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Director, Public Information
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Vol. 43, No. 65

September 15, 2009

Eight Public Schools Earn National “Blue Ribbon” Honors

Eight public schools in Missouri have been selected as 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today.  A total of 314 elementary schools earned national honors this year – 264 public schools and 50 private schools.  Missouri’s Blue Ribbon schools are:

Cedar Springs Elementary

Northwest R-I School District, House Springs

Kimm O’Connor, principal


Espy Elementary

 

Nixa School District

Michelle Wilkerson, principal

Field Elementary

 

St. Joseph School District

Kennie Jo Deshon, principal

Kennard/Classical Jr. Academy

 

St. Louis Public Schools

Wanda Leflore, principal

Mark Twain Elementary

 

Brentwood School District

Karen Smith, principal

Skyline Elementary

 

Hickory County R-I School District, Urbana

Jason Pursley, principal

South Nodaway Elementary

 

South Nodaway Co. R-IV School District, Guilford

Darbi Bauman, principal

Washington-Franklin Elementary

 

Farmington School District

Angie Winch, principal

All of the schools were honored earlier this year in the state-level Gold Star Schools program, conducted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The “No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools” program honors schools that are achieving at a high level or making significant progress in closing achievement gaps.  Every Blue Ribbon school must meet the state’s annual targets for adequate yearly progress (AYP), as required under the federal No Child Left Behind law. 

This year’s Blue Ribbon Schools winners will be formally recognized November 3 at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.