Our Points of Pride

Redwood City School District's (RCSD) programs, schools, students, teachers, leaders, and support staff have been recognized with too many awards and honors to list. This area has been created for your perusal with the most recent recognitions and is updated on a regular basis. Please visit us often to learn about the most recent honors presented to our district.

2022-23

Stanford University honored the Stanford Redwood City Sequoia Mental Health Collaborative. The Collaborative, initiated in 2020, has proved to be highly successful in expanding school mental health support and delivery. RCSD staff and Stanford team members work together to put in place best practices for school sites based on data and emerging needs. Clinicians are also available to assist the District in making the most of Social and Emotional Learning tools already in place and to offer resource ideas for day-to-day coping skills for youth gleaned from research and analysis. The Collaborative’s support strengthens District programs so that RCSD may address not only routine mental health needs but also those more complex. The award-winning Collaborative includes RCSD, Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD), and expert guidance from Stanford’s John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities (Gardner Center), as well as Stanford Medical Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing.
The California Department of Education (CDE) selected North Star Academy as a California Distinguished School. The CDE analyzed performance-based data provided in the 2022 California School Dashboard to select schools for this prestigious award. North Star was one only 356 elementary schools statewide to be named as a California Distinguished School.
The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) honored Redwood City School District (RCSD) with nine awards recognizing the organization’s efforts to inform and engage the community it serves while also celebrating the school district’s success stories.
Educational leaders in San Mateo and San Francisco counties, members of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), selected Deputy Superintendent Wendy Kelly for the 2023 Region 5 ACSA Administrator of the Year award.
Clifford School won the Kent Award for its implementation of and partnership with the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA). The annual Kent Award highlights innovative, inspiring, and outstanding programs in San Mateo County Schools.
Demonstrating knowledge and enthusiasm for the Chinese language, 50 Redwood City School District (RCSD) students took part in the 47th annual Chinese Mandarin Speech Contest. Students from Orion Alternative School and Kennedy Middle School prepared and practiced speeches to be presented in Mandarin, competing with more than 350 peers from a total of 33 California schools. Three Orion Alternative students and a Kennedy 6th grader took 1st place.

2021-22

Three Redwood City School District (RCSD) schools were recognized by the California PBIS Coalition for an outstanding approach to social, emotional, and behavioral support. Selected for honors in 2021 were Orion Alternative School, Roosevelt School, and Roy Cloud School.
The California PBIS Coalition recognized the three RCSD schools in the following categories:
- Platinum Level - Roy Cloud School for its Thunderbolts program
- Silver Level - Roosevelt School for its PBIS implementation program
- Bronze Level - Orion Alternative School for its PBIS implementation program

The California PBIS Coalition is a collaborative organization that supports California schools with implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) program. PBIS is a comprehensive student support program with an aim to improve outcomes for all students in their daily lives at school and beyond. Character building, modeling, and positive reinforcement are at the forefront of this data-driven program.

Local high school students who graduated from Redwood City School District’s (RCSD) Dual Language Immersion Program in Spanish are reaching high levels of academic achievement and outperforming their peers. That’s the conclusion to which a team of Stanford University researchers arrived after performing a longitudinal study following several cohorts of Spanish Immersion graduates into middle school and high school. Findings from the Stanford University study show that enrollment in the Dual Language Immersion Program (DLI) propels students faster toward English proficiency, supporting the reputation RCSD has earned for expertise in language acquisition.
The national publication known for ranking colleges, universities, and high schools across the nation has placed Redwood City School District’s (RCSD) North Star Academy as the Golden State’s top school. In its inaugural year of ranking elementary and middle schools, U.S. News & World Report ranked North Star Academy first in the state out of 5,534 elementary schools from throughout California.
The California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA) honored Redwood City School District (RCSD) with five awards for some of the district's communications work in 2021. The California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA) is a nationally recognized leader in school communications that promotes better public understanding, commitment, and support of public education.
Redwood City School District’s (RCSD) Director of Technology and Innovation, Mr. Kyle Brumbaugh, was honored with CUE's (Computer-Using Educators) Gold Disk, which celebrates the honoree’s contributions to technology in learning.
A group of 17 Redwood City School District (RCSD) students from Orion Alternative and Kennedy schools took part in the 46th annual Chinese Mandarin Speech Contest. The event, hosted by Chinese Language Teacher Association of California (CLTAC), draws hundreds of students from across the state of California who are eager to demonstrate their skills.

