Published: 11:43 AM, 09/16/2009

Source: The Greeneville Sun

Only Tennessee H.S. Honored

One Of Only 314 Schools In U.S.

BY BILL JONES

STAFF WRITER

North Greene High School has been designated a 2009 National Blue Ribbon School, joining only 313 other schools across the nation.

North Greene was the only Tennessee High School to win the national honor for 2009, according to a national list of Blue Ribbon Schools issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

"It's a tremendous honor," North Greene Principal David McLain said. "It's also a great tribute to our teachers. We have excellent teachers and they go above and beyond the call of duty."

NGHS has 402 students and 26 teachers.

McLain said the school's "Value Added" scores from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program are at high levels while the graduation rate has improved and Gateway examination scores also were up.

"I don't guess it's really hit me yet," McLain said on Tuesday.

Assistant Principal Robin Chapman played a key role in the application process for the Blue Ribbon School honor, McLain said, after North Greene was nominated by the Tennessee Department of Education.

Chapman said she attributes improvement in NGHS students' reading scores on state standardized tests to implementation of a "stop and read program."

She explained that one day each week Principal McLain announces on the intercom that it is now time to "stop and read."

At that point, she said, teachers distribute copies of The Greeneville Sun for students to read. The Sun, she said, makes the newspapers available free of charge.

"We want to thank The Greeneville Sun for that," she said.

Chapman said NGHS had been alerted in advance that the winning schools would be announced on Tuesday morning.

The official announcement came about 11:15 a.m., she said.

"We're very happy here today," she said, noting that North Greene had gone through an exhaustive application process last year.

Last October, Wayland Seaton, the Greene County School System's supervisor of secondary education, said NGHS was one of only 17 schools across the state being considered for nomination for the 2009 honor.

TO BE HONORED NOV. 3

North Greene and the other 2009 Blue Ribbon schools -- 264 public and 50 private -- will be honored at an awards ceremony on Nov. 3 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.

Over the past 27 years, more than 6,150 of America's schools have received this coveted award.

"These Blue Ribbon Schools have shown that all children can learn with appropriate supports," said

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

"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," Duncan said.

"They are places where improved teaching and learning benefits every student, and where students are challenged to meet high expectations with the active support of teachers, parents and the community, according to Duncan."

The award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior, or have made dramatic gains in student achievement and helped close gaps in achievement among minority and disadvantaged students.

Each year since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has sought out schools where students attain and maintain high academic goals.

Using standards of excellence, as evidenced by student achievement measures and the characteristics known from research to exemplify school quality, the Department of Education celebrates schools, including those that beat the odds.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private schools based on one of two criteria:

* Schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests or in the case of private schools in the top 10 percent of the nation on nationally-normed tests; and

* Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that demonstrate dramatic improvement of student performance to high levels on state tests or nationally-normed tests.

In addition, public schools must meet Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, in reading (language arts) and mathematics.

Each state -- not the federal government -- sets its own academic standards and benchmark goals.

A total of 413 schools nationwide can be nominated, based on the number of K-12 students and the number of schools in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The Chief State School Officer (CSSO) nominates public schools, and the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) submits private schools' nominations.

The schools are invited by the U.S. Secretary of Education to submit an application for possible recognition as a Blue Ribbon School.

U.S. Rep. Dr. Phil Roe, R-1st, of Johnson City, commented, "I am so proud of the academic excellence achieved at North Greene High School, which today was recognized by the 2009 National Blue Ribbon Program. These Blue Ribbon Schools set the academic standard by exemplifying what teachers and students can achieve. Education is the key to success and improves quality of life."

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