By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

Four Hays schools earned building-wide recognition in all four areas -- reading, math, writing and science -- in the Standard of Excellence achievements from last year. The results were released by the Kansas Department of Education earlier this semester.

Joining Felten and Kennedy middle schools on that list were Lincoln and O'Loughlin elementaries.

Kennedy and Felten also made the standard in both reading and math at all three grade levels (sixth, seventh and eighth), while O'Loughlin did the same in grades three, four and five.

Earning building-wide honors in three of the four subjects were the two Catholic grade schools in the county, St. Mary in Ellis and Holy Family in Hays, as well as USD 489 schools Wilson and Roosevelt elementaries in Hays, and Victoria Elementary.

The county high schools also recorded high achievements.

All four -- Hays High, Ellis, Victoria and Thomas More Prep-Marian -- made the standards building-wide in both reading and math, while Ellis added science to that list as well.

Scholastic launches online study program

A national company has developed an online program to help students stay up with their classwork when they miss school because of the flu.

Scholastic's Stay Smart! includes 20 days of reading, writing and math instruction for students in grades kindergarten through 12.

Scholastic -- a publishing company that produces educational materials for schools, teachers and parents -- developed the program in response to the request by the U.S. Department of Education in anticipated outbreaks of the flu.

Stay Smart! provides grade-level appropriate downloadable worksheets, readings, math problems and online activities for kids who are home sick.

While the program is designed for home use, there also are activities and lessons teachers could assign the students as well.