Fayette

County High School is one of an elite group of

six in the state. It been named a Georgia School

of Excellence by state Superintendent Linda C.

Schrenko.

It's

the only school in Fayette County to achieve the

honor, and one of only six in the state.

FCHS

principal Gary Phillips called the latest

recognition the piece of the puzzle that was

missing for the school. "Our teachers have

gotten a lot of rewards and recognition. I was

named principal of the year in 1998 and Sam

Sweatt was named assistant principal of the year

in 1996. There have also been a lot of little

things... being named a school of excellence is

an all-inclusive recognition," he said.

"We've

applied before, during my tenure, and we've

always gotten good comments," Phillips said.

But despite the positive results, the school

always fell short of being named a School of

Excellence. "We knew if they [evaluation

team] came to see us, that would seal the

deal." This is the first year on-site visits

were made.

Phillips

reported that the examiners came for a day-long

visit just before Christmas, zeroing in on

specific phrases and comments contained in the

school's submitted report and checking

information to corroborate graphs and charts

Phillips and his staff had provided. "They

were very deliberate, in my view," Phillips

said.

"Georgia

Schools of Excellence bring together the

community and school to provide the best possible

education for its students. Being selected as a

Georgia School of Excellence is one of the

highest honors our public schools can

receive," Schrenko said. "These schools

chose to make a difference. Students, teachers

and administrators, along with those in the

community, pulled together to achieve the goals

of the schools of excellence program.

"This

year's standards were much more rigorous than in

previous years," Schrenko added. "I am

pleased to commend these schools for their hard

work and dedication to being named one of the

best this state has to offer."

The

Schools of Excellence program began in 1984. The

nomination process focuses on several vital

areas: student focus and support; school

organization and culture; challenging standards

and curriculum; active teaching and learning,

professional community; leadership and

educational vitality; school, family and

community partnerships; and indicators of

success.

This

year a panel of educators reviewed each nominee

Oct. 18 and 19. The reviewers participated in a

training session in order to ensure a higher

degree of quality and consistency in rating

applications. Each school's application was read

and evaluated by four different individuals who

signed assurances indicating that they had no

connection with the school in question. Each

finalist had a site visit and was evaluated

against the available performance data that

indicated whether significant improvement had

been made.

This

year's 19 winners will be honored at a banquet

hosted by Schrenko at the Renaissance Waverly

Hotel in Atlanta April 20.

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