At Lockheed Elementary, the first week back to school offered all students a spot at the top of the podium.
Instead of a typical orientation, students kicked off the first day with Olympic-style opening ceremonies in the school cafeteria. Kindergartners and fifth graders alike decorated paper plate medals and raced one another in track and field games, all capped off the next day with a lively closing ceremony featuring hundreds of crayon-crafted flags.
Meanwhile, many of Lockheed’s parents, teachers and administrators felt like they won a medal as well.
The percentage of third graders reading at or above grade level increased by nearly 10 points in the 2024 Georgia Milestones from about 38% to more than 47% — the highest change within the district’s elementary schools. The percentage of fifth graders reading at or above grade level increased from about 47% to roughly 59%.
Some of the credit for the improvement has gone to Tricia Patterson, who started as Lockheed’s principal last fall. Patterson came to Lockheed after over 20 years in education and five years heading Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, the district’s high-achieving magnet school. The new environment, she said, has proved “fulfilling in a whole other way.”
Credit: Courtesy Tricia Patterson
Credit: Courtesy Tricia Patterson
The unique decision to switch schools, Patterson said, came from her desire to help a pocket of the community that has not had the same resources or academic outcomes as schools in more affluent neighborhoods. About 85% of Lockheed’s students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Nearly a third of its students are ESOL learners whose first language is not English.
“I uncovered a passion to help students and families that are not fortunate enough to be in the pathway that I had been accustomed to,” Patterson said. “Both of my previous schools had very, very affluent, very high-performing students who definitely need a lot, but don’t need as much as my current population at Lockheed has. I feel it’s imperative that every population is given opportunities to succeed and to show what they know.”
Patterson’s choice has thus far paid off for Lockheed, which is important as education leaders look for ways to increase academic performance in traditionally low-achieving schools. One increasingly used approach has been to encourage more teachers to work in schools in lower-achieving or under-resourced schools. Atlanta’s school board approved a budget for this fiscal year that includes a $3,000 incentive for teachers who return to teach at a high-poverty school. Fulton County’s school district is offering new teachers who agree to teach at one of the district’s 12 “priority” schools a $5,000 stipend.
In her first year, Patterson prioritized empowering staff and exploring nontraditional ways to shift the school’s culture.
She added two additional assistant principal roles, hiring colleagues from MCAA. Assistant Principal Lindsay McDaniel, who also started at Lockheed at the start of the 2023-24 school year, spearheaded a new mentoring program that paired almost 100 volunteers with students for monthly sessions. The program focused on building personal connections.
“Our students get tons of academic support here in the building, so we really just wanted kids to have an interaction with an adult that really cared about them and wanted to know about them,” McDaniel said.
The school also began an endowment for partners to send financial support, raising over $10,000 in the first year. Thanks to a recent donation from Marietta’s Kiwanis Club, all 48 classrooms will add comfort corners — regulation zones where students can take a moment to center themselves in moments of anger or anxiety.
“As an adult, you can have a tantrum or have a bad moment, and you need to walk away for a second,” Patterson said. “So kids need the same thing.”
Some parents have already noticed improvements in their children’s behavior.
Shana Birchfield said her youngest son, a fifth grader, seems more outgoing. She started working at the school as a substitute teacher last school year, saying Patterson’s “phenomenal” impact influenced her decision.
“It just feels different — it’s like a breath of fresh air,” Birchfield said. “And maybe it was there before, but I just didn’t feel it.”
Schools across the nation struggled in the wake of pandemic learning disruptions, and students at Lockheed felt a heightened impact. Many of this year’s score improvements showed a return to pre-pandemic performances.
The improvements in part reflect Marietta City Schools’ “Science of Reading” curriculum implemented in 2021. Educators have reported gains in reading proficiency from the program’s focus on phonics and language comprehension.
“In the three years, students’ academics have just soared because we’re teaching reading from a different perspective,” third grade teacher Darci Hendren said. “But since Dr. Patterson got here, we’ve seen kids be more engaged with their learning. They feel more responsible for it.”
Noting that fourth graders’ ELA and reading Milestones scores did not improve as anticipated, Patterson said the cohort faced pandemic impacts starting their kindergarten year, a crucial time for early reading instruction. Their class also has the highest number of students new to the country, so teachers are paying close attention to those students.
Reading continues as a priority for teachers and administration in the upcoming school year. Given Lockheed’s high ESOL population, specialized support staff tailor their approach to each student’s ability.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Excitement for the year ahead was palpable at the closing ceremony. Students screamed with joy chanting Lockheed’s mantra: “Oh, yes, we can.”
For McDaniel, the Olympic back-to-school theme serves not only to harness energy for the school year, but as a welcoming symbol of Lockheed’s linguistic and racial diversity.
“It’s cool to see all the different country flags and then think, ‘How many of our students come from those countries?’” McDaniel said. “The Olympics is a celebration across the world, and so it really is going to help all of our students to feel included from the very beginning of the school year that, together, we make a great team.”
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