Park Magnet School was named one of the 335 National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2015 on Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Diane Smith, principal of Park Magnet School, said Tuesday it is the second time in six years that the school has received the recognition.
The announcement of the 2015 award of the highest educational honor in the United States was made at noon as many of the school's teachers met in the lounge for lunch.
"It is with great joy that I am able to announce that at 10 a.m. today ... U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan named Park Magnet School as a recipient of the National Blue Ribbon Schools award for 2015," Smith said before showing a video of Duncan speaking about what the award means to recipients across the country.
Park Magnet was one of five schools in Arkansas to be honored and the only school in the 4th Congressional District to receive the award. Four of the state schools are public institutions and one is a private school.
Nationwide, only 285 public and 50 private schools were recognized Tuesday. The department will honor all of the schools at a recognition ceremony Nov. 9-10 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Each school will receive an award plaque and a flag as symbols of their accomplishments.
"This is a huge deal for the state," Smith told The Sentinel-Record before making the announcement.
"I think the feather in our cap is that it shows the level of commitment, hard work, and expectation of our students, and shows what our teachers, students and parents do together," she said.
Smith said top schools must be nominated for the award by their state department of education based on their record of student achievement and best practices. Park Magnet's Blue Ribbon award was in the category of "Exemplary High Performing Schools," in which schools are recognized among their state's highest performing schools, she said.
Park Magnet received its first National Blue Ribbon in 2009, and this second award places it in "a very elite group of schools," Smith said.
"The Blue Ribbon award acknowledges and validates the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in striving for, and attaining, exemplary achievement, creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content. The award belongs to all of us," she said.
Hot Springs School District Superintendent Mike Hernandez said the award "is an excellent opportunity and a great reflection on the staff at Park, the administrators, and the school district as a whole."
"Having been on the other side where I was working on giving schools awards, it's neat to be on the other side and see what it's like to be a recipient of an award. I think it's a great thing for us and we look forward to many more years of having this honor and continuing to work toward getting more honors," he told The Sentinel-Record.
"There are no words to describe the deep pride I have in this school and certainly for this accomplishment," Smith said in a letter sent to the families of students.
"I look forward to celebrating this momentous recognition as a school family and within our community. My dream for Park Magnet is to continue to build on our success and achieve even greater accomplishments together. Congratulations to our staff, students, and parents for a job well done," she said.
"This designation on a national level is something we have known for many years -- Park Magnet is among the best schools in America," U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-District 4, said in a statement.
"This recognition would not happen without the dedicated teachers investing in students who give 110 percent in pursuit of their academic studies," he said.
In addition, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., congratulated the five schools honored in Arkansas.
"We are blessed in Arkansas to have some of the most dedicated teachers, faculty and staff in the nation. The talented professionals at Mount Pleasant Elementary, Park Magnet, St. Vincent de Paul, Valley View Junior High and Vandergriff Elementary exemplify that high level of dedication to our children. Congratulations to them, and of course the students and parents who play a vital role, in achieving this national recognition," Boozman said in a news release.
Local on 09/30/2015