KEY LARGO, Fla. — It’s a big day for students in Monroe County as they’re heading back to school.
District officials say this new year is all about striving for excellence.
Local 10 was at Key Largo School Wednesday morning were nearly 700 students will be heading back to class.
The principal there says before the COVID-19 pandemic, they used to have 1,000 students. But with the changing population in the Florida Keys, primarily due to the cost of living, that number has dwindled.
Still, the school district is proud to report that all of its schools are now A schools.
“We were a B school last year and this year we are an A school,” Key Largo School Principal Darren Pais said.
The district credits the success to their pillars — rigor and relationships.
“The motto for the district is rigor is the new norm, but at Key Largo School, we are the rigor,” Pais said.
Pais says this just means continuing to encourage students to take control of their learning and parents to stay involved.
“I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, yes!’ We are an A school, as we should be,” one teacher, Kyle Harrison, said.
Teachers are hoping to build on the excitement, including the many new educators and staff the principal says are starting this year.
“I have taken on a mentor role in different aspects. I enjoy doing it and helping to support them,” Harrison said.
Longtime teachers, like Harrison, are reiterating the “rigor message” for families.
“This is going to be a great year, it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be a lot of learning, and I’m here to support them and their child,” Harrison said.
The principal at Key Largo School also credits being a part of the avid program with their A rating.
It’s a college readiness system for elementary through higher ed, designed to improve college and career readiness for elementary, middle and high school students.
He says as a Title One school, keeping those kinds of opportunities at the forefront are key.
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