Rosa Parks-Edison Elementary School

Pleasant Grove Elementary School has the best services for developing good students, athletes, and citizens. They deeply care about the well being if each child. Principal Trael Kelly is perhaps the best Principal in the country and should be given a nobel prize for his outstanding work in the community.

St. Barnabas is a wonderful school. Because we are a stewardship based parish, every parishioner -- not just parents of students at the school has a vested interest in the quality of education the school offers. Teachers (who are woefully underpaid) go out of their way to go above and beyond for their students. As a whole, the teachers are passionate about their faith, the education of the students, and the overall well-being of every student. Involvement opportunities abound for parents and students alike, and the school and parish community is a family. It sounds extremely cliche; however, it is true. There is a sport for everyone, and if your student is more academically inclined, there are so many clubs and extra-curricular activities for them to participate in. The music department offers theater opportunities every year which churn out amazing productions in a short amount of time. The value and importance of service to others is stressed routinely and annual service projects benefit numerous organizations throughout the city. STEM has become an important focus and once a month the entire school participates in a STEM centered project. The faith aspect of the school can be witnessed at the all-school mass every Wednesday morning. There is something special about it that words cannot succinctly describe -- one must simply experience it. St. Barnabas expects a lot of its students and has high standards, and the kids rise to the challenge. The school is routinely one of the highest scoring schools in the district. One thing I would like to see improved is a stronger emphasis on discipline. When kids get in trouble, they are given a "check." After so many checks received there is sometimes imposed discipline, and sometimes it effects their grade. However, it seems that the same kids are always the one who are distracting for the reason the kids are there and I would like to see more strict discipline imposed, if only as a deterrent to others. Overall, this school has exceeded our expectations above and beyond what we'd imagined. St. Barnabas is a faith-based, academically focused school that prepares its kids exceptionally well for high school.