State Board of Education Honors Cary High
September 12, 2002 - The State Board of Education today honored Cary High for earning the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award.
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State Board of Education Chair Phil Kirk presented Cary High Principal Dave Coley with a plaque commending the school for obtaining national recognition for educational excellence.
"The recognition by the state board is an affirmation of the work that teachers at Cary High have been doing for a number of years," Coley said. "We have a core group of teachers who have been here for a number of years who have sustained an excellent school. This award honors their efforts."
Coley praised teachers JoAnn Duncan and Julie Schilawski who stood with him to receive the honors from the State Board of Education. Coley was also joined by Wake Superintendent Bill McNeal and Patti Head, a member of the Wake Board of Education.
Duncan and Schilawski served as project editors completing the application, which is a very involved self-assessment of the school. The entire Cary High staff was involved in collecting data, and writing responses for the application.
The Blue Ribbon Award is presented each year to schools across the nation that are models of excellence and equity, demonstrate a strong commitment to educational excellence for all students, and achieve high academic standards or show significant academic improvement over five years.
In their justification for selecting Cary High as a Blue Ribbon School, officials from the U.S. Department of Education wrote, "…Cary demonstrates exemplary strengths in student focus and support, organization and culture, active teaching and learning, and school-community-family partnerships. Indicators of success attest to the school's excellence in preparing students for post-secondary experiences in a global society. Teachers and staff have many opportunities to build professional relationships that enhance their capacity to work together for continuous school improvement. The leadership demonstrates vision and sets the tone for educational excellence."
Representatives from Cary High have been invited to a ceremony honoring the 2001-2002 Blue Ribbon Schools in Washington, D.C., next month. During the ceremony, Coley will be presented with the Blue Ribbon flag, a trademark of excellence and a symbol of quality across the nation.
Cary High is among 172 middle schools and high schools selected to receive the prestigious award this year. Thirteen schools from North Carolina were nominated by the state Department of Public Instruction for the award, and only one other school, A.C. Reynolds High in Asheville, was selected.
Davis Drive and Wiley elementary schools were named Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence last year. Other Wake County Schools that earned the federal recognition include Combs Elementary in 1998-99; Brentwood Elementary in 1996-97; Carver Elementary in 1996-97; Powell Elementary in 1991-92; Broughton High in 1983-84; and Enloe High in 1982-83.
The Blue Ribbon Schools Award Program was started in 1982 and since that time, almost 3,400 public schools have earned the award.
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