Banks County Middle School, located in the small city of Homer, wasn't always a place that earned state awards.
Several years ago, school facilities in the district were in poor condition and classrooms were overcrowded with students, said Banks County Middle School Principal Matthew Cooper.
But things have taken a significant turn. Starting in early 2000, the district used money from a 1-cent special purpose local sales tax option to build or modernize all of its facilities. Banks County Middle School opened a new building in 2005.
"I think that immediately changed the culture of our school," Cooper said.
In the past few years, the middle school has won a number of state recognitions, including its most recent honor: the 2010 State Breakthrough Schools Award.
The award is the highest honor a middle school can earn through the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals. Members of the association met to honor Banks County at the Jekyll Island Club on Jekyll Island Nov. 7.
The award identifies and showcases schools that are high achieving or that dramatically improve student achievement and school leaders complete an extensive application. Twelve middle schools across the state were honored this year.
At Banks County, student achievement has improved seven years in a row, Cooper said. The school's performance index, which averages all 15 of the state's Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, has grown each year.
Banks County has also reached its Adequate Yearly Progress goals six years straight. A cornerstone of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, AYP measures year-to-year student achievement on standardized tests.
Cooper said much of the credit falls to the leadership at the district level, and the school's improved efforts to recruit high-quality teaching staff.
"We also saw immediate results from our enrichment periods," Cooper said.
About three years ago, the middle school launched a special class each morning to help students struggling in math and reading. The school also uses the computer program Classworks, which focuses on those subject areas and targets learning problems.
One thing that has caught the interest of school officials across the state is Banks County's special education model. Regular and special education teachers work together as a team in the same classroom.
"Our special education achievement is excellent, which is one reason we make AYP. A lot of schools struggle with special education students," Cooper said. "We've had five different school systems come in to observe this year."
In addition to being named a regional 2010 Breakthrough School, Banks County was also named a 2010 Distinguished Breakthrough School for the state. For the special award, the school received a trophy and a check for $500. Selection criteria for the award included student achievement, collaborative leadership and personalization of the learning environment.
Cooper believes the most challenging thing about success is sustaining it. He said the school will continue to focus on professional development as a means for improvement.
"The definition of a professional is someone who is currently at the top of their game but they continue to improve every year. That's really an expectation here," he said.
Among the school's other honors are the Governor's Silver Award and the Title I Distinguished School Award from 2008 to 2010.