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Three Brevard Schools Earn Blue Ribbon Dis nc on
Three district schools were named as pres gious Na onal Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Educa on on Oct. 9. The 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.
Brevard Public Schools’ award recipients are:
• Edgewood Jr./Sr. High
• Manatee Elementary
• Robert L. Stevenson Elementary
“Na onal Blue Ribbon Schools are ac ve demonstra ons of preparing every child for a bright future. You are visionaries, innovators and leaders,” said U.S. Secretary of Educa on Betsy DeVos to honorees.
Edgewood Jr./Sr. High, in Merri Island, Fla., is a school of choice with a focus on excellence and rigorous academics. Edgewood was one of only four secondary schools in the state to be named and it was previously recognized as a Blue Ribbon school in 2008.
The school, which o ers only advanced-level courses, serves 950 students who are enrolled based on academic performance and a lo ery. Edgewood students commit to earning a Diploma of Dis nc on, which includes comple ng addi onal course work, 25 hours of service learning per year and a senior project. According to Principal Jacqueline Ingra a, the award commi ee was impressed with the school’s curriculum and social-emo onal support.
“This coveted award a rms the hard work of educators, families and communi es in crea ng safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content,” said Ingra a.
Manatee Elementary, an “A” school since it opened in 2003, has earned numerous academic and service awards, and focuses on crea ng a sense of belonging and a history of tradi on. The ming of this recogni on is signi cant to Principal Carl Brown, who has a unique rela onship with the school and also will re re at the end of 2017.
“Being the very rst employee and the only principal Manatee Elementary School has ever had is truly a blessing that I could have never imagined 15 years ago.
The award is a re ec on of the hard work that the en re MES community puts in each and every day,” said Brown.
Manatee Elementary leaders take pride in the school’s enrichment programs such as HEROES, a kindness and an -bullying project, their environmental ini a ves,
and the Manatees Give Back community outreach group. The Viera, Fla. school’s h-graders are also given the unique opportunity to go on a three-day camping trip in the Ocala Na onal Forest where they immerse themselves in hands- on, fun- lled science explora on.
“There are many high performing schools in Brevard County but what
I think impressed
the Department
of Educa on is the
community school
we have become.
From the internal
projects and
events to our community outreach programs we feel we are doing something special the en re school year,” said Brown.
Michael Corneau, principal of Robert L. Stevenson Elementary, a ributes the school’s success, in part, to strong and nurturing student-teacher rela onships,
con nued on page 9
Students at Stevenson Elementary bene t from the Blue Ribbon school’s approach to leadership and learning.
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