Five Powder Springs schools were part of the 41 in Cobb and 370 across Georgia recognized by the Governor’s Office last week for improvements and achievement.

• Hillgrove High—Highest Performance Platinum award
• Vaughan Elementary—Highest Performing Silver award
• Kemp Elementary—Highest Performing Bronze award
• Lovinggood Middle—Highest Performing Bronze award
• McEachern High—Highest Performing Bronze award and Greatest Gain Bronze award

The four levels of awards—platinum, gold, silver and bronze—are given in two categories:

• Greatest gains: 111 schools are being recognized for demonstrating significant improvement on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) or the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT) for the 2010-11 school year.
• Highest performance: 259 schools were recognized for high achievement on the CRCT or GHSGT.

"Congratulations to these 370 schools for their commitment to hard work and high academic standards," Gov. Nathan Deal says in a release. "The principals and teachers at these schools are to be commended for maintaining a focus on providing every student with a world-class education."