Jackson's Sauder and Perry's Watson elementary schools get National Blue Ribbon award
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Two Stark County elementary schools have been named a National Blue Ribbon School.
Sauder Elementary in the Jackson Local School District and Watson Elementary in the Perry Local School District were recognized Friday among 13 Ohio schools and 297 public and private schools nationwide with the prestigious award.
The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or its progress in closing learning gaps among student subgroups.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona made this year’s announcement during his Road to Success Back to School bus tour.
“As our country continues to recover from the pandemic, we know that our future will only be as strong as the education we provide to all of our children,” Cardona said. “Blue Ribbon Schools have gone above and beyond to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. These schools show what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students’ lives.”
Stark County schools celebrate
This is the second time Watson has been named a National Blue Ribbon School and the second consecutive year a Perry Local school has been recognized with the national award. Whipple Heights Elementary earned Blue Ribbon status in 2021.
Watson, which enrolls 265 students, first received its National Blue Ribbon status in 2013.
Watson Principal Stacy Daugherty said many of the teachers and staff in the building today are the same ones who were there nine years ago.
More: Perry Local coverageDistrict breaks ground on new elementary schools.
“It just speaks to the staff of the building,” said Daughtery, who has been principal for the past eight years. “My staff go above and beyond every day.”
Sauder, which enrolls 629 students, is the third Jackson school to earn Blue Ribbon status. Jackson High School and Lake Cable Elementary earned the prestigious awards in 2009.
Sauder’s recognition is based on its exemplary academic performance. Its academic score on the Ohio School Report Cards ranked among the top five among the state's more than 3,000 schools.
“We are blessed to partner with great parents and families to educate their children,” Sauder Principal John Reindel said. “In addition to the collaboration with our families, we have a tireless staff of teachers, cooks, custodians, monitors, and many others who tirelessly work to provide our students with an environment that fosters growth and promotes learning.”
Which other Ohio schools received the National Blue Ribbon?
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which began in 1982, has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools. Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year by top education officials.
Besides Sauder and Watson, the other Ohio schools awarded the National Blue Ribbon are:
Canfield Village Middle School, Canfield Local School District.
South Range Elementary School, South Range Local School District.
Oakwood Junior High School, Oakwood City School District.
Hicksville Elementary School, Hicksville Exempted Village.
Olentangy High School, Olentangy Local School District.
Lynchburg-Clay Elementary School, Lynchburg-Clay Local School District.
Seaborn Elementary School, Weathersfield Local School District.
Port Washington Elementary School, Indian Valley Local School District.
Grace L Roxbury Elementary School, Solon City School District.
Versailles Elementary School, Versailles Exempted Village.
Isham Memorial Elementary School, Wadsworth City School District.
Reach Kelli at 330-580-8330 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
On Twitter: @kweirREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Sauder and Watson elementary schools named National Blue Ribbon School
