'A school of the heart'

As Principal Barbara Kohlfeld makes her way down the halls at Blanchard Elementary School, children pop out of line or dart to the doorways to give her a hug.

When she peeks inside their classrooms, students from prekindergarten through fourth grade immediately make eye contact and declare in strong, singsong unison, "Good morrrrrrrrrning, Mrs. Kohhhhhhhhhhlllllllllllllllllllllfeld!"

She greets them with just as much gusto before asking how they're doing and what fascinating topics they're exploring today.

It's like a scene from an old-fashioned schoolhouse, except this is a large, modern building with 356 pupils, 21 or 22 students per class and a much more diverse population than might have been seen a hundred years ago. The school has three to four classrooms per grade level and a staff of about 50.

It's also an institution that has garnered the highest academic distinctions in the land despite factors that might be considered obstacles elsewhere.

Blanchard Elementary students in Roanne Dean's music class learn a new song and dance Feb. 8 for an upcoming performance.Laura Simon

On the subject of obstacles, Kohlfeld is adamant.

"To me, I see blessings. I don't see challenges and obstacles," she said. "(Each day here is) just a sheer labor of love and everybody who comes here feels the same way."

Blanchard is a Title I school, meaning a majority of its students are from low-income households, and the federal government considers them at risk academically. Almost 73 percent also receive free or reduced lunches.

Yet the children's standardized test scores for the previous three years recently earned them a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School award from the U.S. Department of Education. Blanchard was one of only 285 schools in all 50 states to qualify for the honor, which came directly from Washington, D.C.

Before that, Blanchard was one of eight schools to receive the Missouri Gold Star School award in 2015. It uses the same evaluation criteria as the Blue Ribbon program and set the stage for the national recognition.

Both programs look at Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores from disadvantaged schools that achieve at exceptionally high levels. Four performance groups are examined in particular: black students, white students, students who receive free or reduced lunches and all students.

"What you want to see is all groups being academically successful," Kohlfeld said.

Kohlfeld attributes Blanchard's noteworthy performance to a few key things. The first is a group of motivated teachers she calls "amazing." The next is the process of setting clear expectations while placing a strong emphasis on reading at every grade level.

But the biggest of all is so simple it's profound.

"We call ourselves a school of the heart. Everything (we do) is based on love," Kohlfeld said.

The moment students walk in the door, they know they're in a safe, positive place. Just pop in the front office and a stenciled message from Ralph Waldo Emerson jumps right out: "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year."

Kohlfeld and her staff bend over backward to give each child as much individual attention as possible. Good manners and citizenship are paramount. Boundaries are kindly but firmly enforced. And the caring spirit that flows from the top down is unmistakably genuine.

"That nurturing environment helps children flourish and succeed at high levels," Kohlfeld said.

It's a concept instilled in Kohlfeld from a young age. She was the fourth of seven children.

"Dad wanted us all to go and out and conquer the world, and mom wanted us to do good work and make it to heaven," Kohlfeld said.

Kohfeld also is a big fan of President Abraham Lincoln. She not only has a bust of the 16th U.S. president in her office, but a portrait of him on the wall.

"If you study Abraham Lincoln, he persevered against tremendous adversity all of his life," she said.

That's why hiring teachers with a strong work ethic and cheerful dispositions is just as integral in Blanchard's success.

It's a formula fourth-grade teacher Gina Herzog has been living and breathing for 16 years on the job.

Recently named the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's Educator of the Year, Herzog said even after all this time, she still looks forward to work each day.

"I truly love to come to school," she said, and her boss has made it easy.

"Dr. Kohlfeld is an excellent leader with high expectations for the staff," she said.

What Herzog loves just as much is when she hears from former students who still remember the life lessons they learned at Blanchard. She recently ran into a teenager at the grocery store who told her his time at the school was wonderful and taught him all about respect.

"So they don't forget that," she said.

Jerra Hutson, whose two sons attended Blanchard, served as president of the PTO there for eight years.

"From the very beginning, I was just amazed by that school," she said.

Her father-in-law, Charles (aka "Pop"), arranged a visit with Kohlfeld, whom he greatly admired, because Hutson and her husband, Chris, were trying to decide where to send the boys.

"I realized how passionate she was (about Blanchard), and I wanted to try," Hutson said.

She was never sorry.

Alec, who is now 19 and a freshman in college, and 15-year-old Ethan, a sophomore at Central High School, were able to meet kids they wouldn't have known otherwise while learning all about tolerance and acceptance.

"Respect is such a key issue over there," Hutson said. "I think culturally, everyone could use a little time at Blanchard."

Also paramount was excellence in all things.

"Teachers didn't just settle. They didn't do the bare minimum," she said. "It was always above and beyond."

When Alec was in second grade, he had earned his chance to select two gifts from the annual holiday store, which his mom helped organize.

The holiday store is something students look forward to and work hard to be part of. They get excited about giving instead of receiving, stashing the gifts under a Christmas tree in the classroom before bringing them home to family members during winter break.

Just as Alec was choosing a tie for Pop and getting it wrapped at a gift-wrapping station, Pop was dying.

The family has hung on to the gift, which has never been opened.

"That tie has become a symbol for our family," Hutson said.

ljones@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3652