Xavier wins U.S. Blue Ribbon Schools award

WASHINGTON — Four Arizona schools recently were honored in Washington, D.C., as National Blue Ribbon Schools, those that excel despite what U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan called “very real challenges” facing education.

Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix was among the four schools. The private Roman Catholic high school has won the award twice before.

“It is a lot of hard work,” said Sister Joan Fitzgerald, Xavier’s principal. She said the continued recognition from the Education Department is an affirmation of the school’s work ethic.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, started in 1982, honors exemplary schools — those that perform well on state and national tests — or schools with high numbers of disadvantaged students that show “exemplary improvement” on state and national assessments.

The other Arizona winners are Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Elementary in Nogales, Sabino High School in Tucson and the Chandler Traditional Academy-Liberty Campus. In all, 286 schools were honored.

Educators from the awardwinning schools were invited to Washington by the Education Department for the award ceremony, as well as workshops.

Beth Ann Bader, principal at Chandler Traditional Academy-Liberty Campus, said the meetings showed her a lot that could improve how she runs her school.

“Our goal as a blue-ribbon school is to not only continue to serve our students but also to work with our sister schools,” Bader said.