Achievements

• Principal Receives Distinguished Educational Leadership Award
  Principal Lynn Main was awarded the Distinguished Educational Leadership Award in 2008 by the Washington Post. Principals were selected for their ability to lead their schools and change students' lives. Read the article.
  
  
• Kennedy Center Partner School
  Lafayette is an official CETA (Changing Education Through the Arts)- certified school with the Kennedy Center. Arts integration is the natural, meaningful connection between various art forms and other subject areas typically studied during the school year. It encourages students to see the inter-connectedness among disciplines while motivating further learning. In addition, arts integration recognizes that children learn in many different ways and allows students to experience a subject through an array of different media. Many Lafayette teachers take mini-courses throughout the year to learn how to use arts education in their classroom activities.
  
  
• High-Achieving Incentive School
  Lafayette is recognized by the District of Columbia Public Schools as a top-tier, high-achieving incentive school, acknowledging those schools that have achieved at high levels or those that make significant gains in school performance. High-achieving schools receive grant awards allocated on a per-student basis that can be used to further the school’s work plan, professional development for teachers, and for technology support.
  
  
• 10 Who Are 10
  Lafayette had city-wide winners in the “10 Who Are 10” contest in 2007, 2006, and 2005. This award is presented annually to 10 DCPS ten-year-olds. The awardees are voted on by a Distinguished Selection Committee comprised of educators, public servants, artists, communicators, and business executives. The winners are selected by virtue of their achievements in the classroom and in the DC community and on their creative ability to interpret each year’s theme via a variety of media.
  
  
• National Blue Ribbon School of ExcellenceIn 2004, Lafayette was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education for outstanding academic achievement. This award honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.
  
  
• Outstanding Elementary Arts Teacher Award
  Lafayette’s visual arts teacher, Laurie McLaughlin, was named outstanding art teacher at the elementary school level by the DC Commission for the Arts for 2003-2004. This award is given to outstanding applications of imagination and creativity taught in the DC Public Schools. It serves to honor art teachers who have demonstrated leadership in enhancing the quality of art education for DC’s student population.
  
  
• Student Publishing Award for Excellence
  The Lafayette school calendar won the 2002 Student Publishing Award for Excellence, sponsored by the Association of Educational Publishers and Time for Kids. The award recognizes excellence in student-written and student-produced publishing.