2020-21

Teachers and support staff at three schools were honored for their hard work to support and care for students during the disruptions caused by COVID-19. The California PBIS Coalition honored Clifford School, Hoover Community School, and Kennedy Middle School. The California PBIS Coalition is a collaborative organization that supports California schools with implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) program. PBIS is an all encompassing approach to social, emotional, and behavior support with an aim to improve outcomes for all students at school and beyond.
California’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) presented Redwood City School District (RCSD) with full accreditation of its Induction Program, a program offering extensive on-the-job support and mentorship to new teachers in their first two years. Redwood City School District’s Induction Program Accreditation is effective until 2027.
The San Mateo County School Boards Association (SMCBA) presented RCSD with the 2020-21 J. Russell Kent Award honoring the district’s Kennedy Middle School Newcomer Academy. The Newcomer Academy is a unique high quality educational program that provides students who are new to the United States with the opportunity to be integrated with their grade level peers in core subject areas while receiving the social and educational support needed to be successful.
Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG), a professional society for women educators, selected Roosevelt School 1st Grade Teacher Kayla Kamlley for the DKG Area IV Student Teacher Award for her exceptional performance while she was a student teacher.
The San Mateo County School Boards Association (SMCBA) presented RCSD with the 2021 J. Russell Kent Award honoring the school district for embracing the path toward equity consciousness and its collective responsibility to dismantle barriers and create inclusive and supportive environments for all learners during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

2019-20

Hoover Community School Teacher Stacey Koolpe received the 2019 Penne Ferrell Award for her devotion to fostering the love of reading in her students. The award was presented by Delta Kappa Gama (DKG), which promotes professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. The Penne Ferrell Fund Literacy Award was established in honor of Ms. Penne Ferrell, an outstanding Orange County educator and member of the area’s Delta Kappa Gamma chapter. Ferrell was a lover of books and reading. She taught elementary school students for nearly 40 years, and mentored many beginning educators before her passing. Ms. Koolpe received a monetary award of $200, which she used to supplement her classroom library with guided reading books, e-books, and reading apps.
The Seventeenth District of the California State Parent and Teachers Association (PTA) recognized SEPTAR, the Special Education Education PTA of Redwood City, with is Honorary Service Award for its work with special education students and their families.
Students at Hoover Community School in the K-2 Special Day Class were selected by a Bay Area non-profit organization to receive a generous donation of tech tools for each child and their teacher. Jacklyn Moore’s class of 10 students each received a mini iPad and protective case, along with classroom devices such as a color printer and more, to support their learning projects and integration of technology in the classroom. The gift came from Autism: Yesterday and Today, a 501c3 non-profit started by parents of a special needs student, which raises funds to purchase computers and other technological devices for special needs public school classrooms.

2018-19

The San Mateo County Office of Education presented the Hoover Community School Boys and Girls Club After School Program with its 2019 Excellence in Education and Equity Award. This is the second consecutive year that RCSD earns the County’s top honor. In 2018, the County recognized McKinley Institute of Technology (MIT) for its Family Literacy Initiative.

The Hoover Community School Boys and Girls Club After School Program and the John Gill Mandarin Immersion Program were both awarded 2019 J. Russell Kent Awards from the San Mateo County School Boards Association (SMCSBA) for innovative practices. Since 2010, RCSD schools have been awarded more than 20 Kent Awards.

The United States Department of Education named North Star Academy a National Blue Ribbon School, honoring the school’s overall academic performance and progress. North Star Academy was honored under the Exemplary High Performing Schools category. It was one of only 12 California schools recognized during the 2018-19 school year.

2017-18

McKinley Institute of Technology (MIT) earned the inaugural 2018 San Mateo County Office of Education Excellence in Education and Equity Award for its Family Literacy Initiative.

The San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools presented Garfield Community School with the 2018 Equity and School Leadership Award for its work and progress with implementation of equitable practices.

Kennedy Middle School and McKinley Institute of Technology (MIT) were awarded 2018 J. Russell Kent Awards from the San Mateo County School Boards Association (SMCSBA) for innovative practices. Since 2010, RCSD schools have been awarded more than 20 Kent Awards.

The National PTA chose Henry Ford Elementary School as a National School of Excellence for the 2017-18 and the 2018-19 school years, recognizing Henry Ford’s partnership with its PTA as both organizations work together to improve the educational experience and school environment for every child.