On Nov. 9 and 10, the U.S. Department of Education recognized Ladue Middle School as a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School at a ceremony at the Omni-Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. LMS was one of 285 public schools to receive the honor.
School staff attended the event to accept the award. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the news on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
“This honor recognizes your students’ accomplishments and the hard work and dedication that went into their success,” Duncan said in a message to the awardees. “Your journey has taught you collaboration, intentional instruction, and strong relationships in school and with your community. You represent excellence—in vision, in implementation, and in results—and we want to learn as much as we can from you.”
This major accomplishment comes after LMS was recognized as a 2015 Gold Star School in May 2015, a program administered by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Those recipients were then nominated for the Blue Ribbon recognition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. Ladue Middle School falls into the Exemplary High Performing Schools category which includes the state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments on nationally normed tests. Student subgroup performance and high school graduation rates are also at the high levels.
Faculty and staff at LMS are celebrating the selection as a National Blue Ribbon School. This honor recognizes the teamwork, dedication and talents that LMS teachers and students demonstrate every day, as well as the commitment of the parents and community to have an outstanding school. “Coming just a year after our being named a National School of Character, we are justly proud of what happens every day in our classrooms and activities,” LMS Principal Greg Baber said.
Following is a complete list of schools in Missouri that have been recognized.
- Cape Girardeau, Barbara Blanchard Elementary School
- St. Louis, Kennard Classical Junior Academy
- St. Louis, Ladue Middle School (Ladue School District)
- Maryland Heights, McKelvey Elementary School (Parkway School District)
- Webster Groves, Nerinx Hall High School
- New Haven, New Haven High School
- Chesterfield, Parkway West Middle school (Parkway School District)
- Clayton, Ralph M. Captain Elementary School (Clayton School District)
- St. Louis, St. Louis University High School
- St. Louis, Truman Middle School (Lindbergh School District)