HF-L High School Principal David Roth and high school music teacher Mark Borden accepted the Blue Ribbon Award at the national ceremony last week. Photo courtesy of HF-L’s twitter account.
The Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District is pleased to announce that it has been chosen as the recipient of the prestigious 2016 National Blue Ribbon Award. Announced in September, HF-L will receive a plaque as well as a flag that will be hung at the entrance of the high school to display this prestigious award. The National Award Ceremony took place November 7th and 8th in Washington D.C.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Every year the U.S. Department of Education seeks out and celebrates great American schools; schools demonstrating that all students can achieve at high levels. The National Blue Ribbon School Award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content. The National Blue Ribbon School flag, gracing an entry or flying overhead, is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.
Public schools nominated for the National Blue Ribbon Schools award must meet one of two eligibility criteria. High-Performing Schools – schools that are ranked among the highest performing schools in both reading (English Language Arts) and mathematics as measured by state or nationally normed assessments in the most recent year tested, regardless of student demographics. Improving Schools – schools with at least 40% of their student population classified as disadvantaged that have reduced the achievement gap and improved student performance in reading (English Language Arts) and math in state or nationally normed assessments in the most recent year tested.
In its 34-year history, more than 8,000 of America’s schools have received the coveted National Blue Ribbon Schools award. In New York State, out of the thousands of schools, only 19 are nominated for the National Blue Ribbon Award, from those 19, the winning schools are chosen by the U.S. Department of Education. Although at one-time schools self-nominated for the award, this is no longer the case. At the invitation of the U.S. Secretary of Education, Chief State School Officers, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Council for American Private Education nominate eligible schools for the annual award. Eligible schools must demonstrate high or strongly improving student scores on state or nationally normed assessments within the last year tested; schools must also make Annual Yearly Progress in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act. The Blue Ribbon Award is considered the highest honor an American school can achieve.
“This is a great representation of how hard our students and staff work,” said David Roth, HF-L High School Principal. “I am very proud of each and every one of them.”
