By Lorin Enns

Students in classes turned their heads toward the intercom last Friday as Principal Piccininni announced that Coronado has officially been named a five-star school. The principal’s announcement came during third period, which shared the school’s achievements over the last year to earn this top-tier ranking. Coronado is one of only two comprehensive high schools in the city to be granted five stars by the Nevada Department of Education, putting into perspective how highly the school is rated.
“It’s not so much that being a five-star school is important, what’s important is that people are proud of their work,” Piccininni said. “As a school, the five stars validate the work of the students that go here, of the teachers who teach, of the coaches who coach, of the advisors who advise. It’s a measurement that says ‘If all things are equal, we achieved at the highest rate, higher than anyone else.’”
The rating system of a school is broken down into five categories, including Academic Achievement, Graduation, English Language Proficiency, College and Career Readiness, and Student Engagement, with each category earning points toward an overall index score. Schools below 27 points earned a one-star rating, while a five-star rating requires 82 points or above. Palo Verde is the only other comprehensive high school in the district to achieve five stars, earning an index score of 86, while Coronado achieved a final score of 89.5.
“I think it’s very validating to the work that the teachers, the staff, the students, and their parents all put in for everyone’s success,” Mrs. Barlow, dean, said. “I’ve seen the work for a really long time since I’ve been at Coronado for many, many years. It’s very exciting to see that other people recognize everything that people have invested in our school.”
In his announcement, Piccininni advised students to show their pride on social media with the #Staronado. Twitter and Instagram posts sporting the hashtag appeared over the last week, including photos by the Cougarettes, 1001 Coronado, and the Theatre department, along with other individual posts by students. Tehani Travis, senior, showed her appreciation on her Instagram post last Friday as well.
“We go to a really great school, and this just goes to show that,” Tehani Travis, senior, said. “It’s a five-star feeling.”