Kennedy Jr. High School (KJHS), along with 329 other schools, received the  National Blue Ribbon Award on Sept. 28 and has been named one of the top schools in the country for the third time.  KJHS was a national Blue Ribbon School twice before in 2002 and 2008.  

This year was principal Brian Valek’s first time applying.

“I was not here for the first two [awards], so I think it definitely shows that just the continued excellence and the hard work that the people continue to put in here and that means everyone from staff to families to students,” Valek said.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools, and has been acknowledging these schools for the last 34 years.  

According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 7500 schools in the country have been presented with this award to celebrate the efforts of students, faculty and the community, creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging material.

“[The Blue Ribbon award] is an opportunity for a school to reflect on the work it is doing,” social studies teacher Dave Hollander said. “If good things are going on, the U.S. Department of Education wants to acknowledge that.”

The entire process of receiving this award takes about a year, starting from the State Department of Education nominating schools to submit an application.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are two criterias of eligibility that the state Department of Education considers when nominating a school: exemplary high-performing school and exemplary achievement gap-closing school.  A school must meet one of the two in order to qualify for a nomination.  

“If a group on the outside can observe and wants to bring [a school’s achievements] to the public and say this is how [we should teach,] that’s great,” Hollander said. “We don’t work for awards. It’s a blessing and it’s the icing on the cake.”

After the nomination, the school must complete a comprehensive application about its practices. Valek was in charge of completing the application for KJHS.

“My greatest concern was that we [properly] conveyed what our school climate was like,” Valek said. “What I did not want to come across was that we were only focused on performance data, in fact, I really think that’s one of the [least] important things about our school.”

Valek also said that the award is a direct result of all the hard work students, faculty and parents put into the school.  “My role is to essentially ensure that all those pieces work together and get access to what they need,” Valek said.

Valek, along with one other administrator, will travel to Washington D.C. to represent KJHS at an awards ceremony on Nov. 7 and 8 and receive the award.