Rockdale Citizen

Georgia School Superintendent John Barge visits with students, staff and faculty at Pine Street Elementary School Friday to congratulate them for becoming a 2011 Georgia School of Excellence. Pine Street was among 26 schools state wide to receive the designation by making the highest academic gains among all schools in the Fourth Congressional district.

CONYERS -- Georgia School Superintendent John Barge visited Pine Street Elementary School Friday to congratulate students and staff members for being named a 2011 Georgia School of Excellence in Student Achievement.

Barge spoke to the student body, staff and faculty in the school's lunch room for the formal award presentation. The school was also given a check for $1,000 from the Georgia Natural Gas True Blue Schools program.

Barge told the children the School of Excellence award was a great achievement and spoke about "keeping up the hard work and the difference that it makes." Barge talked about his tough and mostly poor upbringing and having to work at age 9 to help pay the bills. He said school made the difference for him.

"I call education the great equalizer because it didn't matter when I went to school when I walked through the doors of that school -- my dad wasn't at home, or he was an alcoholic or that we didn't have food or we were poor or what color I was -- none of that mattered," he said. "You know why? I had the exact same opportunity as every other child in that school to take what my teachers were giving me and to learn and become something and be successful."

Pine Street Elementary is one of 26 Schools of Excellence across the state. Schools are selected as a School of Excellence by either having the highest academic gains from the previous year or being in the top 10 percent in each of Georgia's 14 Congressional districts school receives that recognition.

The school was recognized for having the highest academic gains in reading and math test scores in the Fourth Congressional District that includes parts of Gwinnett, DeKalb and Rockdale counties.

Pine Street Elementary Principal Kim Vier closed the assembly congratulating students and also thanking staff and facility for their work.

"To stand here makes me so proud to work with all of you," she said.