Students, families and staff gathered in the cafeteria at Reilly Elementary School on Wednesday to celebrate their nomination for a blue-ribbon award from the Texas Education Agency.
The blue-ribbon award recognizes schools that perform at high levels and have made significant improvements in students’ academic achievement and success.
“We have worked so hard to just make sure that all students are achieving,” said Principal Corrine Saenz. “And to have this kind of recognition is not something you can plan for. It just comes from dedication and hard work everyday,”
Nominations for the blue-ribbon award can only be made by the commissioner of education of Texas. After the award is given by the state commissioner, the school will be able to compete for a national blue-ribbon award.
“It makes me speechless about the accomplishment,” Saenz said. “We are just trying to wrap our brains around the fact that this is our normal every day for us, and when we take a step back and look at it and realize how amazing and rare it is, it truly is awesome.”
With 218 students in grades pre-K-5, Reilley offers a range of academic support programs that include a dual-language Spanish program, a dual-language Mandarin program, social-emotional learning and creative learning initiatives.
“This is truly an amazing recognition for Reilly,” said Superintendent Paul Cruz. “They earned an A from the Texas Education Agency, and they also earned four academic distinction designations. It truly is an honor because of the great community we have here at Reilly.”
Nominations are based on student performance on the first administration of the state assessment test. The data is analyzed based on the U.S. Department of Education and may change yearly.
