Gladden Middle named ‘Breakthrough’ school

Published 9:00 am Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Gladden Middle School has been named a Breakthrough Middle School for the state of Georgia.

This honor, which is bestowed by the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals (GASSP), is the highest honor a middle school can earn through the GASSP organization. Members of GASSP met to honor Gladden Middle School at the Jekyll Island Club.

“Gladden Middle School was one of 13 schools identified this year by GASSP as one of the best middle schools in the state,” said Joe Hutcheson, middle school coordinator for GASSP. “The Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals is an affiliate of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Our organization looks to identify schools throughout the nation that embody best practices for our students and schools that get results. I am proud that we identified schools throughout the state that represent a true cross section of Georgia.”

Twelve other schools throughout the state were honored, and Gladden was among the top five.

Hutcheson said any school can go through their representative and nominate their school or another school for the award.

“Back in June of 2010, each region was to nominate middle schools that exhibited academic success as well as continued use of best practices in teaching,” he said. “Gladden was the only school nominated from this GASSP region …

“GASSP set out to identify schools that were continuing to show academic gains even with fewer resources. The state economy has affected us all, but Gladden Middle School has continued to push forward in meeting the needs of all of its students. Not only do they continue to show gains in state testing, but they continue to grow professionally. Gladden helps set the standard for the rest of the state.”