Goffredo made good on his promise, but he stresses he didn't do it alone. Teachers, Catholic school board administration and parents all played pivotal roles in helping St. Thomas attain recognition for great strides in academic achievement, he said.

Last Wednesday, the school was named first runner-up for the Improvement in Academics award presented at the annual Garfield Weston Awards for Excellence in Education. The school also received a $1,000 prize, which is already earmarked for more books for its literacy room.

The Weston Awards are based on an analysis of the historical data of each school included in the Fraser Institute's annual Report Card on Ontario's Elementary Schools. The Institute is an independent research and educational organization with offices in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Tampa. It assessed 2,786 English and French, public and separate elementary schools from across the province, inviting only the top one percent, or 30 schools, in each of three categories to participate in the awards.

Besides the Improvement in Academics category, which was won by St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Toronto, awards were given for Academic Achievement in Excess of Expectations and Overall Academic Achievement. There were about 25 schools in each category.

"It's truly an honour to receive this award," Goffredo said last week. "I think it speaks well about the hard work of my teachers."

Teachers and support staff were included in St. Thomas School's delegation of 18 people who made the trip to Toronto's Fairmont Royal York for the gala award presentations. Weston paid for eight guests, but Goffredo said, "It wasn't about eight people; it's about the entire staff (at St. Thomas)."

The school's performance was based on EQAO scores achieved over the past five years, Goffredo said. Three years ago, out of the 2,786 Ontario schools being assessed, St. Thomas ranked 1,700th. Last year, it sat at 284th and this year, it was 63rd in the province.

The rise wasn't accidental, Goffredo noted. "We followed a very prescribed plan."

Strategies to help students improve their reading, writing and math skills were adopted. All of the strategies were directly linked to EQAO testing.

"It has to be focused teaching and it has to be school-wide," Goffredo said of the improvement plan. Students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 are included.

In reading, comprehension and enabling students to relate what they have learned from books are emphasized. In math, students are taught how to explain with words how they arrived at their answers (a key component in EQAO testing) and, in writing, they are taught how to draft, revise, edit and publish a story.

"We've seen dramatic improvement," Goffredo said. "The kids are happy and learning; the teachers are happy and focused." He said it's not unusual for teachers to give up their lunch hour or stay after school to help students improve their reading, writing or math skills.

St. Thomas also has a literacy room and a numeracy room that provide students with the resources they need to achieve academic excellence.

The rise in EQAO scores indicates the strategies are working. During the 2006-2007 school year, Grades 3 and 6 students scored above both the provincial and Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board averages in all standardized tests. Two years ago, at the Grade 3 level, St. Thomas lagged behind both averages in reading, writing and math. At the Grade 6 level, students performed better during the 2005-2006 year but placed well behind provincial and board averages the year before.

Goffredo praised parents for raising more than $10,000 over the past three years to support the school's literacy room. As well, about 14 parent volunteers visit the school every day to help struggling readers. The school's success is also tied to financial support from the Catholic board attained through superintendent Remo Presutti and the support of the parish and Father Joe Durkacz.