Ancillae-Assumpta named Blue Ribbon School

National honor is school’s fourth, making it only elementary school in Pennsylvania to achieve that feat

CHELTENHAM >> The Department of Education announced Oct. 1 that Ancillae-Assumpta Academy, based in Wyncote, has been named a National Blue Ribbon School for the fourth time in its history.

The academy is the only elementary school in Pennsylvania — public or private — to be named a Blue Ribbon School four times. Ancillae-Assumpta Academy was first recognized by the DOE in 1986, followed by 1991 and later in 2010. This year, the academy is one of only 349 schools being named nationally.

The National Blue Ribbon

Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools where students achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. This coveted award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content.

“We are so pleased to be named a National Blue Ribbon School for the fourth time,” said Amy Lintner, Ancillae-Assumpta Academy director. “Receiving this award again in 2018 is a tremendous honor and a wonderful testament to our committed faculty, who provide a supportive foundation for nurturing and fostering our students’ personal and educational growth.”

The academy’s educational philosophy, given the acronym R.I.C.E., promotes an integral understanding and practice of shared responsibility, human interdependence, dynamic creativity and people empowerment. Through the R.I.C.E. process, the students learn in theory and experience to appreciate the importance of a global viewpoint and to see the interrelatedness of peoples, which prepare them for the challenges and demands of the future. Ancillae’s commitment to the goals of the R.I.C.E. process has been key to maintaining the level of quality that has historically earned the school top awards in education.

In 1990, Ancillae-Assumpta was one of the first six elementary schools to gain approval of an entrepreneurial project for accreditation purposes when it received a 10-year reaccreditation from the Middles States Association of Colleges and Schools for a special project on the R.I.C.E. process. Ancillae was reaccredited in 2012 by the Middle States Association, and in 2016, the academy earned the designation of an Apple Distinguished School.

Ancillae-Assumpta Academy is a private, co-educational, Catholic elementary school (grades preschool through eight) sponsored by the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

SUBMITTED PHOTO — ANCILLAE-ASSUMPTA ACADEMY Ancillae-Assumpta Academy Director Amy Lintner unveils the news of Ancillae-Assumpta Academy earning the National Blue Ribbon Schools designation Oct. 1.