BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - An East Baton Rouge public school and private school have both been named Blue Ribbon schools.
Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced Tuesday that Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet and St. James Episcopal were given the award, the highest award given to a school in the country.
"This is absolutely fantastic," said Phyllis Crawford, Sherwood Middle School's principal. "My students have earned this honor. My teachers are exemplary, and they are Blue Ribbon staff every minute of every day. Our parents support us in everything we do, and it all meshes together to make one Blue Ribbon school. We feel the public's money couldn't buy a better education than this school."
Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet is the only public school in the area to be named a Blue Ribbon School for 2009. Only seven schools in the state were given the distinction.
Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet School joins Forest Heights Academy of Excellence, Westdale Heights Academic Magnet, Glasgow Middle, Shenandoah Elementary, Baton Rouge Magnet High, McKinley Middle and Northeast Elementary schools, which all received the award in the last few years. In the past 24 years, only 12 area schools have been named a Blue Ribbon School, 8 of which are in the EBR system.
A total of 413 schools nationwide can be nominated each year. Only 314 schools nationally received the honor this year. These award-winning schools will be honored at an awards ceremony November 3rd in Washington, D.C.
The Blue Ribbon Schools Award distinguishes and honors schools for helping students achieve at very high levels and for making significant progress in closing the achievement gap.
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