Piper Elementary School, 3131 N. 122nd St., Kansas City, Kansas, was one of six schools in Kansas that were named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020.
The schools were given the recognition by the U.S. Department of Education for meeting criteria based on academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
“Our state’s dedicated teachers, administrators, and staff have once again proved that Kansas is unmatched when it comes to providing a world-class education and a safe and welcoming environment for all students,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in a news release. “I want to offer my sincere congratulations to each of these districts for earning this distinguished recognition, and for their important work in closing achievement gaps for vulnerable students.”
Piper Elementary was recognized for academic performance on the U.S. Department of Education website at https://www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html.
The Piper Elementary statement on the U.S. Department of Education website: “We are committed to creating a foundation of academic and social-emotional success. We pride ourselves in educating students and parents in the process through which children understand and manage emotions, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Our school connects with students from diverse backgrounds and serves students with different motivations for engaging learning, behaving positively, and performing academically. We believe that social-emotional learning provides a foundation for safe and positive learning and enhances each student’s ability to succeed in school, community, and life.
“Unique to our student learning and success is the investment we take in adult learning and the common purpose for working together. We accept learning as the fundamental purpose of our school and, therefore, are willing to examine all practices for their impact on learning. We are invested in the ideas, curiosity, and wonder of others. Individuals and teams seek relevant data and information to promote continuous growth, gauging our effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intentions. We are hard on ideas but soft on people.”
The other five Kansas schools receiving Blue Ribbon recognition:
• Bostic Traditional Magnet Elementary School, Wichita Public School District
• Bradly Elementary School, Fort Leavenworth Unified School District 207
• Grant F. Timmerman Elementary School, Emporia Public School District
• Prairie Creek Elementary School, Spring Hill School District
• St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Catholic Diocese of Wichita
The 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony will be held virtually Nov. 12 and 13. Each of the 317 public and 50 non-public school honorees will receive their plaques and flags via mail.
Now in its 38th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed almost 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools, with some schools winning multiple awards. Schools are eligible for nomination after five years.
