HURRICANE, W.Va. — Three West Virginia schools have been recognized with one of the top honors a school can receive.
Greenmont Elementary in Wood County, Hollywood Elementary in Raleigh County and West Teays Elementary in Putnam County have been named 2019 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
The three schools received the distinction based on overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
Valerie Fowler, the principal at West Teays in Hurricane said in a video released Thursday that a successful school takes a village.
“The village starts with our students. We provide every student with leadership opportunities. Students provide services for our other students,” Fowler said.
Those leadership opportunities at West Teays include teams of students including ones that work on school news, germ busting and recycling. Fowler also credits the leadership among staff and the dedication from parents for top student achievement.
West Teays Elementary School in @PutnamWVSchools is one of three WV schools designated as a National Blue Ribbon School. Watch this brief video to see what makes West Teays such a wonderful place to learn! pic.twitter.com/WZhPHBLiRC
— WV Dept of Education (@WVeducation) September 26, 2019
All schools earned distinction in one of two performance categories based on all student scores, subgroup student scores, and graduation rates:
Exemplary High Performing Schools are among the state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years.
“At Hollywood, our students receive educational fundamentals through an integrated curriculum where students are engaged to encourage lifelong learning,” Tamber Hodges, the principal at Hollywood Elementary School said in a video.
The three West Virginia schools will be among the 362 nationwide honored by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on November 14 and 15 at a ceremony in Washington, DC.
Hollywood Elementary School in @RCSDWV is one of three WV schools to receive the prestigious National Blue Ribbon School title this year! Wonder what makes HES such a great place for students? Watch this short video! pic.twitter.com/xeBnBJeCXU
— WV Dept of Education (@WVeducation) September 26, 2019