TIFTON — Board of Education members celebrated a few of their institutions that had received state-level praise during their Feb. 13 meeting.

The Tift County Schools Board of Education offered congratulations to Eighth Street Middle School, as well as the staff and faculty of the entire school system, for receiving recognition from state departments during their Feb. 13 meeting.

Chief information officer Dana Spurlin explained that the middle school had been named a Title I Reward School for the 2022-2023 school year, a designation awarded to Title I institutions ranking in the top 5% of schools of that caliber across the state as congratulations for making the most progress in improving the performance of their students.

Bradley Winger and Paul Nelson, principal of Eighth Street and senior director of leadership and development, respectively, called up several teachers and staff of the middle school to be recognized for their efforts in uplifting the school, taking note to announce their position within the institution.

Additionally, Tift County Schools had received the GAEL Vision Award for the 2024-2025 school year from the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders, praising them for their commitment to supporting the growth of their staff and faculty.

The school system was presented with a banner as part of their recognition for the Vision Award, which was accepted on behalf of Tift County Schools by Jennifer Howell, deputy superintendent for teaching and learning, at both the GAEL winter conference and during the board meeting.