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| Above: Principal Ruth Taylor
leads a cheer for Stono Park Elementary, our newest Blue Ribbon School. |
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| Below: Ms. Taylor greets former Stono Park Principal Stephanie Strous. |
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"It's about being good," the 6-year-old said.
For parents, teachers and administrators, the designation is about much more. Stono Park is a school at which 78 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Yet, with a strong support network and an unstoppable drive to see students excel, the school was the only one in Charleston County and one of five across the state to receive the prestigious Blue Ribbon School Award from the U.S. Department of Education."We believe that just because you are economically disadvantaged doesn't mean you have to be educationally disadvantaged," said Ruth Taylor, who just began her first year as the school's principal.
In South Carolina, schools nominated for the award fall into two categories: those with at least 40 percent of students receiving free or reduced-price meals that are performing in the top 10 percent of schools in the state; and those with high levels of poverty that are dramatically reducing the performance gap.
The staff and students at Stono Park were able to close the performance gap, with 38 percent of the students scoring proficient or advanced on the 2005 Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test. The exam is given to third- through eighth-graders.
"It doesn't matter how you look or how much money you have," said Stephanie Strous, who was principal for 16 years. "If children are in the right environment, they can succeed."
Pauline Nelson, parent of third-grader Milan Nelson, said the award is well-deserved because Stono Park is a school that focuses its energy on learning. It's a message that is taught not just to students.
"They are all about reading," Nelson said. "They drill it in our heads."
With help from the parents, students have learned not to settle for less than their best.
"When you finish your work, you don't say, 'That's enough.' You say, 'That's the best I can do,' " said Russell Johnson, District 10 Constituent Board chairman.
The students listened to numerous administrators sing their praises during a celebration in the school cafeteria. The event ended with everyone on their feet, singing the school's new theme song, which sums up the school's attitude toward learning:
"At Stono Park we are the best. Because we love to
read, math, science, P.E. and the arts, we know we can succeed. Oh
Stono Park, oh Stono Park, forever in our hearts. We'll give each day
the best we have and always do our part!"
ABOUT THE AWARD
The
National Blue Ribbon Schools program honors public and private K-12
schools at which students achieve at the highest levels or have made
significant progress in closing achievement gaps.
STONO PARK ELEMENTARY
-- Location: 1699 Garden St., West Ashley
-- Principal: Ruth Taylor
-- Students: 310
-- Students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals: 78 percent
-- Why it won: 38 percent of students who took the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test scored proficient or advanced.
-- Other S.C. schools that received the award:
Aiken Elementary in Aiken County School District; Sampit Elementary in
Georgetown County School District; Woodruff High School in Spartanburg
District 4; St. Andrew Catholic School in Myrtle Beach