DAWSON -- The Dawson-Boyd Public Schools celebrated on Tuesday the designation earlier this school year of the district's elementary school as a Blue Ribbon school under the federal No Child Left Behind program. The school is one of only seven in Minnesota to be so recognized in 2005, according to Todd Zoellick, deputy secretary with the U.S. Department of Education's Chicago office.
Zoellick and Kristine Cohn, the regional representative for the secretary of education, joined with the Stevens Elementary students to mark the small school's designation.
Cohn spent the day visiting with staff and students, but said it really didn't take her long to see what makes this rural school special. She credited the school's success with its teaching and support staff, a community that has high expectations for its school, and the leadership that put those elements together.
"I saw it from the moment I got here today," said Cohn.
Principal Val Tuff was just as quick to point out that the district's achievement in winning the award is a reflection that the district remains on a path it started long ago, and not the result of any recent changes.
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Tuff said that it all comes down to what happens in the classroom. The community support has created an environment where teachers get to know the individual needs of students and work with them on that basis, according to Tuff.
The district was nominated for the award by the Minnesota Department of Education. The Blue Ribbon designation is awarded based on either of two categories: Schools with test results in the top 10 percent, and schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance.
The Stevens Elementary School qualified for the awarded based on the second criterion. Its performance in Minnesota Comprehensive tests has shown dramatic improvement over the last three years.
Dawson-Boyd Superintendent Brad Madsen said the state considers students whose family income qualifies them for reduced or free lunches to be disadvantaged. Just over 40 percent of the district's students qualify, reflecting the economics of the rural area. He said the district's percentage is "quite average" for a rural district in western Minnesota.
Madsen said the Dawson-Boyd school district is not rich in resources, but that has not kept residents from supporting the school. Residents supported a major bond issue six years ago to invest in a new community center. The district's residents have also supported an excess levy that amounts to $750 per pupil, a level which is higher than the average, he noted.
Tuff and elementary teacher Sharon Vick accepted the Blue Ribbon award on behalf of the school during an event held Nov. 10-11 in Arlington, Va.
