Pioneer Peak awarded National Blue Ribbon School honor

WASILLA— Pioneer Peak Elementary was recently awarded the National Blue Ribbon Schools award, one of three Alaskan schools in 2018 to earn the honor, based on two primary categories exemplary high performing schools and exemplary achievement gap closing schools.

“We’ve always been a really solid school. It’s good to get public recognition for what happens here,” Pioneer Peak principal Mary Watts said.

Pioneer Peak opened in 1985 and is located off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway and Old Trunk intersection, near Three Bears and Colony Middle School.

“Our school is often overlooked because it’s an older school,” Pioneer Peak physical education teacher Brandy Bishop said.

The school’s centralized location has its pros and cons according to Watts. She said that on one hand, there’s easier access with many subdivisions around the school. The con is primarily the influx of traffic.

Like all the schools across the state, education budget cuts are always on the table for Pioneer Peak. Watts said that in spite of the tight budget, the school has been very successful in its efforts adapting to a booming population and ever-changing needs for their students. She said that at this point, their biggest challenge has been purchasing materials and curriculum but they’ve had a good grasp on fundraising efforts.

“We can make a dollar stretch,” Watts said with a laugh. “We just had to get creative.”

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a program created by the United States government in 1982 to honor schools that have achieved high levels of student achievement or made significant improvements in closing the achievement gap among student subgroups or “disadvantaged schools.” A disadvantaged school may face a number of problems and the program judges take that into consideration each year. These factors are based on the current school demographics and other sociological and economic drivers.

Pioneer Peak took the blue ribbon this year based on statewide testing scores. Watts credited much of this to a continued philosophy of high expectations, involvement and creativity.

“Out expectations and our instructors have stayed at a high quality all the years,” Watts said.

Watts has been the principal for 10 years and Bishop is in her 15th year at Pioneer Peak. During that time, the school was able to increase their tutor advisor hours from two to nine hours, according to Watts. They also were able to hire another school monitor last year.

On Oct. 19, Pioneer Peak faculty, students and parents will celebrate the Blue Ribbon with activities, games and an award ceremony. Watts is set to travel to Washington D.C to accept the Blue Ribbon award amongst hundreds of teachers around the country on Nov. 7.

“It’s a really big deal. It’s probably something that only happens once in your whole career, or for the kids and their whole academic career,” Watts said.

The Pioneer Peak Parent and Teachers Association has a full calendar of events lined up each year. These gatherings include bingo nights, dance nights, talent shows, and much more. Their annual fall festival is scheduled for Oct. 27 from 4 to 7 p.m.

“We have a great staff that’s super positive. Out PTA is fantastic. The families here are very involved,” Bishop said.

Looking forward, Watts said the school will stay the course on a “continuous cycle of improvement.”