This week, we’re showing our #CPSDPride with a #SuperSchoolShoutOut to Four Heroes Elementary School!
Four Heroes is connected to Harrison Preparatory School in a building that opened in 2015. The school was named in honor of the four fallen officers who lost their lives in the line of duty on Nov. 29, 2009: Police Sgt. Mark Renninger, Officer Tina Griswold, Officer Ronald Owens and Officer Greg Richards.
The mission of educators, staff and administrators at Four Heroes is to commit themselves to the academic and social successes of each one of their students without excuses or exceptions.
“We have a very large multilanguage learning (MLL) program here at Four Heroes and we’re typically the largest of the elementary MLL programs,” Principal Lindsay Akoni Guzzo said. “A large majority of our students are non-English language speakers, so as a staff it’s important that we are learning how to meet the needs of all our students knowing that language can be a barrier.”
Because of the language barrier, the Four Heroes team works very closely with families to form a strong community bond where everyone feels comfortable reaching out to one another for help, support or advice to make sure students have the tools they need to excel. This year, Four Heroes is determined to deepen these ties even further with community events that bring students, staff and families into the school.
To continue our Super School Shoutout to Four Heroes, we'd like to honor fifth grader A’Kharee Bailey and first grade teacher Amanda Daly.
A’Kharee loves being in the top grade at school because he likes to inspire others and be a role model for younger students. He helps his teachers by mentoring students who want to improve. “I’m the type of student who raises their hand now because I used to act out a little bit, but I’ve learned to be a better student,” he said.
A’Kharee loves “everything” about Four Heroes, but if he had to pick he’d say his teachers are the best. “They’re kind and understand you when you have something to say,” he said. His favorite subject is math, but he also enjoys science and loved his class project about clean water and salmon ecosystems.
On the field, A'Kharee was voted the fastest student in his class. After school, he plays on the RISE Football Academy team, and when he grows up, he wants to play in the NFL as a receiver or quarterback (whichever position gets the most cheers from the fans).
Amanda joined Four Heroes as a paraeducator before becoming a first grade teacher. “First grade is all I’ve ever taught, and I love it,” she said. “I can mold these kids into better future students, and I'm always smiling because they’re so fun to be around.”
Amanda loves teaching science because it gives her an opportunity to incorporate experiments and other forms of hands-on learning. “I want education to be fun for students so that they like coming back into my classroom to learn,” she said. “I also put a lot of trust in my students to complete their tasks on their own so that they can be independent learners in the future.”
To Top Dog Amanda, the Four Heroes staff and students are a second family. “At this school, we have a bread basket of diverse people who all support one another and make this a great place to teach.”
Go Top Dogs!