There aren’t many times someone can say they’re having a blue day while sporting a big smile, but that’s exactly what Voorheesville Elementary School Principal Thomas Reardon recently did.
“A lot of times, we wear our purple and gold, but today is certainly a blue day,” Reardon said a crowd of students in blue during the school’s Blue Ribbon Ceremony Thursday, Nov. 13. Voorheesville Elementary School received its Blue Ribbon designation for being a consistently high-performing school.
“There are 497 students in this room right now, and each one of you is the reason why we have this very special award,” said Reardon.
Elementary school leaders were asked to apply for the award last year. Only schools the state Department of Education selects are allowed to apply. Before the switch to a more selective process about a decade ago, any school, or district, could apply.
There are almost 132,200 of schools nationwide, from kindergarten to 12th grade. Only 290 public schools received a Blue Ribbon award this year. There were also 50 private schools awarded. Statewide, there were 19 schools invited to apply this year, with 17 selected.
Each school receives a plaque and a flag to show its status as a National Blue Ribbon School. Over its 32-year history, fewer than 7,900 schools have received the designation.
Reardon said school leaders wanted to make sure the award was properly celebrated.
“It is an honor we want to make sure we relish and not have it get lost in the shuffle of things,” Reardon said on Thursday, Nov. 20.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said the designation is “no small accomplishment” for the school and district.
“Thank you to the teachers and thank you to the students for getting this award,” said McCoy. “It is a foundation starting with the family and coming to school.”
Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk noted Voorheesville was the only school to receive the award this year in her senate district, which has almost 30 districts.
Students were “authentically excited,” said Reardon. “The kids really walked away understanding this was a really big honor, because of the staff, parents and them.”
Elementary schools have been undergoing the transition to Common Core Learning Standards, which has added a new challenge for educators. Reardon said the new standards were not a roadblock for achievement.
“Rather than being stumbling blocks, it was just challenges that we overcame,” he said. “We really are a family. … We come together to fix a problem, and I think there is something to be said for that.”
Reardon said there is something special about Voorheesville, a sentiment echoed by Superintendent of Schools Teresa Thayer Snyder.
“What makes Voorheesville Elementary School special is so much more than the performance of our children on assessments or our teachers’ investment in the classrooms, or the principal’s legendary energy. What makes Voorheesville special can more accurately be described as its soul,” Snyder said in a statement.
