Hawthorne Elementary School - Salt Lake City, UT

Hawthorne Elementary serves a central-city, working-class neighborhood in Salt Lake City. Hawthorne boasts an outstanding neighborhood school program, and it is also home to a district Curriculum and Assessment Lab and a district magnet gifted program. The rich academic diversity of three programs in one school is an incredible strength. Teachers from all three programs work together sharing unique teaching practices and learning opportunities to ensure success and achievement for all Hawthorne students. Teachers collaborate in horizontal PLCs across grade levels and in vertical teams K-6 to analyze student progress and develop targeted instruction to ensure students learn at a high level each day. In 2016, the Salt Lake City School District honored Hawthorne as its Top Performing non-Title I school.

Hawthorne students explore science topics in phenomenon-based labs and participate in a variety of outdoor science learning experiences. Students engage in problem solving activities during their 90-minute math block each day as well as in Math Olympiads and chess. Weekly dance, art, and music classes enrich core curriculum for all students, who participate in operas, Shakespeare plays, puppet shows, and musicals.

Hawthorne faculty and staff use restorative practices of social justice to empower students to be responsible for their behavior and academic activities. The school's philosophy of shared leadership, mutual respect and support among faculty, parents, community volunteers, and administrators illuminate the positive impact all adults have in supporting student achievement.