When Everyone Invests: The Recipe for Educational Excellence

Excellence in education takes center stage as Dr. Wallace Martin reveals the remarkable journey that led Brookwood Elementary to national recognition. Receiving the National Title I School of Distinction award places this Alabama school in rarified air – one of only two schools statewide and among just fifteen elementary schools nationwide in their category to earn this prestigious honor.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book
Company.
I'm Devin Pintosa, your host.
We are here at the AlabamaFederal Programs Conference in
wonderful Montgomery, alabama.
We were here with Dr WallaceMartin of Brookwood Elementary,
an award-winning Title I school.

(00:27):
Thank you so much for joiningus today, dr Martin.
Thank you very much, it's mypleasure, glad to be here.
Wonderful.
Can you tell us a bit as towhat went on today?
You received the DistinguishedSchool Award for Brookwood
Elementary.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
We did.
We were very fortunate, verygrateful and thankful to be
recognized for our award asbeing a national Title I school
of distinction, one of only twoin the state of Alabama this
year, and for our particularcategory, category three, one of
only 15 in the entire country,one of 15 elementary schools.

(01:02):
Our English learner studentsshowed a 97.08% increase in
their ACAP scores from one yearto the next.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
That is fantastic.
And what do you attribute thathuge increase in scores?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Well, first and foremost, the students.
They have invested I don't liketo use the phrase buy-in they
have invested in our program andour plan and trusted us in what
we've asked them to do.
I attribute it to our teachersfor implementing the program and
the plan.
Certainly our EL teacher, msCatalina Snopfner, but our

(01:41):
entire staff plays a vital role,catalina Schnafner, but our
entire staff, you know, plays avital role.
Everybody from the copy machinein the office to the ice
machine in the lunchroom, youknow, has something to do with
it and has invested in ourprogram.
Also, our parents.
We have very, you know,supportive parents who are not
demanding and who get thechildren to school and, you know
, get them there on time andhelp us and support us outside

(02:03):
of the school regular school day.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Oh, that is wonderful .
That is such a great, stunningthing.
I understand this year.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
You're retiring as well.
I am.
This will be it.
This is my all together.
I have 37 and a half years ineducation and it has been a
wonderful career.
I announced it last week to thefaculty, definitely not unhappy
or upset.
I mean, this is a great year togo out with these awards that
we've had.

(02:34):
We've had some other schoolawards as well but just think
that now is time and ready formaybe a little bit of a change,
something different.
I had the opportunity to helpopen this school 16 years ago,
so I've been the only principaland I could probably do a couple
more years.
But I'm not going to treadwater and if I can't go wide

(02:57):
open in 150%, I'm not going todo it.
It's not fair to the kids orthe teachers or my parents.
So, looking forward to whatlies ahead and I know there's
going to be some people who willhelp move the needle in the
right direction- that iswonderful.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Wow, what a great story and thank you for your
service.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your journey to becoming
principal here at BrookwoodElementary and what that whole
journey was like?
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committed to your students'success.
As you can see behind me, wehave our workbooks and we have

(03:36):
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(03:56):
your choice.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Bye-bye.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
It was a long time ago and it was a wonderful
journey.
I wouldn't change a thing.
I started at a junior highschool Coppinville Junior High
School and I was there for 15years.
I taught seventh grade socialstudies and coached girls
basketball, did that for nineyears and I got my first
administrative job there.
I was an assistant principalthere and I worked for two great

(04:23):
principals who were wonderfulmentors that I still stay in
contact with to this day.
And then I was in the centraloffice for two years as
elementary curriculum director.
And then I had an opportunityto help open a new school, which
was Brookwood, and I've beenthere for 16 years, and 12 of

(04:43):
those years we were anall-kindergarten school.
We were an early educationcenter Wow, I had 565 year-olds
on campus and I never lost a one.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Oh, that's good.
And is there anything you'dlike to share with the Alabama
Federal Program community?

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Well, I think this is a wonderful conference and I
want to thank all of the federalprogram's directors for what
they do.
We are very fortunate to havean outstanding one in our
district, ms Cherie Hardwick,and what we're able to do with
the funds and the services tohelp children is remarkable, and
I'm very grateful for all thatthey do for us and for all that

(05:23):
they do for students, and thisis a wonderful learning
opportunity for them to be ableto get together and collaborate
with one another here.
I think this is an outstandingconference.
It's always nice to be able tokind of get out of your building
and see how other people aredoing things and get some good
ideas.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
That's wonderful, dr Wallace Martin.
Thank you so much WithBrookwood Elementary.
Thank you so much for joiningus today, dr Wallace Martin.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
Thank you very much.
My pleasure, thanks, thanks,thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks,
thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks,thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks,
thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks,thanks, thanks Thanks.