Glades County Schools Superintendent

>> THE GLADES COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS HAS EARNED A TOP SPOT IN YOUR FIELD ON A NATIONAL LEVEL. DR. BETH BARFIELD IS NAMED AS ONE OF ONLY 3 FINALISTS FOR THE NATIONAL SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR AWARD. AND THIS COMES DURING A REBOUND FOR A SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT'S MADE GREAT STRIDES WHEN IT COMES TO ITS EVALUATION BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, WGCUS EILEEN KELLY REPORTS. >> I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T HAVE THE WORDS FOR IT. I'M TRYING TO TRY TO SOAK IT ALL IN AND JUST ENJOY THE HOT TODAY. BUT FOR DECADES, ALICE BARR, FIELDWORK IN LEE COUNTY, PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONSIDERABLY LARGER SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE SHE EARNED THE REPUTATION AS A TURNAROUND LEADER, A GO-TO PERSON TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AT STRUGGLING SCHOOLS IN TWENTY-TWENTY. SHE SAID IT WAS TIME TO COME HOME TO GLADES COUNTY, A PLACE WHERE SHE GREW UP A PLACE WHERE FOR 6 GENERATIONS BARFIELD'S FAMILY HAS WORKED THE LAND IN THIS SMALL AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY RIFE WITH UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY IN NOVEMBER OF 2020 VOTERS IN GLADES COUNTY PICK BARFIELD TO BE. THERE'S SUPERINTENDENT SHE GLADLY ACCEPTED THE CHALLENGE AND THE SIGNIFICANT PAY CUT THAT IT MEANT TO COME HOME. >> I KNEW THAT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO DO IS TO GO BACK HOME TO THE CLAY COUNTY IS WHERE I WAS RAISED. I KNEW THAT I WANTED TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THAT GAVE IN. AND HELPED CREATE WHO I WAS. >> THE REPUTATION SHE ACQUIRED IN LEE PROVED TRUE IN GLADES. IN TWENTY-TWENTY. THE CLADE SCHOOLS RANKED 61ST AT A 67 SCHOOL DISTRICTS TODAY. IT IS NUMBER. 24 RECENTLY, THE ONCE FAILING DISTRICT EARNED ITS SECOND A RANKING BY THE STATE BECOMING THE VERY FIRST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE FLORIDA HEARTLAND TO EARN BACK-TO-BACK DAYS. >> WE WORKED TOGETHER TO TRANSFORM OUR BELIEVING IN OUR CHILDREN AND REFUSING TO LET OUR RURAL LOCATION THE ON WHAT THEY COULD ACCOMPLISH BEING RECOGNIZED ON A NATIONAL STAGE SIMPLY REINFORCES WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED. THAT SUCCESS SHOULD NEVER BE DETERMINED BY THE CHILD ZIP CODE. BARFIELD SAID THE AWARD GOES OUT TO MANY. YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE HONOR AND I AM DEEPLY HUMBLED BY IT. WHILE MY NAME MAY BE THE ONE ON THE NOMINATION, IT'S RECOGNITION TRULY BELONGS TO THE STUDENTS. THE TEACHERS, THE STAFF, MY SCHOOL BOARD, THE PARENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY AND ALL OF GLADES COUNTY AS ONE OF ONLY 3 FINALIST FOR FEDERAL REPRESENT THE GLADES SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE STATE OF FLORIDA. >> AND RURAL PUBLIC EDUCATION ON THE NATIONAL STAGE. AND I WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT EVERY DAY TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CHILD, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY CALL HOME, HAVE ACCESS TO THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE. >> FOR WGCU NEWS, THIS IS CITING KELLY. >> HERE'S ANOTHER FACT FROM THE WGCU NEWSROOM. THE TRADITION OF GIVING AN APPLE TO A TEACHER DATES BACK TO THE 16TH CENTURY. THAT'S WHEN FAMILIES AND DENMARK AND SWEDEN WOULD GIVE TEACHERS BASKETS OF APPLES AND PRODUCE TO HELP PAY FOR THE SCHOOLING. ACCORDING TO RICHARDS, READER'S DIGEST, THE SYMBOLIC GESTURE MADE ITS WAY INTO POP CULTURE AFTER BEING CROSBY RECORDED HIS SONG AND APPLE FOR THE TEACHER BACK IN 1939. COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK.