Laura Pierce, principcal, Gideon Pond Elementary School

Laura Pierce is the principal of Gideon Pond Elementary School, a K- 6 school with 450 students providing specialized teaching in vocal and instrumental music, science, and physical education. Also, Gideon Pond is home to Independent School District 917's Hearing Impaired program.

The school maintains an emphasis on knowing all students through assessment, and using the assessment data to guide instruction. State and district data is disaggregated to better serve the needs of the students. Data is analyzed with the faculty and areas of improvement are designated according to strand data. Staff members continuously seek programs that provide school-wide enrichment. According to Pierce, Gideon Pond “staff, as well as our students and families, take great pride, ownership and leadership with high expectations for teaching and learning.”

Gideon Pond is a holistic school community focused on the needs of students. In addition to their classroom and curriculum responsibilities, staff volunteer for building-wide activities such as the Back-to-School PTO Italian Dinner for families, PTO Family Fun and Movie Nights, and the annual Ice Cream Social and Learning Fair. Also, all staff actively participate in at least two building-wide committees that support the needs of students, staff and building: PondEST building leadership team, Site Council, Data and Assessment Committee, PTO Representative, Building Safety and Security Team, Care Club Facilitators, Student Council Advisor, Spelling Bee Advisor, Green Team, Art and Hallway Displays, Technology Committee, Sunshine/Human Relations, TAT (Teachers Assisting Teachers), All Star Panthers, Safety Patrol, Code of Conduct Facilitator, Choir, SDC (Site Diversity Coordinator), Science Fair, and Wellness.

The community supports their neighborhood school.

MESPA Executive Director P. Fred Storti presents Gideon Pond Principal Laura Pierce with the school's MN School of Excellence plaque. The two student representatives in the center spoke earlier. The student to the far left is a Sign Language interpreter, and interpreted remarks for students in Gideon Pond's Hearing Impaired program.

Gideon Pond strives for perfect attendance by all families at Parent Teacher Conferences; at 95 percent, attendance for 2008 fall conferences was up one percent from 2007. Volunteers enrich the curriculum for all learners when their talents are utilized in the classroom. They help individualize instruction, promote school/community interaction, and provide multi-generational and multi-cultural experiences: for example, reading buddies, Junior Great Books, Junior Achievement, language interpreters, and arts instruction through Residency programs.  

One new program that enhances the ability for all students to achieve is Family Literacy Night. Staff united with a goal to help educate parents and families on reading and writing practices to use at home with children. Staff met over the summer planning breakout sessions for an evening event. A grant was written to obtain financial support. Materials and resources were prepared so all sessions consisted of hands-on-learning for parents. At the close of the evening, families shared pizza and celebrated their success. Each child was given a book to take home and begin practicing what parents had learned.

Pierce stresses that the school should influence what is possible for children to accomplish for their community. Accordingly, each grade level selects and participates in a community service-learning project that enriches the environment and/or the lives of others. Examples of school projects include: Diabetes Walk to benefit the American Diabetes Foundation, Gloves and Hats for families through the CAP agency, selling students’ handmade holiday ornaments for Armful of Love families in need at the holidays, collecting pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House, collecting Caring Coins for a family with a child diagnosed with cancer, creating May Day baskets for families in the Gideon Pond neighborhood, creating and selling bookmarks to benefit the Humane Society.  

As principal, Pierce believes: “excellence is a process. Gideon Ponds’ mission -- We, the community of Gideon Pond Elementary School, will encourage each child to reach his or her potential in a safe, supportive, nurturing environment where positive self esteem thrives and the joy of learning is discovered to be a lifelong process -- declares our commitment to reach out to students and help prepare each individual for the future. Our teachers, support staff, parents, and volunteers work collaboratively to prepare our students to be the future leaders of America. This commitment is

At the Gideon Pond Elementary MN School of Excellence celebration on February 25, 2010: l-r, MESPA Executive Director P. Fred Storti, Gideon Pond Principal Laura Pierce; District #191 Superintendent Dr. Randall Clegg.

embraced by our long-standing motto Learning for the Future. We believe in collectively creating a caring, safe, supportive, and rigorous learning environment that is required for our students to attain high levels of student achievement. When I greet students the two questions of the day are: ‘Did you do your best?’ and ‘Can you make your best, better?’ I believe academic excellence, whether teaching or learning, is a process of always attempting to make our best, better!”