Johnsville Elementary School

Patrick Murray, principal 2007-2008 MESPA Minnesota School of Excellence Anoka Hennepin Public Schools, ISD #11 "Our job is to help students be successful – and the way to do that is to be the best we can be." Patrick J. Murray is the principal of Johnsville Elementary School, a suburban school in Blaine, MN with just under 700 kindergarten through 5th grade students in both regular and special education. Following the trend, the school is opening an all-day every-day pay for service option for the parents of kindergarten students. Johnsville sets high expectations and standards for the academic, social, and ethical development of all students and staff and follows the stated vision of the district: “…to be a school of excellence, with high quality staff and programs and successful graduates.” Johnsville Elementary School is comprised of a tightly knit staff who pride themselves in being one school with one staff working for the betterment of all students; there is no separation of staff by responsibility or license. It is a consistently high-ranking school in both district as well as state comparisons on the percentage of students making proficiency. As a result of the school’s culture of high expectations and standards, Johnsville received the Award of Excellence in Education, presented by United States Senator Mark Dayton, in recognition of outstanding contributions to students’ lives and improving students’ academic performance.   Murray, as instructional leader, knows the importance of positive reinforcement through professional discussion with all teachers. He encourages staff members to be active learners themselves and to choose professional development opportunities that will aid in helping students to be successful. Murray makes sure Johnsville utilizes learner-centered leadership as a base for the school community. It is the strong test scores of the students that validate the continuing efforts of the teachers. “Many years ago I found the quote ‘Learning today for a successful tomorrow’ and that is what I believe to be true,” said Murray. “Our job is to help students be successful – and the way to do that is to be the best we can be. That means working together for the betterment of each individual child’s learning. If we all have the students’ best interests in mind, the students will know and feel that and they, too, can be the best they can be – and will be successful. We have a school saying – ‘We Reach For The Stars To Be More Than We Dreamed.’ All our dreams are attainable; we just need to believe we can be successful – we can ALL be STARS,” he continued. Johnsville Elementary Minnesota School of Excellence Celebration: March 26, 2008 6:30 p.m. Blaine High School Johnsville Elementary School will hold a celebration to honor its Minnesota School of Excellence validation on Wednesday, March 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the Blaine High School auditorium. This will be a vibrant, active event – with children, families, school staff, and community dignitaries. The celebration will begin with a procession. “The focus will be on our students and on fun,” said Pat Murray, Johnsville principal. There will be music and performances from every Johnsville grade. All students and staff will be wearing Minnesota School of Excellence garb: primary color t-shirts for primary students; intermediate color t-shirts for intermediate students; sweatshirts for staff. In addition to the community of school parents, community and education dignitaries will include: U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann (6th Congressional District), Minnesota Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren, Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent Roger Giroux, and Blaine Mayor Tom Ryan. MESPA Executive Director P. Fred Storti and MESPA President Richard Oscarson will present Johnsville Elementary with a Minnesota School of Excellence wall plaque. The Johnsville Elementary School gymnasium has been permanently decorated to celebrate the school’s validation: Principal Murray and his staff painted the Minnesota School of Excellence logo on the wall along with the school’s All Star logo. (See the photos below.)

Image Gallery: Logos on the wall
Painting the Johnsville and Minnesota School of Excellence logos onto the gym walls.
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