Bakersfield Middle School one of eight in the nation to receive MMGW award

At a recent national conference, Bakersfield Middle School was one of eight middle schools in the nation honored with an Outstanding Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW) award.
Sixteen Bakersfield middle school and high school teachers and one Bakersfield board member attended the conference July 19-23 in Nashville. Its official title was the 25th annual High Schools That Work Staff (HSTW) Development Conference sponsored by the Southern Regional Education Board.
SREB president Dave Spence presented the award before an audience of more than 5,000 educators from across the nation attending the HSTW Conference.
The Outstanding MMGW award is based on the success of the school's leaders and teachers in improving school practices and raising student achievement. A press release announcing the award said that more than 450 middle grades schools in 21 states participate in the MMGW school-improvement initiative "to create a culture of high expectations and prepare middle grades students for challenging high school courses and productive careers."
High school principal Troy Wiesner said the school was honored to receive the award. "It speaks volumes of the hard work of our students and the dedication of our staff," he said.
Wiesner added that a grant from Southern Regional Education Board's HSTW program helped the school implement many of the HSTW ideas and "provided many opportunities for staff development, such as this conference."