Moving can be stressful. Finding a house, a job, and good schools for the kids can be big hurdles to overcome. And sorting through all the school ranking for general education lists can be tiresome. So I set out with goal to do a lot of that research for you and unearth one district that sounds like a good move for relocating a family.
Keep in mind that all the awards, school rankings and on-line praise you hear won’t ever give you the same information as actually visiting an area. But it’s a good place to start. One of the areas that kept turning up in my searches was the Salt Lake City Public Schools. Now don’t pack up and move on my say so! But look at the accolades they’ve received. If a move to the Salt Lake Schools area is a possibility for you that could be a good thing.
The school district of Salt Lake City Schools has received numerous awards during the 2006-2007 school year. For example, four Salt Lake City Schools students who attend Bryant Middle School recently won Fourth Place and the Naval History Award for their presentation at the National History Day competition. This was a national competition!
Salt Lake City Schools’ Escalante Elementary won the Intel School of Distinction Award for its commitment to academic excellence and science instruction. Two Salt Lake City Schools recently received national recognition. West High School has been named the top high school in Utah and number 158 in the nation by Newsweek and the Washington Post. It is the second consecutive year West has earned the top spot. Highland High is ranked at 285 in the national listing. Another Salt Lake City School - Northwest Middle - won the 2007 Distinction in Character Education Award from the National Center for Community of Caring.
On May 18, 2007, the National Conference named Sheila Jaymes, a Salt Lake City Schools counselor at Wasatch Elementary and half time truancy specialist, the Volunteer of the Year for Community and Justice. For the last nine years, she has volunteered her time with the NCCJ, working with adolescents and community leaders within Salt Lake City Schools.
Doug Jorgenson, Biotechnology teacher at Highland High School, has been named the Outstanding Concurrent Teacher for Salt Lake City Schools for 2007 by Salt Lake Community College. Jorgenson has been teaching for the district for 11 years. His subject areas are Biology — Honors and ELP, Zoology and Biotechnology.
Frankly, any district can give out volunteer and teacher of the year awards. So I’m more impressed by the national placement of Salt Lake City Schools mentioned above. If you are intrigued, try visiting some parent boards and see what locals say about their Salt Lake City Schools.