Lawmakers Announce State ‘Blue Ribbon’ Award-Winning Schools
HARTFORD – United States Senators Joseph Lieberman, Richard Blumenthal and Congressmen John B. Larson (CT-01) and Jim Himes (CT-04) announced that the Department of Education has recognized five Connecticut schools as “Blue Ribbon” award winners based on their recent performance.
The schools receiving this distinction are:
· Brownstone Intermediate School in Portland.
· Helen Keller Middle School in Easton.
· Kelly Lane Intermediate School in Granby.
· Middlebrook School in Wilton.
· Saint Gabriel School in Windsor.
“These awards are a testament to the dedication of the outstanding faculty, caring parents, and most importantly, the hard-working students at our Connecticut schools,” Senator Lieberman said. “They all should take immense pride in this impressive accomplishment, which has earned them their due national recognition.”
“These Blue Ribbon Award educators have helped to push students to reach new achievement heights in the classroom and beyond. I am proud of these principals and teachers who have worked tirelessly and successfully to provide an excellent education to Connecticut’s children, and are a model for other educators to follow,” Senator Blumenthal Said. “I look forward to welcoming them to our nation’s capital this November.”
“The schools who have received this honor by the Department of Education represent the best qualities of Connecticut’s schools,” Congressman Larson said. “From the dedicated and hard-working faculty and administration, to the tremendously talented students and their proud parents, everyone should be proud of this accomplishment.”
“I want to congratulate the principals, teachers, parents, and students for this outstanding achievement,” said Congresssman Himes. “Because of their hard-work and dedication, these schools have been selected as national models of excellence. While it is no surprise to see these schools chosen, I am glad to see that they will finally receive the national recognition they so deserve.
The “Blue Ribbon” award is given to schools that have made significant progress in closing achievement gaps. The Department of Education will honor the principal and one teacher of each of these schools in a Washington celebration in November of this year.
“This is my fifth year as Principal of Brownstone Intermediate and I am so proud of my staff and students for achieving this National Honor,” said Laurie Boske, Principal of Brownstone Intermediate School in Portland. “We pride ourselves in making personal connections with our students, which we feel helps us better understand their learning needs. From there, we provide top-notch instruction. We only have our students for two years, so we do our best to pack those years with caring, compassion, and individualized teaching.”
“We in Easton were already very proud of our school and students, but it is very rewarding to receive such recognition at the national level. Easton is very small town and all of our students feed from one Elementary school, Samuel Staples Elementary School, so I would like to share our success today with everyone there as well,” said Principal Susan Kaplan of Helen Keller Middle School.
“As principal of Kelly Lane Intermediate School, I couldn’t be more proud of the students, staff and educational community here at our school,” said Principal Robert Gilbert of Kelly Lane Intermediate School in Granby. “This is a mountaintop moment for our school. This Blue Ribbon award validates the phenomenal and high levels of student achievement and student conduct and character, and also validates the exemplary teaching and support that is afforded to kids by the faculty, staff, parents and community.”
“Middlebrook School is blessed with extraordinarily capable and dedicated educators and staff members who demonstrate a deep and abiding commitment to continuous improvement and to the belief that all students can achieve at high levels. We are fortunate to have motivated students, highly engaged parents and a community that provides support for public education,” said Principal Julia Harris. “This award acknowledges and validates the hard work of our entire school community: students, teachers, administrators, staff and families.”
“We are excited and honored to be named a National Blue Ribbon School,” said Patricia Martin, Principal of Saint Gabriel School in Windsor. “Those of us closely associated with Saint Gabriel School have always been aware of its academic excellence, but it is gratifying to have its merits recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Those who made this award possible include our dedicated teachers and staff, our hard-working students, and the supportive parents who have entrusted their children to our care. We recognize that Catholic education is a partnership of home, school and parish, and we are looking forward to accepting this wonderful distinction when we go to Washington, D.C. in November for the official ceremony.”
Just over 300 schools received “Blue Ribbon” status nationwide.
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