Story and photos by Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
Published Friday, January 27, 2006

Royal Oak – Although there's a new, blue banner hanging on the outside of Shrine Elementary School, and although there's a shiny new plaque inside, it's still business as usual within the school's walls.

After all, winning the National Blue Ribbon award didn't tell the Shrine community something it didn't already know – that Shrine was a good school dedicated to student improvement.

Sixth-graders Allie Breda and Brandon Hawkins work together on a religion project, for which students create their own version of plagues.

Shrine was the only school in Michigan to take home the national award this year, and it was something the school had to work together as a team to do, said Sr. Mary Gehringer, OSM, the Archdiocese of Detroit's school superintendent.

"It says a lot to the work that Shrine has done to develop quality curriculum for students," Sr. Gehringer said. "It's evidence that teachers are using assessment to improve student learning."

The recognition is given from the United States Department of Education. It's been updated in the last few years to reflect the federal No Child Left Behind program, a federal education reform program that emphasizes accountability and parental choice. Schools apply for the award if standardized test scores are high enough, for example, or if the school has made significant improvement. A school provides demographic, curriculum and testing data to a selection committee.

Fourth-grade teacher Lisa Gmeiner demonstrates pre-geometry skills to students with a lesson on how to fold origami. The students are working on a Christmas ornament.

The U.S. Department of Education's Web site states that the purpose of the award is to recognize schools that attain the nation's goals for new education reforms of high standards and accountability.

Sharon Dixon, Shrine Elementary School's principal, initially realized the school could be eligible after looking at testing scores, later seeing that the school fit into much of the other criteria, too. The school was recognized for being in the top 10 percent of private school achievement.

"We applied hoping we would be recognized for what we have been doing," Dixon said. "School improvement is an ongoing thing."

Sr. Gehringer said not every school has time to complete the evaluation, and she doesn't know how many schools initially applied.

Fourth-grade boys build a tower of blocks during an indoor recess.

Sr. Gehringer explained that assessment and curriculum planning go hand in hand, and test scores show actual need in students. Teachers and administrators then work as a team to meet those needs.

Dixon said the school has a School Improvement Committee to address long-term needs, such as building a new science lab within the next year or so. She looks at the scores very carefully with her assistant principal and they see what they can do to improve them, she said, and is constantly bouncing ideas off co-workers.

For example, shortly after she arrived at the school about seven years ago, students weren't doing as well as they could have in capitalization and punctuation, so teachers implemented daily skills into the curriculum. Scores improved by the next round of testing.

"It's looking at who you are as a school," Dixon said.

Dixon flew to Washington, D.C. in November with computer teacher Dorothy Babbage to receive the award and to participate in workshops and panels, listen to speakers, and share ideas. It was then the reality hit her, especially when she was flipping through a program and saw that Shrine was by itself under the Michigan heading.

Second-grader Joanna Seng selects correct change on the SMART Board, an interactive computer screen on which students can play games, practice spelling words and more.

Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education, addressed the administrators, telling them to sit back and enjoy their award. But Dixon admits to discussing new ideas for school improvement on the plane ride home.

After Dixon returned, the school had a Blue Ribbon Day, when the school was decorated with blue ribbons and streamers and students dressed in blue. Each student was given a blue bag of blue treats, blueberry muffins and sugar cookies with blue sprinkles. They also received another appreciated gift – no homework that night.

"They thought it was the greatest day known to mankind," Dixon joked. "You could just see a sea of blue."

Dixon said she didn't know if it was one particular program that interested the judging panel or just the overall achievement of the school.

"I think we are a good school," she said. "We work as a team. We have a tremendous staff. They work hard. The kids work hard. We all work together."

The grade school is for children in preschool through sixth, and Shine also has a middle years academy and a high school. About 600 students are enrolled through sixth grade, with most grades split into three classes. About 30 teachers lead students.

In all, 295 elementary and secondary schools from around the country took home the award, 50 of them private schools, and Shrine was the only Michigan school to win an award this year.

Benefits to being a Blue Ribbon School include national recognition for their achievements and acknowledgement of hard work of students, staff, families and the community.

For more information, visit www.shrineschools.com.