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O-R receives federal Blue Ribbon School recognition
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By ELISA SAND, Staff Reporter
| 09/16/2009 |
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The Oldham-Ramona Elementary School is one of just two elementary schools in South Dakota to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School for 2009. The award is given through the U.S. Department of Education. Oldham-Ramona Superintendent John Bjorkman said the school was nominated for the award in 2008 by the South Dakota Department of Education for showing continued improvement in the Dakota Step scores and significant improvement in scores from 2007 to 2008, based on the fact that at least 40 percent of the students in the school were from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Jane Lee, lead teacher for O-R Elementary, said scores in 2008 included 97 percent of the elementary students with proficient or advanced scores in reading and 96 percent with proficient or advanced scores in math.
Also receiving the award was Tabor Elementary School, which is part of the Bon Homme School District and has a 2008 elementary enrollment of 53 students. As a whole in the nation, 314 schools will be recognized with the National Blue Ribbon award, which is about .2 percent of the 120,000 schools in the nation.
"To me it shows our teachers are committed to the kids they have," Bjorkman said.
Bjorkman said he is proud of the teachers at Oldham-Ramona School, who he described as committed, fabulous teachers who are good at what they do.
"It's truly a tremendous honor for the community and the school," he said.
O-R's current enrollment is 104 students, with 48 in the elementary school. Additionally, Bjorkman said, the district has a good-sized preschool program which includes a 4-year-old class of 14.
"You'll never convince me that small schools don't provide a quality education," he said. "We're a small school, but a strong school."
Lee agreed that the award was an honor for the school.
"Receiving the Blue Ribbon School award is a great honor for Oldham-Ramona Elementary," she said. "We're a small school, and a lot of times small schools are not recognized for the wonderful job they do teaching our kids."
Lee attributed the success of the school to the teachers.
"We have a dedicated and caring staff. We try many different motivational activities with our students, and we feel like that gives them an advantage," she said. "We also have small classroom sizes and we're able to give them one-on-one attention. I believe the award shows our schools, even though they are small, can do a wonderful job educating our students."
Official word of the award came Tuesday. Schools are recognized at an awards ceremony Nov. 3 in Washington, D.C.
"These Blue Ribbon Schools have shown that all children can learn with appropriate supports," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a press release. "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 award honors 264 public schools and 50 private schools. Elementary, middle and high schools are recognized. The award has been given since 1982 in an effort to recognize schools that have sought to attain and maintain high academic goals.
News of the award was announced following the release of the 2009 Dakota Step scores, which showed that Oldham-Ramona met all the requirements for annual yearly progress, or AYP. Madison, Chester and Rutland all met AYP this past year.
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