Missouri spotlights Nixa's Mathews Elementary as a Gold Star School
In the past 15 years, Nixa Public Schools has been on the Missouri Gold Star Schools list five times — including twice for the same building.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education award recognizes schools for two reasons: High academic achievement across-the-board or while serving a high concentration of students who are economically disadvantaged or from under-represented groups.
This week, Nixa's Mathews Elementary was one of eight on the list for 2023.
Espy and Century elementary schools made the list in the late 2000s, followed by Nixa High School in both 2013 and 2022.
In a Thursday news release announcing the 2023 list, Missouri Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven said the award winners show "academic excellence is possible while striving to meet the needs of every student."
Mathews Principal Brigette Golmen said the school has not yet planned a celebration for students, teachers and support staff.
"There are so many intricacies to what we do every day," she said. "First and foremost, we have a team of educators here ... that every day of the week, any moment of the day, they will absolutely go above and beyond and do anything that they need to do, can do, are able to do to support every student student individually and to support each other."
She said Mathews was also recently recognized as a model Professional Learning Community, or PLC, which among other things, leans heavily on data and collaboration to guide decisions in an effort to improve learning.
"Everything we do is what is best for students," she said.
"We came up with our mission, which is 'Lead with character, learn with confidence, love with courage' and that is truly what we stand for in everything we do."
Golmen said the school is focused on developing students' full potential, not just their academic skills, and closely monitors student achievement and behavior to make adjustments throughout the year.
"There is not a problem too big or an obstacle that we don't have the ability to go come together and ... say, 'What are we going to do about it?'" she said.
Golmen will not be at Mathews next year. She has been named the district's next executive director of curriculum, instruction and assessment.
The other winners included:
Betty Wheeler Classical Junior Academy, St. Louis
Chesterfield Elementary, Rockwood
South High School, Fort Zumwalt
Truman Elementary School, Webb City
Mallinckrodt Academy of Gifted Instruction, St. Louis
Pierremont Elementary, Parkway
Reed Elementary School, Ladue
The Missouri Gold Star Schools program was established in 1991 and uses the same criteria for nomination as the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which announces its winners in the fall.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri spotlights Nixa's Mathews Elementary as a Gold Star School
