George Washington Elementary in Baltimore City and Hereford Middle School in Baltimore were two of the six Maryland schools announced Monday as the 2007 Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence by the state Department of Education.
“This gives the community a sense of pride, that a school that in the heart of the city is now a Maryland Blue Ribbon school,” said Charlene Boston, chief executive officer of the Baltimore City Public School System.
George Washington and Hereford Middle, along with Burleigh Manor Middle School and River Hill High School in Howard County, Heather Hills Elementary in Prince George?s County and Winston Churchill High School in Montgomery County, have been submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Education for the National Blue Ribbon Schools program.
Schools are selected either because they have shown a consistent superior performance or because they have demonstrated strong improvement ? and a high level of achievement.
“Maryland has more than 1,300 schools, so being selected for this honor is an amazing achievement,” State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick said.
George Washington Elementary, with 89 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunches, has raised its Maryland State Assessment scores the past three years. Last spring, 92 percent of the students tested at or above proficiency in reading, and 94 percent tested at or above proficiency in math.
“This says that an urban school system with a high number of free and reduced lunch kids can perform well on the state assessments,” Boston said. “This gives us all hope.”
At Hereford Middle School, more than 90 percent of the students tested proficient in math and reading. Also, more than 70 percent of the students in eighth grade are taking algebra I or II and 98 percent of those students are passing the high school level assessment.
“When I hire teachers, I look for people that deeply care about kids, that are passionate and bright, and love teaching,” said Hereford Principal Catherine Walrod. “I can develop teachers. I can?t teach someone love, to care about kids more.”
