Students at Bruner Middle School received a sweet surprise Monday when School Board Member Parker Destin arrived to celebrate the school’s achievement of earning an A rating for the 2024-2025 academic year.

• Destin brought handcrafted New Orleans-style snowballs – courtesy of his Dewey Destin’s Snoballs – to the front lawn of Bruner Middle School around noon. 

The team served 650 snowballs to students who could choose between orange and blue raspberry flavors representing the school’s Spartan colors. Fellow school board member Tim Bryant and Principal Heather Williams joined Destin in handing out the treats.

The celebration highlighted an amazing turnaround for Bruner, which progressed from a C school to a B school for the 2023-24 academic year before achieving the coveted A rating. Principal Heather Williams has guided this transformation since arriving in 2022.

Williams credits the success to a comprehensive approach that focused on maximizing every moment students spend in class.

• “It’s just focusing on our instructional priorities, maximizing those minutes in the classroom, making sure we use what’s called ‘bell to bell’ engagement,” Williams said. “It truly is a community effort. It was everybody from our teachers and support staff, to our custodians and cafeteria workers, to our school board and District help. And of course, our parents.”

For Destin, whose mother was an educator for 33 years, the celebration provided an opportunity to recognize hard work that often goes unnoticed.

“The feeling is beyond being proud. The work that those students and faculty put in to be an ‘A’ is not something trivial,” Destin said. “The reality of education progress is a lot like physics. When you are headed in a certain direction, there ends up being a lot of momentum keeping an object, or in this case a school, headed in a certain direction. To right the ship and flip the momentum at Bruner is nothing short of incredible.”

Williams described the moment she learned about the A rating as unforgettable. She was with Assistant Principal Jacqueline Colmon when they received the call during summer break. The rating marked the first time Bruner had achieved an A in 10 years.

“Between screaming and laughing and crying, it was just, it meant the world,” Williams said. “It’s validating because I see the work that is going on in these classrooms. I see how hard our teachers are working.”

The 644 students appeared to enjoy the celebration, with blue raspberry proving the more popular flavor choice among the snowball recipients.

• “To see the faces on the children is always gratifying, knowing that they worked hard to achieve an A grade,” said Bryant. “These students and teachers have put in tremendous effort, and moments like this remind us why we do this work. Today was all about celebrating their success and recognizing their dedication.”

Superintendent Marcus Chambers praised the achievement in a statement.

“Bruner’s A rating is a testament to the hard work and commitment of students, teachers, staff, and administrators,” Chambers said. “This recognition reflects the high standards we hold as a district and our shared belief in continuous improvement. I’m proud of Bruner and grateful for everyone who made this achievement possible, and a special thank you to School Board Member Parker Destin for celebrating with our students, staff, and administrators by treating them to snow cones.”

Williams said the school plans to continue celebrating throughout the academic year, emphasizing that the achievement belongs to the entire school community.