U.S. Secretary of Education, John B. King, Jr., announced today that Summit Elementary has been named a 2016 National Blue Ribbon School. Summit is one among 279 public and 50 private schools receiving this honor.

“Our staff is a wonderful, hard-working group that has demonstrated the ability to overcome challenges in order to better prepare our students to reach their highest levels of achievement,” said principal Melissa Drury.

Every year, the U. S. Department of Education seeks out and celebrates great American schools, schools demonstrating that all students can achieve to high levels. Schools are nominated for the award by the state department of education, and then complete a comprehensive application about school practices. Schools may apply for status as Exemplary High Performing—among the top schools in a state—or Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing—schools making the fastest progress in their state in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

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.

“We are very proud of the students and the staff at Summit Elementary for earning this honor,” said Superintendent Tina Thomas-Manning. “Since Summit first opened its doors, we knew it was going to be an exceptional school and today’s recognition reaffirms those beliefs.”

The National Blue Ribbon program has been recognizing great American schools since 1982.

Principal Drury and teacher Tammy Groezinger will represent Summit Elementary at a two-day awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Summit’s achievement.

For more information about Summit Elementary, please contact the school office at (614) 501-5530 or via email at [email protected]. To watch the video announcement, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heb5Mtr51BM. For more information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, please visit http://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/.