SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Friday, Sept. 16, recognized 297 schools, including nine schools in New Jersey, as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2022. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Cardona made the announcement during his Road to Success back-to-school bus tour.
The New Jersey schools included William J. McGinn Elementary School, of the Scotch Plains–Fanwood Regional School District.
McGinn Elementary’s motto is: “The foundation to grow. The compassion to give. The imagination to dream.” Its goal is to give its students the foundational skills to be independent learners who problem-solve together, with students developing compassion for others, a sense of belonging and responsibility, and enthusiasm for human diversity. McGinn students leave the school, located at 1100 Roosevelt Ave. in Scotch Plains, with the creative tools and imagination to express themselves and follow their dreams.
“I applaud all the honorees for the 2022 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award for creating vibrant, welcoming and affirming school communities where students can learn, grow, reach their potential, and achieve their dreams,” said Cardona. “As our country continues to recover from the pandemic, we know that our future will only be as strong as the education we provide to all of our children. Blue Ribbon Schools have gone above and beyond to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional and mental health needs. These schools show what is possible to make an enduring, positive difference in students’ lives.”
With its 39th cohort, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed approximately 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools. The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms and validates the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in striving for — and attaining — exemplary achievement.
National Blue Ribbon Schools serve as models of effective school practices for state and district educators and other schools throughout the nation. A National Blue Ribbon School flag gracing a school’s entryway or on a flagpole is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.
Photo Courtesy of U.S. Secretary of Education