Kettle Run staff and administrators discuss winning the 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools award.
The Blue Ribbon award was started in 1982 and over nine thousand schools have been awarded. According to their website, they are “the only award program sanctioned by the United States Department of Education.” Terrel H. Bell, the second secretary of education, created the award. It has a long history and has become a prestigious award.
The award application was a lengthy process. Each state nominated some of its schools; Virginia nominated seven schools, of which Kettle Run was one of them. Dr. Brill said, “Once we got nominated and accepted it, we had to complete an application by a deadline, and then we had to continue to ensure that we met the deadlines.”
The application itself involved a variety of different topics. The topics involved in the application include: basic information, demographics, an overview of the school, curricula, and school climate. Furthermore, there was information on the ethnic composition of the students, those receiving special education services, and the school’s history. The application is a staggering 22 pages of data and information on the school.
The application was due that April and the administration wasn’t allowed to tell anyone else. According to Dr. Brill, “The Virginia Department of Education was verifying our scores on assessments and making sure that we still met the criteria, which is why we weren’t officially awarded until Fall.” Kettle Run High School received the award on September 19th, 2023.
Other staff members outside the school administration assisted in the application process. Dr. Brill explained that “Each department chair was able to take their questions that relate to their content area.” For example, Mrs. Krasny and Mrs. Frye filled out the English and CTE sections respectively. Mr. Stickler helped fill out the section about the Social Studies department, which he said was “who the staff were at the time, all of our coursework, what we’ve done to be able to be here, and to demonstrate our expertise in teaching.”
This award also means a lot to our school and its community. Dr. Brill said, “It means we took the opportunity to showcase all the great things our staff and our students were doing.” Mr. Stickler said it meant we care about the success of individual students and reach out to give opportunities to those who are struggling. Mrs. Frye said that it was the “recognition of the hard work of students, staff, and the administration.” The award shows recognition to staff and students alike.
Kettle Run won the Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools award. According to the Virginia Department of Education, these are “schools have made the greatest advances (top 15%) in closing the achievement gaps for diverse student groups in reading and mathematics over a multiple-year period as measured by state assessments.” Dr. Brill further explained, “We saw measurable growth in certain categories of students within our building. Intentional efforts to make sure the students improve their scores.”
Kettle Run has consistently cared for the success of its students throughout the years, to the point that it was recognized on a national level for the consideration it shared amongst all of its students. It is the only public high school in the state of Virginia that has had the honor of receiving the 2023 National Blue Ribbon award. Kettle Run deserves the praise and recognition it has received due to its accomplishments in accommodating all students.
References:
Kettle Run High School. “2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.” National Blue Ribbon Schools, https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/assets/winning/asset/2023/school_application/23va108pu_kettle_run_high_school_finalapplication.pdf. Accessed 11 April 2024.
U.S. Department of Education. “National Blue Ribbon Schools.” National Blue Ribbon Schools: Home, https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/. Accessed 11 April 2024.
U.S. Department of Education. “U.S. Department of Education Announces 2023 Blue Ribbon Schools | U.S.” Department of Education, 19 September 2023, https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-announces-2023-blue-ribbon-schools. Accessed 11 April 2024.
Virginia Department of Education. “Ten Virginia Public Schools Earn 2023 National Blue Ribbon School Honors | News Releases | Virginia Department of Education.” Virginia Department of Education, 19 September 2023, https://www.doe.virginia.gov/Home/Components/News/News/316/227. Accessed 11 April 2024.
