La Mesa Junior High School has been nominated for a Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools award for the 2018-2019 school year by the Flippen Group. Four and a half years ago, school administrators began an initiative to transform the campus into an emotionally safe and relationally connected place for students, staff, and parents to come together with a love for learning.

After researching programs used by many of the nation’s most successful schools, administrators at La Mesa chose to join hands with the Flippen Group to bring Capturing Kids’ Hearts to its campus. Teachers and staff have continued to learn the processes needed to connect students with their peers and adults on campus and to create classrooms where students are excited to learn every day. As a result of implementing Capturing Kids’ Hearts, the school has experienced an increase in students feeling connected to school and improved academic achievement.

Through the National Showcase Schools awards, Flippen Group seeks to recognize and celebrate schools that go the extra mile each day, building an environment where students and staff feel safe and connected. Flippen Group believes the unsung heroes who produce exemplary outcomes in schools and pave the way for other schools to follow need and deserve recognition for a job well done.

Since the nomination period is now closed, Flippen Group teams will begin conducting site visits to nominated campuses to gather additional quantitative and qualitative data and interview students, teachers, administrators, and parents. They will compile a matrix of key measurements from the campus observation. Following the site visit, the selection team will review all accumulated data and select the campuses to be this year’s recipients of the Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools awards.

The Flippen Group is proud to recognize the outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to making a difference in the lives of our children. As they identify these outstanding schools, campus leaders, and teachers each year, please join in celebrating some of the most skilled and effective educators in the country.