Friday, October 31, 2008 , Updated
Carroll ISD’s Durham Elementary receives prestigious national award
Durham Elementary School is feeling blue this week. That’s because they were recently notified that the campus has been named a Lighthouse School Award winner by the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc.
Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization committed to ensuring that all students achieve their highest potential by providing schools with measureable and sustainable solutions. The Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School Award is a recognition program for schools of excellence offered by the non-profit association.
Durham is the first Carroll ISD campus to earn the Lighthouse School Award. There are five CISD campuses who previously earned the National Blue Ribbon Schools Award, which is a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The Lighthouse Award was given to only a dozen campuses across the nation in 2007.
“All DES stakeholders reflect the idea that high performing organizations are full of high performing people,” said Durham Principal Dr. Betty McIlvain. “The best organizations always find ways to get better. One of the keys to building a strong school experience for stakeholders is to address needs through a profile analysis of strengths and weaknesses accompanied by continuous improvement strategies.”
Schools are identified and selected for the Lighthouse Award based on achievement of excellent performance in nine major categories:
• Student Focus and Support
• School Organization and Culture
• Challenging Standards and Curriculum
• Active Teaching and Learning
• Technology Integration
• Professional Community
• Leadership and Educational Vitality
• School, Family and Community Partnerships
• Indicators of Success
“We are extremely proud of Durham Elementary for earning this honor,” said Superintendent David J. Faltys. “This is an achievement shared by the parents, staff and students of Durham. They all have reason to celebrate this news.”
School officials say the award will be presented in early December at the BRSE, Inc. conference held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Source: CISD
