It was a day for cheers and congratulations as Chadds Ford Elementary School held an all day celebration of being named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.
The school achieved the award based on results of standardized testing last spring, testing done as part of the No Child Left Behind Program. Word of the achievements reached the school in September.
There was on open house for parents to visit the classrooms, a special lunch and dinner as well as an all-school assembly in the afternoon, Monday, April 20. Special guests at the assembly included Unionville-Chadds Ford School district Sharon Parker, a representative from the U.S. Department of Education and a special video appearance by former CFES Principal Charlene Stone from China.
Also speaking were representatives from each grade of the K-5 elementary school.
The teachers were also given pins in honor of the blue ribbon designation.
Current Principal Mark Ransford opened the assembly telling students, parents and teachers how honored he is to be the principal of an award-winning school, but said it wasn’t his doing.
He said it was due to the work of all concerned, the students, teachers, staff, district directors and parents, and that they should all remember the feeling.
“ I hope all involved will feel a sense of pride for years to come,” Ransford said.
He also challenged everyone not to let down.
“Excellence is never sustained by standing in one place. I ask you to join me in continuing a passion for excellence. … Respect the individual and reject mediocrity. Beginning today, let’s start working on our next blue ribbon," he said.
Aba S. Kumi, the director of the No Child Left Behind program congratulated everyone saying that Chadds Ford Elementary School joined an elite group of schools, being one of only 12 in Pennsylvania to earn the distinction.
“Your investment in education is paying off. Chadds Ford Elementary School sets an example for other schools to follow,” Kumi said.
Stone’s recorded message was one of congratulations and to say she missed the students, parents and faculty at the school.
Among other speakers were Timotha Trigg, a school board director and mother of a CFES student, and several teachers.
Trigg expressed gratitude as a parent, and told a story of a family that had moved out of the district because of a long work commute but returned within a few years because, though the district they had moved to was supposed to be as good, they preferred the education offered by the U-CF school district.
Teacher Jean Russell brought an historical perspective to the proceedings. She attended CFES in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and her father attended the school in the 1920s.
Superintendent Parker picked up on the historical theme saying that the Blue Ribbon award was also for those who had walked the halls of CFES before and those that would come in the future.
“The award is not just for today,” Parker said, adding that is was for more than just the one school. “ This Blue Ribbon goes all the way around the entire Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.”
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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