STRONG – Strong Elementary School Principal Felicia Pease received the good news Friday. Her school was recognized nationally for its students’ achievements.
Not only was she celebrating the national honor Friday, she was celebrating her 47th birthday.
Her school was one of three in Maine named a 2005 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School, and one of 295 nationwide that was awarded the honor. The other schools in Maine were Plummer-Motz School in Falmouth and Yarmouth High School in Yarmouth.
Pease made the announcement to the 172 schoolchildren and 40 staff members over the school intercom system Friday after a representative from the U.S. Department of Education broke the news.
“You could hear the cheers and there were also some tears that were shed,” Pease said.
The state Department of Education nominated the Strong school last fall. Then there was a “grueling” 19- to 20-page application to be filled out and submitted, Pease said.
The federal Blue Ribbon School program recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels.
Prior to a school’s being nominated, the state reviews three years of state assessment data, among other criteria.
The high performing schools have to be performing in the top 10 percent in state assessment scores in both reading and math, Maine Education Assessment coordinator Horace Maxcy said Friday.
There were 20 different schools in the nomination category. The Strong, Falmouth and Yarmouth schools were the highest performing out of this list of schools, Maxcy said.
Schools that already received the national honor are not allowed to be nominated again, he said.
The nominated schools have to fill out a national competition application that is reviewed by readers nationally, he said.
“In the end, it really is a testament to students, teachers, principals and parents in the community,” Maxcy said.
The Strong school, which has pupils in kindergarten through eighth grade, is the first school in SAD 58 to be named a Blue Ribbon School, though several schools in the district have been recognized by the state for achievements on the Maine Education Assessment.
“We’ve shown steady improvement at all levels,” Pease said.
She credited “dedicated staff, dedicated students” and “a dedicated community” for the school’s success.
The national award ceremony will be held Nov. 10 and 11 in Washington. Pease said there will also be a ceremony in Strong.
“We’re delighted for everybody,” Pease said.
SAD 58 Superintendent Quenten Clark said, “This is big news” on Friday. It isn’t often a rural community receives this type of award, he said.
“I just think its just extraordinary achievement,” Clark said. “I’m particularly pleased. This is something the whole community should take a lot of pride in. The school is basically a reflection of the community. The people work hard at their jobs and they expect their children to work hard at school.”
The town has had some setbacks with the closing of businesses over the last few years, he said.
“It’s just really nice to see the underdogs win one,” Clark said.
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