Parade of Success
June 2, 2005

Marching Band

AFJROTC

MOUNT CLEMENS COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT CELEBRATED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN A "PARADE OF SUCCESS" ON JUNE 2, 2005

Students, staff and parents of the Mount Clemens Community School District celebrated student academic success that included a parade through the city, entertainment, celebrities and highlights of each school's accomplishments. The event began on June 2, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. at the Mount Clemens High School Athletic Field with a kickoff program. After the program, beginning at 10:00 a.m. as many as 5,000 students, staff, parents and school supporters paraded proudly through the community from Church Street to Lodewyck, up to Cass Avenue to Southbound Gratiot and back to the Athletic Field. Superintendent, Dr. T. C. Wallace, Jr. welcomed parents, community members and other supporters at an opening ceremony and then encouraged their participation in the march through the city. "Student achievement is our only business," expressed Dr. Wallace.

The school-improvement model that the district implemented has led to significant increases in student performance, based on state and standardized test results. Even though there are many indicators of success that the district planned to highlight during the parade, the one that has been most widely publicized is the recent release of the 2005 MEAP scores. For example, in Mount Clemens Community Schools the number of 7th grade students that achieved proficiency on the recent MEAP writing test increased over 120% in one school year! This is significant, when statewide 7th grade writing scores fell by over 14%. In addition, the numbers of scholarships, honors and awards that were recently a part of the Mount Clemens High School's Honors Convocation were impressive to the attendees. "Our Top Ten students match up with any in the country," said Dr. Wallace, "and we are very proud of these students."

An essential component of this school improvement model is celebrating success by recognizing students and teachers for their hard work and effort. Superintendent, Dr. T. C. Wallace, Jr. was so pleased with this year's progress that he challenged Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Terri Spencer and building principals with developing a district-wide event to celebrate student achievement. A 27-member task force worked to develop the specific plans - the outcome of their meetings and efforts was the "Parade of Success."

The parade was structured to emphasize individual success with student name tags and attached ribbons that signify specific achievement gains based on the color of the ribbon. Each school in the district had banners and flags, as well as signs carried by students that advertised their many successes.

Thank you for your support!