Halle Hewetson Elementary School, Las Vegas, NV
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Halle Hewetson Elementary School
Las Vegas
Halle Hewetson Elementary School has its very own superhero. The fearless caped crusader helps students foil the diabolical plans of his arch villains, who plot to destroy literacy (eek!). This lighthearted approach to learning has helped Hewetson’s students — most of whom don’t speak English at home — develop a strong voice and sophistication in their writing.
Along the way, Hewetson students become voracious readers. In fact, the school library circulated about 80,000 books last year, the highest circulation of any school library in Clark County School District.Hewetson’s emphasis on reading and writing is part of a deliberate instruction plan that has propelled the school — located not far from the original casino neighborhood of Las Vegas known as “Fremont Street” — from being one of the lower performing schools in the city to one of the higher performers in the state.
This year, 79 percent of Hewetson’s fifth-graders met state reading standards, compared with 63 percent statewide; and 63 percent met the state’s writing standards, compared with 45 percent across Nevada.
All Hewetson students qualify for free and reduced-price meals, and years ago, when it was a low-performing school, literacy coach Salvador Rosales says students aspired to be hotel housekeepers or casino workers when they grew up. Today, they name jobs that require a college degree. Rosales says Hewetson is proving that “education does break those poverty barriers.”
