A Lawrence hoops hero will be back on campus — in North Lawrence — to help celebrate her alma mater’s big-time academic achievement.

Tania Jackson, a redshirt freshman who averages 4.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the 13-1 Kansas Jayhawks, will join KU Coach Bonnie Henrickson in honoring the Woodlawn Riverhawks during an assembly at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the elementary school, 508 Elm. The school is being celebrated as a National Blue Ribbon School.

Jackson, who attended Woodlawn, is a 2009 graduate of Lawrence High School and once scored 47 points in a game for the Lions. She’s a winner in the classroom, too, having scored recognition in high school as a member of the National Honor Society and as a Kansas Honors Scholar.

During Friday’s special assembly, Jackson and Henrickson will join Rick Doll, superintendent of the Lawrence school district, in congratulating Woodlawn students, faculty and staff for winning the national award. The U.S. Department of Education bestows the honor each year on elementary, middle and high schools whose students achieve at very high levels or have made significant progress and helped close gaps in achievement, especially among disadvantaged and minority students.

Woodlawn is one of 304 schools nationwide to be so honored for 2010.

The school also achieved the Kansas Standard of Excellence at all levels for students’ performances on standardized tests in reading and math. The school also received a Challenge Award for exceptional student reading achievement from the Kansas Confidence in Education Task Force.

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The Riverhawks have some work to do to win another competition involving KU women’s basketball: the Schools for Success Challenge.

All 15 elementaries in the Lawrence district are entered in the challenge, a “friendly competition” that rewards schools for their students’ attendance at KU women’s home games.

Earlier this school year, Kansas Athletics Inc. sent special attendance cards to each elementary student in the district. The cards provide free admittance to any home KU women’s game.

At the end of the season, the school with the highest percentage of students attending games will get $5,000; the second-place school will get $3,000, and the third-place school will get $2,000. The winning school also will welcome Coach Bonnie Henrickson, her players, KU cheerleaders and mascots to an assembly.

The standings, so far:

1. Schwegler, 23 percent.
2. Pinckney, 21 percent.
3. Hillcrest, last season’s winner, 18 percent.
4. Sunflower School, 10 percent.
5. (tie) Cordley, Woodlawn, 7 percent.

Each school also is “adopted” by a member of the team or staff, who visits to meet with students, read, eat lunch, play at recess and serve as positive role models. Tania Jackson’s school, as you might imagine, is her very own Woodlawn. And Coach Henrickson is working with Schwegler, the current points leader.

Kansas Athletics started the program last year, using revenue from the NCAA Women’s Basketball Grant Program to increase program awareness and attendance.

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Members of the Lawrence Elementary School Facility Vision Task Force met Monday night and started considering the tough choices they’ll be forced to make before forwarding recommendations to the Lawrence school board.

But at least they’ll have a few extra weeks.

The task force’s original charge — approved by board members May 24 — called for the recommendations to be sent to the board “by February.” But that timeline has been extended, so that the final report could go to the board for public review as late as Feb. 28.

The schedule for full task force meetings, which are open to the puiblic and conducted at 7 p.m. at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive:

• Jan. 17: Review change “scenarios,” balanced against task force goals.

• Jan. 31: Review refined scenarios.

• Feb. 14: Further refinement of scenarios, or present recommendations to school board.

• Feb. 28 (if necessary): Present recommendations to school board.

— The First Bell e-mailbox is always open: mfagan@ljworld.com.