Centre Avenue Elementary named a ‘Blue Ribbon’ winner

Centre Avenue Elementary School in East Rockaway has been named a Blue Ribbon school by U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, making it one of more than 300 public and private schools nationwide to be given this distinction.

“This is very exciting for us,” said Principal Timothy Silk. “The teachers, students and parents worked so hard for this...but without the public’s support, those who passed the budget in tough times..it really shows what programs we have here in East Rockaway — not just at Centre Avenue.”

Marie Lyons, a fourth-grade teacher at Centre Avenue, agreed. “This is wonderful news for all of East Rockaway,” she said. “We were nominated to apply, and the application process is very involved.”

Lyons and teacher Diane Rafferty were co-chairs of the application committee, but they involved the entire teacher staff, asking them to each write an essay about different aspects of education, including ELA scores, special services — among other topics — and formatted the individual responses into one essay for submission.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels. “I am extremely proud of the students and faculty at the Centre Avenue Elementary school,” said Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy. “As a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, I have the great privilege of learning about schools both locally and nationally. The future of this country depends on the success of our children and I look forward to hearing many more wonderful things about the Centre Avenue Elementary School students in the near future.”

“I attribute our success to the warm, nurturing staff,” said Lyons, our excellent leadership, and the support of the parents and the community.”

Representatives from the school will be invited to Washington, D. C. on Nov. 3 for an awards ceremony where they will be presented with the Blue Ribbon Schools plaque and a flag to signify its status.

The four Long Island schools rank in the top 10 percent of schools for test scores statewide.