The Plato School District was one of the 38 districts recently honored by state education officials for earning the Distinction in Performance award for the 2007-’08 school year.
The Distinction in Performance award is one of the state’s most prestigious honors for local school districts. It is based on the academic performance criteria for the basis of the state’s accreditation system. In December, the state education department announced that 330 districts had earned the award based on their outstanding academic performance and consistent progress.
Districts received the award March 31 at the annual “Distinction in Performance” banquet in Rolla. The annual event is sponsored and hosted by the South Central Regional Professional Development Center, Missouri University of Science and Technology and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. It was one of nine regional celebrations held to formally honor all of the award-winning school districts.
John Lewis, director of the South Central Regional Professional Development Center, presided at the banquet. Sybl Slaughter, Lebanon, a member of the State Board of Education, and Dr. Bert Schulte, interim director of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, presented the awards to the school districts.