South Ripley Schools Hold Cognia District of Distinction Celebration

Administrators, teachers and staff were celebrated on Monday for all they have accomplished in recent memory.

South Ripley Community School Corporation receives their Cognia District of Distinction award. Photo by Travis Thayer, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Versailles, Ind.) – A celebration was held on Monday afternoon in Versailles to recognize the amazing accomplishments of the South Ripley Community School Corporation.

Administrators, teachers, school board members, and other South Ripley Schools employees were joined by Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner, Congresswoman Erin Houchin, State Senator Jean Leising, and State Representative Alex Zimmerman, among others, for a Cognia District of Distinction Celebration.

South Ripley Community School Corporation learned they would be a recipient of the prestigious award in September. 

The honor was earned based on the results of the rigorous Cognia Engagement Review Process in the 2023-24 school year. South Ripley would end up being one of only 11 school districts globally to receive the designation.

Based on their 2023–2024 Cognia Accreditation Engagement Review results, these schools and systems demonstrated evidence of high-quality teaching and learning. Institutions were evaluated and provided evidence of growth in learning, a healthy culture for learning, engaging and high-quality instructional environments, and effective leadership for learning—all characteristics Cognia expects to see in quality schools.

At South Ripley, their list of accomplishments is long, but a few specific accomplishments from this past year were highlighted on Monday. Those accomplishments include having the highest I-LEARN English/Language Arts passing rate in southeast Indiana, highest I-LEARN Math passing rate in southeast Indiana, highest I-READ-3 passing rate in southeast Indiana (98.4 %), second highest 3rd Grade Math passing percentage of all public school corporations in Indiana, and highest 4th Grade Math passing percentage of all public school corporations in Indiana.

“I couldn’t be more proud to stand here as the superintendent of South Ripley Community School Corporation. I couldn't be more proud to look out and see the fantastic group of educators that we are celebrating today, and I hope you realize and feel that this is a celebration of your hard work. Because without what you have done and the work you have put in, we wouldn’t be receiving any of the accolades we have received lately,” said Superintendent Rob Moorhead.

Monday’s program featured several guest speakers, including Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner. She touted South Ripley’s ability to beat the odds.

“Your free reduced lunch rate is above state average. Typically, socio-economic status and student achievement really correlate, but you are beating those odds and you have been for years and years," said Dr. Jenner. 

Congresswoman Erin Houchin was also in attendance. During her speech, she announced that as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives she put South Ripley’s Cognia recognition into congressional record, officially making it part of the history of the United States.

Once accredited, an institution engages in a similar engagement review process, as described above, at least every six years to maintain Cognia Accreditation.

Dr. Phyllis Gilworth, Cognia Regional Accreditation Evaluator, was on hand Monday. She stated that she is excited to stay with South Ripley to go through this process over the next six years. 

"This is a place I would love to work, but more importantly, this is a place I want my child to go to school. That is the highest compliment I can make as an educator and a parent," Gilworth added. 

“The way we got here today was to continue asking ourselves, as good as we are, how do we continue to get better? It is up to us to answer that question and fill in that blank. I look forward to seeing what we as a collective will accomplish next. Because as we have shown, nothing is impossible when you work together with a team and a team of people that we have assembled here today,” said Moorhead.

RELATED STORIES

South Ripley Named a Cognia District of Distinction

South Ripley Elementary School Achieves Top IREAD-3 Passing Rate in Southeast Indiana

South Ripley Posts Top ILEARN Scores in SE Indiana

Local Schools Recognized for Meeting Indiana's Literacy Goal

South Ripley Schools Earn Recognition at IDOE Educational Excellence Awards Gala