SCOTT GOERGENS, Principal, Lakeside Farms School, Lakeside Union School District

As I'm entering my 3rd year as Principal at Lakeside Farms, I'm often asked
by my colleagues the "secret" to Lakeside Farms recent successes. Prior to
my arrival, the highest API Lakeside Farms had achieved was a 775. We have wonderful students, teachers, and community members supporting us, so our goal was to improve that number and move beyond the state's threshold of 800 and become a high achieving school.  After seeing the staff in action, and later attending an Arts in the School workshop by Ron Jessee, I made the decision that rather than adding additional core curricular requirements for my teachers and students, we would add to our arts offerings.  This past school year, for example, every student had an experience to work with an additional artist beyond our teacher and their arts offerings.

Kindergarten - Theater Arts w/Young Audiences
1st grade - Choral Music
2nd grade - Visual Arts w/Young Audiences
3rd grade - Flutophones (recorders)
4th grade - Square Dancing
5th grade - Arts partnerships w/La Jolla Playhouse and Young Audiences

The results have been wonderful.  Our students are happier and more engaged, our teachers and parents are pleased and proud of our offerings, and our test scores have risen dramatically.  Our API went from that all-time high of 775 to 797 in year 1, and 826 in year 2.  We are proud of our school, and the effect the arts has had in our success.