Grade ‘A’ learning: Mesa elementary is ‘cool school’
Aug 21, 2012, 11:59 AM | Updated: 12:07 pm
PHOENIX — A Mesa public elementary school has earned a “cool school” rating from national educational publisher Scholastic’s Parent and Child magazine.
Laidback Zaharis Elementary School, near East McKellips and North Ellsworth roads, got raves for its “out of the box thinking,” according to the magazine.
Star Charter in Flagstaff also made the list of 25.
That outside-the-box thinking at Zaharis includes golfing (sometimes), collaborative problem-solving, a rooftop observatory and the care and feeding of a handful of tortoises.
“I like to describe our school as an oatmeal raisin cookie in a sea of chocolate chips,” said Principal Mike Oliver.
Students work with each other or independently, he said. “They investigate, they explore, they question. … We’re not preparing them just to do well on a test.”
Zaharis scored a B on the recent schools report card from the state Department of Education. While the school’s approach isn’t traditional, Oliver said intends to improve on its state score.
