Washingtons Saint Patrick School a National Blue Ribbon Winner School recognized for high performance

The United States Department of Education named 269 schools, including St. Patrick School of Washington, as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools based on their academic excellence. St. Patrick School is one of 50 private schools nationwide recognized with this award. St. Patrick School, one of three downstate schools to receive the distinction, was recognized as an exemplary or high performing school. Due to the planned efforts of the administrative team and hard work of faculty and students, student achievement has significantly increased as measured by standardized test scores placing St. Patrick School in the top 15 per cent of the schools in the nation. Those efforts include a focus on the critical areas that research indicates leads to higher achievement: curriculum and instruction, standards and assessment, technology, parent and community partnerships and professional development. The resulting success of the school points to the strong partnership between the school staff, parents and the entire parish community. The department honored the 219 public and 50 private schools with their National Blue Ribbon School awards at a conference and awards ceremony November 12 13, 2012 in Washington, DC. St. Patrick School hosted a community celebration on December 5, 2012. Bishop Jenky, Washington Mayor Gary Manier, and Department of Education representative, Dr. Maureen Dowling were among the distinguished guests at that celebration. One of the highlights of the day was the conferral of Blue Ribbon medals upon all of the students, faculty and staff. This presentation so impressed Dr. Dowling that a few weeks later, she blogged about the event on the Department of Education website. The parish and school community celebrated the Blue Ribbon award in a festive and entertaining evening on February 1, 2013. Nearly 300 people, including parish members, school families, faculty, staff and alumni gathered for an evening of good food, fellowship and entertainment. A Blue Ribbon Campaign begun in November, 2012 raised $8,300 in cash donations. The money raised from the campaign covered the costs of a professionally made promotional video about the school, a large banner displayed in the school gym and numerous other items to preserve the legacy of the award for years to come.