What's Up, Doc? Local Schools Receive Honors

By Randall Freeman, PhD

The Menifee Unified School District has just completed an amazingly successful year. Five MUSD schools - Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary, Herk Bouris Elementary, Menifee Valley Middle School, Oak Meadows Elementary, and Ridgemoor Elementary - have been selected as Honor Roll Schools for the 2015 California Honor Roll, presented by Educational Results Partnership (ERP) and the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE).

The 2015 Honor Roll recognizes public elementary, middle, and high schools that demonstrate consistently high levels of student academic achievement, improvement in achievement over time, and reduction in achievement gaps. These five schools have joined only 1,700 other California schools in earning this distinguished recognition.

Two of the above listed schools, Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary and Oak Meadows Elementary, have been recognized by the State of California Department of Education (CDE) as Golden Ribbon schools. The Gold Ribbon awards recognize California schools that have made gains in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education. Only 780 California elementary schools were awarded this prestigious honor for the 2015-2016 school year.

Our newest elementary school, Harvest Hill STEAM Academy, will be opening its doors in August. Our first magnet school, Harvest Hill places special focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Mathematics (hence STEAM). All MUSD elementary students are invited to enroll in this MUSD school for the 2016-2017 school year.

The new Bob O’Donnell Educational Center will be open and ready for business this summer. The new educational center will replace the outdated district office, currently located in portables next to Callie Kirkpatrick Elementary School on Menifee Road. Students, families, and the Menifee community will be better served in the new facility.

Finally, plans are moving along to pass a bond issue on the November 2016 ballot. This bond will cover the costs required to continue serving Menifee USD students with proper facilities. Our district is growing and we must continue to grow with the community. We need to add an elementary school and middle school in the Audie Murphy Ranch Development, as well as modernize and rehabilitate our older schools.

It is an exciting time for MUSD students and families!

Randy Freeman and his family have lived in Menifee since 1993. Randy teaches kindergarten in Perris and his lovely wife Karen teaches first grade here in Menifee at Freedom Crest Elementary School. They are the proud parents of four beautiful daughters: Daniela, Sarah, Holly, and Megan. Other family members include dogs Scruffy and Max, and turtle Tuttles. Randy earned his PhD in early childhood education in 2011 and has served on the Menifee Union School Board since 2008. When not assisting Karen in driving the girls to all of their sporting events, Randy volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club of Menifee Valley.