It joins five other public schools in Maryland.
Baltimore, Md. (KM) Congratulations go out to Centerville Elementary School in Urbana. It was one of six schools named a State Blue Ribbon School for the 2016-2017 academic year. Spokesman Bill Reinhard with the Maryland State Department of Education, says these schools are the “cream of the crop.”
“It really honors schools for not only performance, but how well they help improve students that come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds,” says Reinhard. “And schools like Centerville have really done a good job on both fronts.”
MSDE says Centerville Elementary School, with more than 1,000 students, scored 82.4% in math and 77% in language arts on the Partnership of Assessments for Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests. The Department also says Centerville students, through their Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Hearts in Frederick, raised $22,000 for the American Heart Association.
The other five schools named as Blue Ribbon Schools for 2016-2017 are Shipley’s Choice Elementary School in Anne Arundel County; Sunderland Elementary School in Calvert County; Manor Woods Elementary School in Howard County; Farmland Elementary School in Montgomery County and Ronald McNair Elementary School, also in Montgomery County.
Reinhard says competition among about 1400 schools across Maryland is very stiff. HE says MSDE staff reviewed each school in the state,and asked: “What have they been doing to improve achievement? What kind of programs do they have? What kind of ideas do they have they worked to the good advantage for those students in the schools? And Centerville is one of the six,” he says.
Reinhard says MSDE will be working with these schools as they enter the contest for the US Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools. “We announced this. It was a surprise to many of the people, and say ‘now let’s stick around and let’s talk about how to present yourselves in the best way to the national judges.’ And it’s worked very well for us,” he says.
Each of the schools will receive a monetary prize and $1,000 worth of office supplies and interactive technology, along with a “Congratulations Party,” all of which is paid for by the underwriters.
On March 13th, a dinner in Annapolis will be held for the winning schools, where they will be honored by the Maryland House of Delegates and State Senate.
The underwriters for this program are BGE, Comcast and NTA Life. Gift sponsors are Dimension U, Lifetouch Studios, Mrs. Fields/Joe Corbis Pizza, Rudolph’s Office Supply and SMART Technologies, Inc.
By Kevin McManus