Education Commissioner Lionel Tracy and Deputy Commissioner Mary Heath visited Ashland Elementary School on Friday. While it is routine for Tracy to visit schools all around the state, he said that Ashland was special because it was named N.H. School of Excellence and that it is home of the new Middle Level Principal of the Year, Bill Tirone.

"I talked to one eighth-grader and asked how long he had been attending Ashland," said Tracy. "He said he had been there since kindergarten. There's a student with a great chance at success. Ashland is a great example of what personalized education can do."

Tracy and Heath spent the entire day at Ashland Elementary, which had a delayed start due to the icy roads. The kindergartners were actually called into school to put on a presentation for Tracy, which included African song and drumming. With the delay altering the schedule, the kindergartners were contacted an hour before. Most were able to attend and put on the presentation as planned. Sarah Davis, a teacher at Ashland Elementary, said it was a great way to start the visit with the whole school getting involved.

Following the presentation by the kindergarten, Tracy presented the Principal of the Year award to Tirone. Superintendent Philip McCormack, Assistant Principal Steve Heath and teacher Brad Wolff spoke at the ceremony. Wolff also presented a giant cake for everyone to eat in celebration. Tirone said he was honored and said it was fun to watch the students cheer for his accolade.

Tracy and Heath spent the rest of the day getting tours around the school by students. They saw classes of all types, including classes in art, music and technology.

"You know there is great leadership here when the students are the ones doing the tours," said Tracy. "It starts from the top. This is an outstanding school and if I had a student in K-through-8 here I'd be very happy."

Heath agreed with Tracy noting how impressed she was with the students and the faculty.

"There's a wonderful connection here in Ashland Elementary," said Heath. "Each child has his or her own identity. I would be happy to have a child or grandchild of my own in this school."

Tracy was impressed because of the personalized learning exhibited throughout the school. He said that students as young as kindergartners were learning to use laptops. He said that just by sitting down and talking to the students and faculty, he can see how they are being directed toward success.

Tracy said that he makes a point to get to as many schools as he can to give insight and view the functions of schools. He explained that this is the best way to get things done, because you can't do much by just sitting at a desk shuffling through paperwork. He said that like learning in school, being involved first-hand is the right way to handle education.

Tirone was very pleased with how the day went.

"It was a great way to see how the school functions," said Tirone. "We wanted to share what we do on a daily basis and allow them the freedom to roam and stop in classes. It ran very smoothly with the students giving tours."