Friendswood Independent School District in Friendswood, Texas, has been selected as an honorable mention recipient in the American School Board Journal’s 16th annual Magna Awards program.
            The school district was recognized in the 5,000 to 20,000 enrollment category for its Engineering Program, which has produced national competitors and winners in student engineering contests every year since the program started. Last year, 45 students participated in a three-week after-school program with the local engineering advisory board in a local competition designed to refine their problem-solving skills.

            “The goal of the program is to excite our students about the possibilities that the field of Engineering provides. It is also to build critical reasoning skills that will be valuable in their futures,” said Ann Mulder, Director of Career and Technical Education. “Applications of higher order math and science concepts to real world scenarios are integral to the development of the students problem solving skills in this program. It fits the FISD district mission seamlessly.”
            The results of the program have been impressive.
            “Since the inception of the program in 2001, the enrollment of students has grown to involve three full time teachers and more than 300 students at the high school campus.  With a campus enrollment of 1967, the engineering program serves more than 15 percent of the campus in a given year. 
            Engineering students have won West Point’s National bridge Building contest for civil engineering and since this program began, winning more than $15,000 in college scholarships and two laptop computers. The students have also placed in the top ten of that competition with more than $5,000 per person sin additional college scholarships.
            Advanced students in the program have designed projects for the City of Friendswood.
            “We are honored to now be recognized nationally with Honorable Mention in the 2010 Magna Awards,” Mulder said.
            All the winning districts were recognized at the National School Boards Association’s annual conference in April in Chicago.
            The Magna Awards recognize districts across the country for outstanding programs that advance student learning and encourage community involvement in schools. This year’s three grand prize, 15 first place, and 15 honorable mention winners were selected based on three enrollment categories: less than 5,000 students, 5,000 to 20,000, and 20,000 and above.
            “As school districts face unprecedented financial challenges, the Magna Awards are an opportunity to showcase innovation and the bold steps that school leaders take every day,” said Marilee Rist, ASBJ’s publisher and associate executive director of the National School Boards Association (NSBA). “This year’s entries reflect the hard work of school boards, superintendents, and staff who strive to meet their communities’ changing needs in creative and innovative ways.”
            "Our clients, like all school districts, are looking for innovative ways to help students achieve their goals, so we strive to find creative new ways to meet their needs with a focus on student well-being," said Lorna Donatone, Sodexo Education Market President and COO.  "The Magna Awards recognize school boards and communities that share our passion for innovation and we are proud to support the program again this year."
            American School Board Journal initiated the Magna Awards in 1995 to recognize school boards for taking bold and innovative steps to improve their educational programs. An independent panel of school board members, administrators, and other educators selected winners from more than 330 submissions. This year’s applicants came from more than 40 states plus Canada and the Mariana Islands; districts in 20 U.S. states were winners or honorable mention recipients.
            The 2010 winners are highlighted in a special supplement to the April issue of ASBJ and were formally recognized April 12, at the School Leaders Luncheon which is part of NSBA’s 70th Annual Conference in Chicago.
American School Board Journal (www.asbj.com) is the award-winning, editorially independent education magazine of NSBA. Founded in 1891, ASBJ covers a broad range of topics pertinent to school governance and management, policymaking, student achievement, and the art of school leadership. In addition, regular departments cover education news and trends, school law, research, communications, governance, and school finance issues.
            Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com) is a leading integrated facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. Sodexo serves more than 10 million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, government, and remote sites. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., is a member of Sodexo Group, and funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.sodexofoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger in America.
            As research indicates, diet and nutrition as well as classroom and school conditions have an impact on student performance. Sodexo is committed to student well-being and has initiated a variety of programs around nutrition, achievement, environment, community and activities. The company partners with more than 500 school districts across the country. It serves more than 2.8 million meals each day as well as healthy beverages and snack options. Sodexo manages a variety of comprehensive service solutions, including custodial, plant maintenance and grounds keeping in the K-12 marketplace. Sodexo has been a proud sponsor of the Magna Awards since 1995.