By DAVID MATTESON
Touring classrooms, interviewing students and teachers and evaluating education standards are all on the docket for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools council visiting April 26.
The SACS committee is an evaluator of an institution’s quality of education as well as a provider of recommendations to improve a school’s rigor or overall excellence. Curriculum Resource Teacher Marianne Raver has been preparing for the committee’s visit since August.
“Accreditation is what college’s look at that shows they know that a school has relevance and vigor,” Raver said. “It’s a stamp of approval on a high school diploma.”
Raver and a team of faculty including Dr. Margaret McMillen, Dr. Alice Joosens, Elizabeth Hadd, Elaine Matthews, Dan Mullins, Carlotta Iglesisas and Ron Anderson worked to show in various ways that Boone meets SACS’s standards. These standards range from “Vision and Purpose” to “Commitment to Continuous Improvement” and are meant to cover the organization and vigor of an educational institution. However, Raver does not feel these standards are the most important factor in the accreditation process.
“Being on our campus for three days and hearing and seeing Boone will be the most important,” Raver said. “Everyone is so proud of this school and what we do well.”