Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
April 24, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – A northeast Kansas City, Mo., school has earned a gold star.

On April 10, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded Lincoln College Preparatory Academy as a Gold Star School. The school, located at 2111 Woodland Ave., achieved this honor because of outstanding academic achievements. Lincoln College Prep is one of the only eight schools in Missouri to have received the Gold Star designation in 2014.

According to the department’s website, in order to recommend a school to the Commissioner of Education as a Missouri Gold Star School, the school must meet the nomination criteria outlined by the U.S. Department of Education for the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, complete the National Blue Ribbon Schools application and the U.S. Department of Education must accept the schools National Blue Ribbon Schools application. The program recognizes schools with students who achieve at very high levels or schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap.

Lincoln College Prep was previously named a Gold Star School in 2008. Under state rules, the academy was ineligible to rejoin the list for the next five years. With this year’s announcement, the academy is now eligible to seek a Blue Ribbon School designation from the U.S. Department of Education.

In a press release, Joseph Hesman, principal at Lincoln College Prep, said receiving the award is a great honor for everybody at the school.

“This is a true testament to the hard work that our students and teachers have done,” Hesman said. “With the outstanding support of the parents and district, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy is continuing to help our student experience a very strong academic program.”

According to superintendent Dr. R. Stephen Green, the designation is a “reflection of the focus and dedication of stakeholders across Kansas City Public Schools.”

“With Lincoln College Prep joining the ranks of elite secondary schools in Missouri, that helps fuel the culture of excellence we’ve developed across KCPS,” Green said.