A Hernando County school has something to brag about: Spring Hill Elementary has gone from one of the worst schools in the district to one of the best
- Last year Spring Hill Elementary went from 'D' school to 'B'
- Prinipal Michael Maine and his staff say it took a lot of work to get there
- Maine was brought in last year to help turn things around
The transformation happened in just one year.
“It is rare but it's doable,” said Principal Michael Maine. “A lot of hard work, a lot of grit, a lot of push and drive by staff, but it's definitely doable and we are a testament to that."
Maine was brought in last summer to turn the school around. Over the past year, he managed to take the school’s solid ‘D’ to a near perfect mark.
The school's grade is not the only thing that has improved since Maine’s arrival. Attendance is up, moral is up and student behavior has gotten much better. Maine says his recipe for success is simple.
“To me it's focusing on the basics and inspiring staff,” Maine said. “People have to be inspired to feel they are part of something."
Parents used to pull their kids out of the school – but not anymore.
“[It’s] a team effort,” said assistant principal Kristen Tormey. “People that are truly committed to kids. That's what happened here."
“I’m proud,” added Maine, “because I think for the first time our staff and our team feel that all their hard work that they do every day as an educator paid off.”
Hard work and dedication has sent this school from the bottom to the top. For Principal Maine and his staff, the mission this year is to keep their momentum going and score an ‘A.’