Fairview Elementary School

The staff and administration at Fairview Elementary School have taken an innovative approach to addressing community social problems within the public school system. By implementing programs that involve the whole family in school related activities, Fairview Elementary is making an effort to halt the deterioration of the nuclear family. They also work to ensure that their students and educators have a solid foundation to build upon to become productive and responsible citizens in the work force. The school also stresses the importance of young children active in community service initiatives. Through several inventive programs, Fairview Elementary School works toward achieving its objective of influencing the community in a positive way.

During the 1997-1998 school year, Fairview Elementary presented a program called "Fairview Fathers First." The program was designed to get fathers involved in the lives of their children. There were several events including "Dinner With Dad," "Donuts With Dad" and "Daddy Date Night." The program has since been expanded to involve the entire family and is called "Fairview Families First." The positive impact of the program has been seen in the increased attendance at the Christmas Program, Grandparents' Day, Open House and parent/teacher conferences. In addition, many more parents are volunteering to dedicate time to helping out at Fairview.

Through the use and reinforcement of lifelong guidelines (truth, trust, active listening, personal best, and no put-downs), Fairview is utilizing early prevention as a means to produce students that will be assets to the workforce. It is their hope that all students and educators will reach their full potential in becoming lifelong learners and productive citizens. A concept called C.L.A.S.S. (Connecting Learning Assures Successful Students) is central to this goal and provides a professional development model for teachers at the school to follow.

Community service is also crucial to the formula that spells success for Fairview students and instructors. Fairview consistently participates in the "National Make A Difference Day" program. In April 1998, the school received a Community Service Award for their 1997 Make a Difference Day project. For this project, students illustrated and wrote stories for Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. The stories were included in a book that was also distributed to local businesses, day care centers, and nursing homes. For the 1998 project, each grade level was given a specific mission to complete and the results were featured in Fairview's November newsletter. As Fairview looks forward to the year 2000, they are embracing the challenges that lie ahead in a positive, constructive manner.