HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — C. W. Shipley Elementary School in Jefferson County was only one of two schools in West Virginia to be named a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
C. W. Shipley was nominated for the honor last school year. Principal Heather Boucher and her staff filled out the application and then waited. They knew the announcement was coming sometime in September. However, it wasn’t until the last day of the month when they got the good news.
“We had the students in the gym. We had the teachers, the cafeteria workers, the custodians, everyone was in our gym at that time,” explained Boucher. “The superintendent and many members of the Board of Education were there and it was just an exciting time!”
Blue Ribbon schools are considered the best of the best. In order to be nominated, a school must have high academic success or make notable improvement in closing the achievement gap.
Boucher said the secret to Shipley’s success might not be what you expect.
“This school has the most family feel to it. We truly are a family,” stressed Boucher. “(Teacher) longevity is not unusual at Shipley. We have teachers who have 20-30 years of teaching here. That makes a difference. Having high expectations of our students and ourselves makes a difference.”
Shipley is a K-5 school with 365 students. According to Boucher, the staff makes it an exciting place to learn and students thrive under those conditions.
The other 2014 National Blue Ribbon School here in West Virginia is Woodsdale Elementary in Ohio County. The Wheeling school is pre-K through 5 and has 376 students.
The U.S. Department of Education will honor both schools in Washington, D.C. in November.