It's Official: New Principal at Crooms AoIT

It's official, the new principal at Crooms Academy of Information of Technology is Demetria Hayes-Faison. Ms. Hayes-Faison previously served as the assistant principal of Crooms AoIT and has officially been approved by the School Board to become the principal in the upcoming school year following Superintendent Walt Griffin's recommendation in early June. She replaces Dr. Connie Collins, who was named principal of Seminole High in the domino effect of administrator switches under way. Dr. Collins served as Crooms AoIT's principal for 13 years.

Crooms AoIT Teacher named SCPS Rookie Teacher of the Year

The 2013 Seminole County High School Rookie Teacher of the Year is Crooms Academy of Information Technology teacher Derek Jensen. Derek is a Biology teacher at Crooms AoIT. Derek loves to share that his classroom is entirely paperless. At any time, every student can access his class virtually on their laptops, tablets, and smart phones. They complete and submit assignments digitally, and he grades and provides written, spoken, and video feedback to them. Even when his students are not at school, they simultaneously participate in virtual discussions, labs, and collaborate on projects with the other students in the class. Derek believes that blended learning in his class provides expanded opportunities for his students to develop mastery.

When Derek not busy cramming science knowledge into his students' brains, he sponsors the Freshman Class and Art Club. His major hobbies involve teaching, grading papers, and reading life science periodicals. An avid pirate enthusiast and pinball player, he loves polar bears almost as much as they love him.

This is not the first time a Crooms AoIT employee has received an "Of the Year" recognition at the county or state level. Since 2009 (when our website went live):

  • Bradford Barsalou was named the SCPS Teacher of the Year in 2011
  • Coach Nat Perkins was named School-Related Employee of the Year in 2011
  • Dr. Connie Collins was named Principal of the Year for SCPS and the State of Florida in 2009

Crooms AoIT Students Dominate in FCAT and End of Course Exam Results

The Florida Department of Education has released some FCAT and End of Course examation results. Crooms AoIT students have once again flexed their academic muscles by outperforming their peers in Seminole County Public Schools. Check out some of the highlights below:

  • Highest 10th grade mean reading score
  • Second highest 9th grade mean reading score
  • Highest Spring 2013 Biology 1 EOC exam mean score
  • Highest percentage of students to achieve a 3 or above on the Spring 2013 Biology 1 EOC exam (higher than the next closest by 10 percentile points)
  • Highest Spring 2013 Geometry EOC exam mean score
  • Highest percentage of students to achieve a 3 or above on the Spring 2013 Geometry EOC exam (higher than the next closest by 7 percentile points)
  • Second highest Winter 2012 Algebra I EOC exam mean score
  • Second highest percentage of students to achieve a 3 or above on the Winter 2012 Algebra I EOC exam
  • Second highest Spring 2013 Algebra I EOC mean score
  • Highest percentage of students to achieve a 3 or above on the Spring 2013 Algebra I EOC exam
  • Highest Spring 2013 US History EOC exam mean score
  • Highest percentage of students to achieve a 3 or above on the Spring 2013 US History EOC exam
  • Highest FCAT writing test mean score
  • Largest percentage of students passing with a 3 or above, 3.5 or above, and 4 or above on the FCAT writing test

Crooms AoIT's only competition in Seminole County proved to be Hagerty High School. The two schools largely traded places between who placed number one versus number two in the various rankings. Overall, Crooms AoIT students appear to have topped the rankings more than any SCPS school. Crooms AoIT performed particularly well when it came to preparing minorities and economically disadvantaged students for the workforce and advanced studies. The school has the most diverse high school student population of the traditional public schools in Seminole County. With 49% minority enrollment and 45% economically disadvantaged enrollment, Crooms AoIT and its students have continually matched and outperformed their peers across the state in similar or better economic circumstances. Congratulations are in order for the Crooms AoIT students, faculty, and community.

At-Large Board of Directors Elections - Vote Now!

Active Members, this is where you vote. You need to login to be able to vote. If you are not not an active member, but would like to be able to vote, please visit http://www.croomsalumni.com/join to become an active member today.

The Crooms AoIT Alumni Association's Board of Directors is an advisory body that oversees the organization's operations and helps set strategic goals for the Alumni Association. Directors serve for one-year terms, and include the Alumni Association President and Secretary/Treasury, at-large representatives, and strong financial supporters of the Alumni Association. You can learn more about our board by visitng: www.croomsalumni.com/about/board.

In accordance with Article VI, Sec. 1(b) of the Crooms AoIT Alumni Association's By-Laws, the Board of Directors shall include, "Two at-large members in good standing elected by the voting membership at the annual meeting." Terms shall be for one fiscal year (Article VI, Sec. 3) for these two at-large members. "Members in good standing, who aspire to serve as an at-large officer, shall notify the Board and the Management Team by an established, published deadline. The active membership shall then have, at minimum, one week before the annual meeting to vote" (Article VI, Sec. 5).

Given these prerequisites, the following individuals have notified the Management Team of their intention to seek an at-large Board of Directors position. As such, the active members of the Alumni Association have from June 6th to noon on June 22nd to cast an absentee ballot for the candidates of their choice. You must select two choices, although members have the option to vote "No Confidence" for one or both choices. If you do not vote in absentia (online), you may vote in-person at the Crooms AoIT Alumni Association's Annual Meeting on June 22nd. While your vote (in person or absentia) will not be publicly displayed online, the sum number of votes will be included in the minutes of our Annual Meeting.

If you have any questions or troubles, please e-mail scholarship@croomsalumni.com.

Crooms AoIT Ranked in the Top 5 Percent of High Schools Nationwide, Receives Silver Medal From US News and World Report

Last month, US News and World Report released their 2013 rankings of the best high schools in the country. While Seminole County Public Schools lost major ground in the rankings, Crooms held it's own for the fifth year in a row. Crooms Academy of Information Technology placed in the 95th percentile of high schools in the country. This also marks the fifth year that Crooms AoIT has been awarded a Silver Medal in U.S. News & World Report's ranking of the Best High Schools in America. The report also highlights Crooms AoIT as the 56th highest ranked high school in Florida.

Only three of out thirteen public high schools in Seminole County received a Medal designation this year (compared to seven last year) by meeting three criteria. First, they had to have school-wide performance higher than typical performance for schools in Florida. Second, they had to show higher than average subgroup performance for black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students. Finally, they needed to demonstrate high levels of college readiness as measured by Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam participation and performance.

Crooms AoIT performed particularly well when it came to preparing minorities and economically disadvantaged students for the workforce and advanced studies. The school has the most diverse high school student population of the traditional public schools in Seminole County. With 49% minority enrollment and 45% economically disadvantaged enrollment, Crooms AoIT and its students have continually matched and outperformed their peers across the state in similar or better economic circumstances. Congratulations are in order for the Crooms AoIT students, faculty, and community.

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