Awesome news! Laker Schools has received the high honor of being a Capturing Kids” Hearts (CKH) National Showcase School District! Only two schools in Michigan (including Lakers) have this distinction and only 40 districts across the country! That’s amazing! But wait, there’s more…Laker Elementary has been named a CKH National Showcase School for a third year in a row, and Laker Middle School has been named a CKH National Showcase School for a second year in a row! It’s so exciting and a very well-deserved honor for our staff and students.
“Being recognized as a Capturing Kids Hearts National Showcase School for the third year in a row is a big win for our team,” said Elementary Principal Jill VerBurg. “It has been a true labor of love with everyone working together to empower our students, treating each other with respect while we build meaningful relationships. We are striving to improve on an already awesome thing every single day. I am so proud of the hard work this team puts into making Laker Elementary a great place to be!”
Laker Middle School Principal Scott Miklovic is very proud of his staff for continuing their efforts that led to the second-year recognition.
“It is with immense pride and heartfelt gratitude that we celebrate Laker Middle School’s remarkable accomplishment of being named a Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase School for the second consecutive year,” he said. “This prestigious recognition is a testament to the unwavering dedication and commitment of our exceptional faculty, staff, and students, who have wholeheartedly embraced the principles of the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program. We are grateful to our parents and community for their amazing support and belief in this mission. It takes a village, and the Laker village is incredible. Go Green!”
Laker High School became a first-time nominee, showing great improvement from last year, but missing the benchmark for Showcase School by just a few points. It was noted, however, that the scores from all three buildings were needed to push the district into the category of Showcase District, so it truly was a team effort!
“This recognition means a lot to our district as a whole,” said Superintendent Brian Keim. “It’s a culmination of nearly five years of training and commitment from everyone from our kitchens to our classrooms, from our students to our staff. Even our parents and community members have taken part in surveys to help us know where to improve. And to become just the second National Showcase District in the state means we’ve created something pretty special.”
Capturing Kids’ Hearts is a program developed by psychotherapist Flip Flippen and it was officially rolled out in 1990. Since then, more than 10,000 schools have invested in the program that focuses on cultivating relational capacity, improving school culture, strengthening trust between teachers and students, building self-managing classrooms, creating accountability, and improving academic performance. Some of the benefits include decreased discipline referrals, increased attendance and graduation rates, increased student achievement, and increased teacher satisfaction.
