“Do You Believe in Magic?” That was the theme at C.W. Long Middle School, as staff prepared scholars for the 2019 Georgia Milestones Assessment.
The school’s goal was to increase the number of scholars who performed at the Distinguished Academic Level on the Georgia Milestones Assessment. Those students who met that goal would be celebrated for their efforts with a free trip to Disney.
A total of 21 scholars did just that and were offered an opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida on June 25-27, 2019. Because many had competing summer commitments, just 12 students took the trip to meet Mickey.
At the June 25 sendoff, staff prepared Mickey Mouse waffles, sausage and juice for the 12 students. Cheerleaders performed a congratulatory cheer, and Mickey and Minnie stopped by to say hello.
“This literally started as a dream,” Principal Lisa Hill told the group of scholars. “A lot of people don’t believe dreams come true. So, you all tell someone that dreams come true if you work hard.”
Principal Hill says this group of students were the highest number of distinguished students in the history of the school.
Many students attended before and after school subject-area tutoring to prepare for their exams.
“It’s not just about test scores,” Hill reassured them. “It’s about pouring into yourself.”
The “Do You Believe in Magic?” initiative was a brainchild of instructional coach Dr. Lisa Garner-Robinson and rising Assistant Principal Carla McCall-McCou, who led the crowd-funding campaign to raise money for the trip. In addition, staff made personal calls to private donors and partners to make the trip possible.
“It took a lot to put this trip together,” Hill said to the scholars, “but you are worth it.”
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