Prestigious National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award
Presented to Presidio School by U.S. Department of Education
Presidio School was selected from over 120,000 public, charter, and private schools as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Only four Arizona schools and 287 schools nation wide were so honored. When Kristin Bannerman, deputy assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Education, made a surprise visit to Presidio School to notify students and faculty of the award, she had immense praise for the school. She cited high test scores and the school’s rigorous curriculum as the basis for the school’s selection. She further stated, “Presidio is a model for the rest of the country.”
The No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School Award, one of the nation’s top education awards, is part of a national recognition program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The program honors elementary, middle and secondary schools that are models of academic success by making significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. Regardless of the school’s demographics, each state’s nominees must demonstrate dramatically improving student performance on state assessments. “When we received the letter from Stephen O’Brien, Recognition Programs Director, that the Arizona Department of Education had nominated Presidio School to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – Blue Ribbon Schools Program we were thrilled and honored. We were elated that the educational leaders of Arizona had recognized the hard work of Presidio’s faculty and students by selecting Presidio to represent Arizona at the national level,” stated Presidio’s Co-Director, Terry Garza.
Tom Drexel, Presidio’s other director, added, “Being nominated at the state level was just the first step on the road to becoming a National Blue Ribbon School. In order to be selected at the national level, we had to demonstrate that Presidio was academically superior and document our dramatic gains in student achievement.” As part of the national application process Presidio School was required to provide inclusive disaggregated longitudinal assessment data and detailed information on the quality of the teaching staff and curriculum offered at each grade level served. The application which was thirty pages, presented Presidio’s evidentiary results and a synopsis of the successful and scientifically based instructional programs offered that had resulted in such dramatic academic gains for all students.
In November of 2007, Terry Garza and Mindy White, Presidio School Director of Curriculum and Instruction and long-time Presidio teacher, traveled to Washington, D.C. where the Blue Ribbon Schools were honored at the national level. In Washington Ms. Garza and Ms White were presented with a plaque and a flag signifying Presidio School’s status as a NCLB Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Upon their return to Tucson, Presidio’s Blue Ribbon representatives were excitedly greeted by students, parents, faculty, and community members at a school-wide celebration where the plaque and flag were proudly presented to the entire “Presidio Family.” That day was not the end of the story; it continues. Each day, as the student council members proudly raise the hard-earned National Blue Ribbon Flag and students stop at the Blue Ribbon “wall of fame” to re-read the newspaper articles and gaze on the National Blue Ribbon Plaque, we are pleased to see the smile that crosses their faces with the realization that they are a part of something very special.
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