Southside Elementary nominated for Blue Ribbon Award

COCOLALLA — If Southside Elementary School maintains its level of academic achievement, the staff will be proudly displaying a blue ribbon next year.

Impressed by the elementary school’s gains in student performance over the past year, the Idaho Department of Education has nominated it for the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award. Southside Elementary is one of only three Idaho schools nominated for the award, a nationwide honor designed to distinguish schools that demonstrate dramatic academic gains.

“We’ve received a lot of congratulatory messages since the nomination was announced,” Southside Elementary principal Patrick Valliant said. “The staff was just elated when they heard the news.”

With its state endorsement in place, Southside administrators will need to fill out an application themselves after returning to work from holiday vacation. If the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress rates make the cut after students take the 2011 Idaho Standards Achievement Test, the award will be official.

The schools that make the final selection will be invited to an award ceremony in Washington, D.C., next fall. Travel expenses to the event are partially covered by the Idaho Department of Education.

Regardless of next year’s ISAT results, all three nominated schools will be honored at the Idaho Department of Education’s Title I Conference Awards luncheon in April.

The Blue Ribbon Award program was started in 1982. But during tough times and tight resources, program directors consider the award more necessary than ever. According to the official program description, the award is meant to recognize schools that overcome difficulties like reduced budgets, teacher turnover and disadvantaged kids.

Valliant attributes Southside’s success at beating those odds to his teachers and staff.

“We’ve put some wonderful programs into place and our teachers are among the best-trained in Idaho,” he said. “This is the best job I’ve ever had and I work with some great people.”