Bowman High School administration and staff, along with Hart School District officials, attended the state conference held in North Hollywood to accept the Model School Award from the California Department of Education in conjunction with the California Education Association.

It was the fourth time that Bowman has received the award, which a school retains for three years, giving Bowman 12 years of consecutive Model School status.

Bowman was one of 25 schools out of 479 continuation high schools to receive this prestigious award.

Bowman High School’s principal Robin Geissler, Hart School District superintendent Rob Challinor, deputy superintendent Vicki Engbrecht, director of student services Kathy Hunter, assistant principal Eran Zeevi, counselors Suzy Mansfield and Lori Wilson, counseling intern Ami Gonzalez, ASB Director April Soria and classified employee of the year Rosa Villanueva were all on hand to accept the award.

The process to become a Model Continuation School involves a comprehensive written application, which contains over 60 quality indicators, including student achievement data, graduation rates,  and supporting statements from staff, students, parents, community members, and business stakeholders. After a rigorous screening of Bowman’s application by a panel of experts, a validation site visit by a trained, Model Continuation School Visiting Team occurred.

The featured speaker at the award ceremony was former state superintendent of public instruction Jack O’Connell, who praised model continuation schools for making a difference in the lives of so many students, ensuring that they earned high school diplomas. O’Connell also discussed the new LCAP spending formula and stated stating that the intent of the legislature was to close the achievement gap in California by supporting schools like Bowman.