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The color blue dominated the décor as well as the comments Thursday night, Nov. 21, at the Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary recognition celebration and open house.
The kindergarten- through fifth-grade facility was officially named a National Blue Ribbon School the previous week by the U.S. Department of Education.
H-BC Elementary was one of 10 Minnesota and 351 public and nonpublic schools nationwide to be honored at the national level as “exemplary high performing” schools.
At Thursday evening’s celebration Superintendent Todd Holthaus explained to the more than 200 community members gathered in the elementary gymnasium that the selection process started in January with a call from the state commissioner of education.
The phone call was not to inform Holthaus of any infractions but to inform him that the school’s student performances on the state’s comprehensive assessment tests brought the school to the state official’s attention and that an application for national recognition was warranted.
Holthaus singled out teachers, students, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, kitchen, administration staff and parents, asking the groups to stand as he called out their role at the school.
Holthaus had everyone in the gymnasium standing.
“Look around,” he said. “Look around at all the people standing. All of us had a part in the National Blue Ribbon, and outside of that, more dear to me, is the great school and the great school system, which is better in my opinion.”
The application was submitted in March by former elementary principal Jason Phelps, who is now principal at Luverne Middle School. Holthaus currently fills the elementary principal position. Phelps spent five years at H-BC.
Phelps said the application called for outlining the various systems in place at the school. Professional development, engaging families, school environment culture, special populations and curriculum areas were among the questions answered.
“A lot behind the National Blue Ribbon School award — the idea behind it is really good — is that those schools that excel can share the things other schools can use,” he said. “It was hard to identify exactly what we did that led students to achieve so well.”
As the H-BC officials finished the application, they could not name one thing that stood out as key for all schools to be “exemplary high performing.”
“I do think, as hard as it was to put into one simple explanation, is that it’s the people who make this school very proud,” Phelps said. “I think Mr. Holthaus was always aware of that.”
Holthaus was notified in September that H-BC Elementary was officially chosen as a National Blue Ribbon School, but he wasn’t allowed to reveal the honor until October.
In time for the official announcement, the elementary school was decorated with posters shaped as blue ribbons, bulletin boards proclaiming the honor, and blue crepe paper ribbons draped from doorframes.
The plaque has a place of honor in the school’s trophy case among the basketball, volleyball, spelling bee and baseball team trophies.
“It is great to be recognized,” Phelps said. “It should be something we should be extremely proud of, and congratulations to everyone involved. It’s something we should celebrate for a very long time.”
H-BC Elementary is the first school in Rock County to receive the National Blue Ribbon School award since the recognition program began in 1982.