2 schools nominated for ‘Blue Ribbon’

Two campuses at Jacksonville ISD have been nominated as two of the state’s 26 Blue Ribbons Campuses by the Texas Educational Agency.

Superintendent Dr. Joe Wardell said both West Side Elementary and Fred Douglas Elementary campuses were nominated for the honor. For the past 27 years, this prestigious program has honored more than 5,800 of America’s most successful schools, including almost 500 Texas schools. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools.

Dr. Wardell said, “This is a tremendous honor for the district and shows that success comes because of the high level of commitment of our staff, students, and parents. I think it demonstrates the quality level of academic achievement in this school district.”

JISD Assistant Superintendent Judy Terry echoed his comments by saying, “We are excited that two of our campuses were nominated out of only 26 for the entire state from more than 8,200 campuses. This honor demonstrates the dedication of our community, our parents, our students and our staff.”

We congratulate not only the two campuses who achieved the honor, especially them, but send congratulations to the entire school district and community for achieving at such a high level academically,” JISD Board President James Houser said.

Jimmy Brown, board member, said, “I am really ecstatic about it. I think it is one of the great things among a lot of great things that are going in the district right now. Our students, teachers and administrators worked hard and every one of these schools really deserve it. As a board member I am really proud to be a part of this district and be serving the people here in Jacksonville.”

Another board member, Dale Jamerson, said, “It excites me, it lifts my heart, to know that everyone has taken a part in this success and the whole community should take pride that Jacksonville has great teachers, great administrators, and great students.”

West Side Elementary was nominated because of its high achievement (top 10 percent in the state in student test scores). Fred Douglass Elementary nomination was based on dramatic improvement during a five-year period.

These campuses will be recognized in Austin in January at the Texas Association of School Administrators Mid-Winter Conference on Education. In the Fall, they will be honored in Washington D.C. and again in January of 2011 in Austin. Both West Side Elementary and Fred Douglass Elementary will have the distinction of being Blue Ribbon Schools for the next five years. They will be models for under-achieving schools.

The nominated schools were recommended by an intra–agency committee that examined student achievement statistics for the more than 8,000 public schools and charter campuses in the state.

The schools selected have demonstrated success in closing the achievement gap and each school has an economically disadvantaged population of 40 percent or greater.

The nominated schools will now complete a rigorous application process through the U.S. Department of Education. Announcements of the award winners will be made in September 2010.