VALDOSTA – J.L. Lomax teachers and staff began their pre-planning and new school year by going to the Valdosta Airport to take a picture in front of an airplane.

This airplane represents principal Dr. McCrae’s vision that J.L Lomax will soon have at least 90% of our students meeting state academic standards. She summarizes this vision by calling it Flight 537.

The five represents the five essentials of effective schools: effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment, and ambitious instruction.

The three represents the three BIG rocks in our school improvement plan: Relationships (School Culture), Rigor (Student Achievement), and Relevance (Staff Effectiveness).

The seven this year represents the seven engagement factors that are highly correlated between student achievement and socioeconomic status.