MIDLAND, Texas — Bonham Elementary School in Midland was recognized Thursday as a model PLC campus by Solution Tree, making it one of about 300 internationally and about 70 in Texas to receive this exclusive distinction.
PLC stands for professional learning community, and that is the culture that has been established at Bonham Elementary to create a collaborative effort among educators that stimulates academic growth and success for students.
The elementary has seen tremendous progress over the past few years, going from a ‘D’ rated school in 2019 to a ‘B’ rated school now.
Solution Tree’s vision is to transform education worldwide to ensure learning for all. They started working in Midland ISD in 2014, and the focus on Bonham began in 2018. The results to this point have been very satisfying.
"When you see those baby steps happening early on in the work and the teachers start to get those wins and they see their students starting to achieve, the momentum builds on itself," Darren Grissom, State Executive Director of Solution Tree said. "Whether they’re looking at math scores, or maybe they’re talking about a student who’s just now finally reading on grade level, each of those small wins, because that’s what we’re all about is each individual student, all of those small wins add up to why we are here today.”
Former Bonham Principal Tricia Teran oversaw much of the work that went into this recognition and was proud to take part in the celebration.
“It was very rewarding because your hard work payed off, but it’s also a boost of encouragement for the teachers to continue the hard work and keep pushing forward because this is only the beginning," Teran said.
The school understands the importance of sustaining this excellence and is happy to see its students set up for success.
"Our ultimate goal and what we try to do on a daily basis is to provide our students with the best possible quality education, and that’s what they deserve, so that’s what we do, that’s what we try and do on a daily basis," said Armando Gallegos, Principal of Bonham. "The PLC process provides the planning for our teachers so that they can provide that quality service for our students.”
The PLC process takes a minimum of three years in order to obtain status as a ‘model’ campus. The progress is tracked through research and data of the school from an academic standpoint, and Bonham hopes to inspire and receive visits from other schools looking to gain the same type of status and academic success.