PELLSTON — Pellston Elementary School has been named a National Blue Ribbon School, the school district announced Monday, Sept. 23.
Pellston Elementary School was one of 12 schools in Michigan to receive the prestigious honor. A total of 356 schools across the United States were recognized.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, National Blue Ribbon School recognition is based on “overall academic achievement or progress in closing achievement gaps between student groups on assessments.” Pellston Elementary School was one of 57 schools nationwide recognized in the “Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools” category.
Part of the category is based on closing performance gaps between different subgroups of the student population.
This could be due in part to the gap between economically disadvantaged students and economically able students, who make up 65.2% and 34.8% of Pellston's student population, respectively, according to MI School Data.
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Superintendent Stephen Seelye said the award was given to Pellston Elementary School based on test scores from the 2022-23 school year. The school was nominated by the state and then the application process involved writing essays and submitting documents to win the award.
“Our tenants who run our school have three simple rules: love kids, work hard and be positive. That rubs off on the students,” Seelye told the News-Review.
He added that these tenants make students want to go to school and he has heard from parents who say their children don't want snow days or summer vacations because they would rather be in school.
“If you have kids who want to go to school and want to learn, you’ve won 80 percent of the battle,” Seelye said. “Kids are kids, and it can be hard to get them engaged and intentional about learning, but building a loving, trusting relationship brings out the best in them.”
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The school was selected based on their M-STEP scores for English/language arts and mathematics for grades 3 through 5.
Seelye wrote in a letter to the Pellston Public Schools community that the award “is a testament to the exemplary teaching and learning that occurs at our school and is the highest honor a school can receive.”
“We are incredibly proud of our students and teachers and are extremely grateful for the support and partnership of our parents, families and community,” he wrote. “Pellston Elementary School is one of only (12) schools in Michigan to receive this distinguished award, and we are truly honored to be among them.”
In November, a team from the school will visit Washington, DC to accept the award from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of students and teachers at each of these schools,” Cardona said in a press release. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are raising the bar for our nation’s students and serving as models of effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities. As we celebrate their achievements, let us look to these schools for inspiration as we champion education as the foundation for a brighter future for every child.”
Seelye said the award is special because of the high level of academic success schools must achieve to qualify for the award.
“They don't just give out the awards for the sake of giving out the awards,” he said. “There are very high standards of academic success that a school has to achieve in order to win the award. There are a lot of awards that are left on the table every year, so this is definitely a hard-earned award.”
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter via @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Pellston Elementary School Named a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School
