Education

County Schools Receive Prestigious Accreditation

Student success is the main focus of the Maury County public school system.

Remember the old saying‚ “It takes a village to raise a child”?

Well‚ in Maury County‚ the whole “village” is on board – especially in terms of education.

The Maury County public school system was one of only five school districts in Tennessee to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2006‚ a testament to the county’s longstanding commitment to quality education.

“Individual schools in Maury County have been accredited since 1917‚ but we saw advantages to being district-accredited‚” says Eddie Hickman‚ director of Maury County Public Schools. “Our goal was to bring our schools closer as a team.”

Part of the accreditation process included hosting a SACS team that visited several schools and conducted interviews with the superintendent‚ teachers‚ students‚ parents‚ school board members and people in the community.

“Superintendent Eddie Hickman has pulled together a team of people highly qualified and very committed to Maury County schools‚” says Sandra Sherman‚ Texas-based chairperson of the SACS visiting team that recommended Maury County for accreditation. “We saw a lot of community support for Hickman and his initiatives. And Maury County has opened four new schools in the last 10 years‚ so it’s definitely a growing district.”

To qualify for SACS accreditation‚ the school system had to meet a set of 10 standards‚ including categories such as class sizes‚ facilities‚ student services and qualifications of teachers.

“Altogether‚ we interviewed 279 people in Maury County and visited eight schools‚” Sherman says. “Their student performance data‚ handbooks and curriculums were excellent. It’s clear that student success is the focus of the Maury County district.”

The county’s public school system includes 20 schools and approximately 12‚000 students. Three of the district’s schools are unit schools‚ which allow students to attend school in the same building from kindergarten through 12th grade.

“It’s a good concept‚ because when a fifth-grader goes to sixth grade‚ a teacher can walk across the hall and talk to another teacher‚” says Mary Ruth Campbell‚ assistant director of Maury County Public Schools. “You start school there and finish school there‚ so it’s a community. Parents get involved and take ownership‚ and everybody knows each other.”

Other public schools in Maury County have specialties of their own. Mount Pleasant Middle School of the Visual and Performing Arts‚ for example‚ opened in 2001 and integrates visual and performing arts into the regular middle school curriculum. And Spring Hill High School’s strength is its computer technology program.

“We recently had a student go through the computer technology program at Spring Hill High School‚ and he went to work for Dell making $50‚000 a year right out of high school‚” Hickman says. “Different schools have different programs and talents.”

Sherman says two of the features that stood out about Maury County schools were elementary reading programs and school safety.

“Their school safety program was a model program. The security officers are very well trained‚” she says. “And they’ve made an emphasis on reading at the elementary level‚ which is the key to learning. That’s very commendable.”

The district’s leadership is also highly qualified‚ Sherman says.

Hickman served in different capacities – as a student‚ teacher‚ coach‚ assistant principal and principal – in Maury County schools before becoming director of schools.

“I’m a product of Maury County schools‚ so my heart is here. I care a lot about this school system‚” Hickman says. “We take a total team effort approach‚ because we want to move education forward in this county for whatever vocation students want to pursue. The standards set by state and federal government are minimum standards‚ and we want this school system to be more than minimum.”

In addition to its public schools‚ Maury County has a wealth of highly regarded private schools. The King’s Daughters’ School is a private‚ nonprofit‚ year-round school for students with developmental disabilities. Columbia Academy provides an education reflective of the Church of Christ‚ but it welcomes students of different religious‚ ethnic and social backgrounds. And Zion Christian Academy and Agathos School of Columbia both offer quality academics with a Christian worldview.

“Maury County has excellent schools and is committed to continuous improvement‚” Sherman says. “It’s a beautiful area with friendly people and a wonderful place for children.”

Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Michael W. Bunch

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