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Four State Schools Earn Prestigious National Award
OLYMPIA - September 15, 2009 — Four Washington state schools were among 314 nationwide named today by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools.
Colbert Elementary School (Mead School
District), Columbia High and Elementary School
(Columbia), Klickitat Elementary and High School
(Klickitat) and Naselle Junior Senior High School
(Naselle-Grays River Valley) were nominated by State Superintendent Randy Dorn
last winter. The schools were then asked to complete a detailed and challenging
application, which was reviewed by the national selection committee.
“These schools stand out as leaders in both achievement and improvement,”
Dorn said following the Department of Education announcement. “I am very proud
of the teachers, staff, students and parents in these buildings. Their
enthusiasm, hard work and creativity demonstrate that we can both close the
achievement gap and maintain high standards.”
Secretary Duncan announced the 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools this morning at
Highland Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md. He praised the recipients,
saying, “They are producing outstanding results for their students. Some have
shown dramatic improvements in places where students are overcoming the
challenges of poverty, and others serve as examples of consistent excellence
that can be a resource for other schools.”
The No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools award recognizes public and
private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically
superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.
A total of 413 schools can be nominated nationally. The total is determined
by the number of schools and the student population in each state, the District
of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Public schools are nominated by each state’s chief
state school officer; private schools are nominated by the Council for American
Private Education. The 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored by Secretary
Duncan at an awards ceremony in Washington, DC, on November 3, 2009.
The No Child Left Behind Act, part of the federal Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (2001), requires annual testing of public school students in
reading and math. The goal of No Child Left Behind is to ensure that all
students are proficient in the two subjects by 2014.
School Contacts:
Colbert Elementary School
Mr. Jared Hoadley, Principal
4625 E Greenbluff Road
Colbert, WA 99005-9654
(509) 465-6310
jhoadley@mead.k12.wa.us
Columbia High and Elementary School
Mr. Chuck Wyborney, Principal
4961 B Hunters Shop Road
Hunters, WA 99137
(509) 722-3311
cwyborney@columbia206.k12.wa.us
Klickitat Elementary and High School
Mr. Kevin Davis, Principal
98 School Drive
Klickitat, WA 98628
(509) 369-4145
kdavis@potlach.esd112.wednet.edu
Naselle Junior Senior High School
Karen Wirkkala, Principal
793 State Route 4
Naselle, WA 98638
(360) 484-7121
kwirkkal@naselleschools.org
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