Coronado Elementary School in Hobbs is one of only 325 schools, both public and private, in the entire USA to be named a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School. The award is a great honor for the school and the City of Hobbs as a whole.
Hobbs educators, including Superintendent of Hobbs Municipal Schools Gene Strickland, Principal of Coronado Elementary Laura Otto and first grade teacher Melanie Kjerimi, were in Washington D.C. on Friday, November 4 to accept the coveted achievement award on behalf of the entire Coronado Elementary Family – administradors, staff, students, parents and all stakeholders.
Mrs. Kjerimi, Mrs. Otto and Superintendent Strickland accepted the award, entering the stage jiving to the sounds of the Bee Gees hit “Stayin’ Alive”. Students from Coronado Elementary watched the joyous ceremony via video feed.
Only Three Schools In New Mexico Received Award
To emphasize how significant it is for Coronado Elementary to be named a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School, it is important to point out that only three schools in the entire state of New Mexico received this honor this year. Mesa Verde Elementary School in Farmington and Mesquite Elementary School in Mesquite, south of Las Cruces, are the other two schools that were recognized.
According to a U.S. Department of Education press release, Miguel A. Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education, recognized “National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021 based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. These schools demonstrate that all students can achieve high levels.”
This year’s breakdown of National Blue Ribbon Schools consists of 23 private and 302 public elementary, middle and high schools. These schools include “traditional, charter, magnet schools, parochial and independent schools in 45 States, the District of Columbia and Department of Defense Education Activity schools in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, West Point, New York, and Belgium.”
History of the Program
The Department of Education initiated the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 1982. During its almost 40 years of existence, the program has bestowed some 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools. The “award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content,” states the Department of Education about the program’s purposes.
For public schools the Department of Education invites “the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education” to nominate schools as candidates to receive the award. The nomination responsibility for private schools is laid in the hands of the Council for American Private Education.
Coronado Elementary Belongs to a Coveted Group
Now, Coronado Elementary School joins the ranks of a small and coveted group – National Blue Ribbon Schools. With this honor goes the distinct privilege of flying the National Blue Ribbon School flag. This flag flying high serves as a constant reminder to the community of the many dedicated individuals who have raised the bar in both teaching and learning.
The mission at Coronado Elementary “is to foster a love of learning within our students, staff and community and to educate students to the highest levels of academics, guiding them to their fullest potential.” Coronado administrators and staff are working through “collaboration, data-driven instruction, and teaching for learning” to achieve this mission, states a summary about Coronado Elementary School at the National Blue Ribbon Schools website.
