Blue Ribbon Awarded to 10 Schools In D.C. Area

Ten public and parochial schools in the Washington region yesterday received the Blue Ribbon, the highest academic honor bestowed upon a school by the U.S. Department of Education.

They were among 320 schools honored nationwide under the No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools program, which recognizes schools that perform at the highest levels or make significant progress in closing student achievement gaps. Schools are nominated by states and go through a rigorous application process.

"It's just a great affirmation of what we devote ourselves to every day for the children here," said Sister Rosemaron Rynn, principal of Little Flower School in Bethesda, one of three Blue Ribbon schools in the Maryland suburbs. Little Flower, a Catholic school, serves 259 students from pre-kindergarten to grade 8 and consistently scores among the top 10 percent of schools nationally on standardized tests in reading and math.

Other honorees in the region: Key Elementary School, a public school in Northwest Washington; Graham Road Elementary, a public school in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County; Broadneck Elementary, a public school in Arnold in Anne Arundel County; St. John the Evangelist School, a Catholic school in the Anne Arundel suburb of Severna Park; Blessed Sacrament School, a Catholic school in Alexandria; Holy Spirit School, a Catholic school in Annandale; St. John Academy, a Catholic school in McLean; School of the Nativity, a Catholic school in Burke; and Springwoods Elementary, a Prince William County public school in Woodbridge.