Staff representing North Elementary School, from left, in the front row are Jodi Maycunich, Donny Bianco, principal, Pam Bednarz; middle, Donna Ward, Edward Williams, Mary Martin, Shannon Rosenthal, Beth Hart, Renee Grenier; back Anthony Tatangelo, Maria Basanese-Hill, Michele Haferkorn.

IRON MOUNTAIN — North Elementary staff and students are proud of their school. Iron Mountain Public Schools have invested in maintaining small class sizes and a family feel at North. By all accounts, that focus appears to be producing great academic results as well.

North Elementary was recently honored with an “A” grade in the 2017 Michigan Context and Performance Report Card published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

They are in the top 6 percent of elementary schools in Michigan, and placed in the top three for all elementary schools in the Upper Peninsula.

The score is the result of a rigorous process that looks at standardized testing results in light of key indicators that impact learning success. North students and staff have been successful over the past three years in consistently outperforming expectations.

Ben DeGrow, co-author of the CAP study and Report Card, said this study highlights the value North staff are providing for the educational dollars being invested, and that the community has an excellent resource for shaping and developing the next generation of citizens and leaders.

North staff and administration regularly review student results and create goals and strategies that assist individual students and cohorts as they attain the next level in their learning and application. Academic benchmarks are accompanied by a strong emphasis on social skill development and mentoring relationships. North Principal, Donny Bianco is proud of his staff and students and what they have accomplished as a team over the past three years.

Many initiatives have been implemented in recent years that support continuous improvement and parent involvement in a child’s learning. North Elementary, also known as “The School in the Sky” has much to celebrate.