping out it is good to see a school get recognized for what our students go to school for their education. I want to thank the teachers and the students for being the best they can be if only all of the other schools in Clark County could do the same our state would be ranked almost last in the nation when it comes to the education of our youth. Congrats to all of the students and teachers of Atech!!!

2. n7v.blogspot.com Sep. 16, 2011 | 11:58 p.m. Report Abuse

   parents don't have to pay tuition.
   
   Through the magic of General ("slush") Fund accounting, EVERYBODY pays higher taxes instead.
   
   I'll see your so-called "Blue Ribbon" public school, and raise you THOUSANDS of catastrophes more.

3. rqp Sep. 16, 2011 | 8:05 p.m. Report Abuse

   As a proud parent of a senior who attends and LOVES her peers and teachers at A-TECH, I am truly grateful for the many praises that my daugher has for her principal who interacts with the students in a positive and energetic manner on a regular basis. A-TECH is fortunate to have awesome teachers especially Ms. Guild who treats my daughter, Natalia as the responsible teenager that she is. Mr. Eason has encouraged my daughter to learn about the many complex laws of our great nation. I cannot extend my appreciation to the MANY devoted educators at A-TECH, including the excellent students who take their precious education seriously. Congrats to A-TECH!!!!!

4. local_voice Sep. 16, 2011 | 5:50 p.m. Report Abuse

   Congrats A-Tech!! My youngest just graduated from NW-Tech and that is another great school. The teachers are amazing. It wasn't parental involvement in my son's case, it was a great learning environment. He's won a huge scholarship to go to a great college because of his teachers interest in him. A-Tech has set the bar pretty high. I hope they keep setting it higher. LV magnet schools are a win-win for everyone.

5. Jen.LV Sep. 16, 2011 | 4:07 p.m. Report Abuse

   It takes a lot of hard work and dedication by teachers, parents, and students to successfully participate in a Magnet School program. We're up at 4:30am every day and off the bus at 4:30pm. It's hard for the kids, but they are doing everything in their power to enhance their lives. Congrats A-Tech!!!!!

6. lasvegasmom1 Sep. 16, 2011 | 10:52 a.m. Report Abuse

   Oscar.Jones, you did not do your homework prior to posting. Here are the demographic facts on ATECH from the 2010-2011 school year: American Indian/Alaskan Native 0.4% compared to (c/t) 0.6% district wide (dw); Asian 21.4% c/t 7.1% dw; Hispanic 27.2% c/t 42.1% dw; Black 8.7% c/t 12.4% dw; White 32% c/t 32% dw; Pacific Islander 2.5% c/t 1.2% dw; Multi-Race 8% c/t 4.7% dw. A-TECH has the same percentage of White students as all CCSD schools and they represent the highest percentage of students that attend A-TECH. A-TECH has a smaller percentage of Blacks and Hispanics compared to all CCSD schools. They have a larger percentage of Asians compared to all CCSD schools. This is a diverse school but it is NOT a school devoted strictly to minorities.

7. smirman Sep. 16, 2011 | 10:36 a.m. Report Abuse

   Hooray ATech...well deserved! The good news is, anyone can apply to ATech as long as you qualify. The qualification standards are extremely liberal (I think you need a 2.0 GPA, average standardized test scores, good attendance, and no behavioral issues). After that, all students are selected by lottery...no hand-selecting allowed. So a 2.0 student with average test scores has an equal chance of getting into the school as a student with a 4.0 and test scores in the 99th percentile. What all students DO have in common at ATech is motivation and commitment to work hard. I'd guess that most also have a good support-system as well, because the workload can be pretty intense. And yes, the teachers (and administration) are amazing, but they're only able to do what they do because they have students who want to soak everything up, and appreciate their hard work.

8. KCM Sep. 16, 2011 | 9:20 a.m. Report Abuse

   Congratulations ATECH!
   
   The key is not only that ATECH can select motivated and capable students, but that it can easily expel students who don't stay motivated and capable.

9. Oscar.Jones Sep. 16, 2011 | 9:07 a.m. Report Abuse

   What ISN'T mentioned, is that Magnet Schools are Tech Academys primarily for Minorities. To give Minorities an advantage on learning that they don't recieve in ordinary Public Schools. It is percieved, that when Minorities are grouped together in Public Schools with non-minorities, they are unfairly disadvantaged somehow. So, we essentially give them their OWN school, to associate with their OWN learning group, and not feel threatened or intimidated by over performing students.

10. Ivanhoe Sep. 16, 2011 | 8:12 a.m. Report Abuse

    Regarding borisbadanov's comment: "We take the best of the best and put them in one school then compare their performance with other schools who didn't get to cherry pick their students." If it were really true that all of the "best of the best" end up at A-Tech, then your statement would be accurate. But that is not the case. Some of the "best of the best" do indeed attend A-Tech, but since there is a limited enrollment, not all of the "best" get into A-Tech. Secondly, many of the "best" students in the district choose to attend other magnet programs consistent with their interests and educational goals. Thirdly, many of the best students in the district still opt to attend their zoned school because it is closer to home, they do not want to be separated from their friends, or they are athletes who wish to participate in team sports, which A-Tech does not have.

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