BY VERONICA COONS 

vcoons@gbtribune.com 

HOISINGTON — Fifth grade members of Lincoln Elementary School’s student council stood shoulder to shoulder with Principal Alan Charles and Superintendent Bill Lowry Monday afternoon to be recognized for the high marks achieved by the school in 2018 on State Assessment tests.

Jean Clifford, representing District 5 of the State Board of Education, presented the school with a Challenge Award of Merit for outstanding achievement and uncommon accomplishment based on Kansas math and reading assessment results and other qualifying factors. 

At the elementary school level, attendance plays a major role, and Clifford congratulated the student body for prioritizing attendance and coming to school ready to learn. 

“Those things count at this level for the award,” she said. 

At the high school level, graduation rates are taken into consideration, Clifford said.  

“Even though not every grade takes the state assessment this honors and recognizes the hard work all of your teachers did to prepare you for that over all grades.” 

 According to Clifford, 174 schools throughout the state received the award. District 5, which includes much of the Western part of the state, received 41 awards, the highest number in the state. 

“Tell all of your classmates that working hard pays off,” she said. 

Lincoln Elementary students just finished taking state assessments for 2019, Charles said. The school opened two years ago, so the student council members there Monday afternoon were some of the first to attend there. 

They will move to the middle school next year, and many of them are excited about the prospect of having lockers. Like many, they wonder how long it will take to memorize their locker combinations, and they look forward to the changes ahead. All are confident they are ready for middle school.