For Immediate Release • October 19, 2005
Terren Roloff, Director
Community Relations
Phone: 354-7338

Moran Prairie nominated for Blue Ribbon status

Moran Prairie Elementary School staff and students recently learned that the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s office nominated their school for a federal Blue Ribbon award.

Schools nominated must be high achieving and meet one of two criteria: have at least 40 percent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and dramatically improving on state tests, or achieve in the top 10 percent on state tests. Moran Prairie was nominated for achieving in the top 10 percent.

Of the nearly 2,000 public schools in the state, Moran Prairie ranked fourth for its WASL math score, sixth for reading and ninth for writing.

“I see this nomination as a testament to the hard and focused work of our staff in the last few years, as well as to the great community focus on education that has surrounded Moran Prairie since our inception,” said Principal Matt Handelman. “It is nice to know that schools that are ‘expected’ to be high performing can indeed be recognized for their combined efforts to make that expectation a reality.”

The other nominees for the 2005-06 award cycle are: Maple Elementary (Seattle SD), Rosalia Elementary/High School (Rosalia SD); Horizon Middle School (Ferndale SD); Wellington Elementary (Northshore SD); Pine Lake Middle School (Issaquah SD); and Mercer Island High School (Mercer Island SD).
The U.S. Department of Education will review each state’s nominations and announce the 2005-06 Blue Ribbon School winners in early fall 2006.
The last Spokane County school to be chosen for Blue Ribbon status was Franklin Elementary in 2004.