By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES – The honor was five years in the making.
The news Friday that Howard and James Ellis elementary schools in Niles earned recognition as a Michigan Department of Education Blue Ribbon Exemplary School was the culmination of a long process of self-evaluation. Even if the schools did not receive the designation, Howard-Ellis principal Barb Garrard said just applying was a valuable lesson for everyone at the school.
"It made our teachers stand back and say, 'Wow, we do a lot for the kids,'" Garrard said. "I think the staff is extra proud of what they accomplished, and the students are too."
"This is a very proud moment for Howard School and Niles Community Schools," Doug Law, superintendent for Niles Community Schools, stated in an e-mail message Friday.
Howard and Ellis applied for the Blue Ribbon recognition as one school because the staff members, Parent Teacher Organization and School Improvement Team work with both buildings. Garrard and Howard-Ellis assistant principal Michelle Ausmus were notified in the spring of 2006 of the school's eligibility to apply for the Blue Ribbon award – a first for any building in the Niles Community Schools district – and from there they began the intense and thorough application process.
Howard-Ellis was eligible to apply for Blue Ribbon status because the school received from the Michigan Department of Education an 'A' in the Education Yes! Accreditation Program, and also for attaining Adequate Yearly Progress with MEAP scores.
The entire school had a hand in the application, and compiling the information for the report was conducted during staff meetings and in-service days. The School Improvement Team, along with a former and two current administrators, authored the final report.
The application needed to detail the previous five years of the school's academic history, teacher attendance, activities and more. To earn Blue Ribbon status, Howard-Ellis had to prove their commitment to educational excellence in numerous areas, including challenging standards and curriculum; active teaching and learning; leadership; school, family and community partnerships; and the school's organization and culture.
The report earned Howard-Ellis a Dec. 6, 2006, site visit from administrators of another Blue Ribbon School in Saugatuck, who toured the building, talked with teachers and students and reviewed the 20 binders worth of information in the report. Garrard announced the news of the visit in an after school staff meeting by ordering a Blue Ribbon cake and 50 blue balloons.
"They went crazy. They just went crazy," she said.
The day before the site visit, a piece of hallway ceiling collapsed and a classroom door got jammed and would not open for hours, Garrard said.
"But it's the people … it's what's going on inside," Ausmus said.
Sixty-six Michigan schools applied for Blue Ribbon status, and 23 qualified for a site visit. Garrard and Ausmus said the evaluators were impressed with the unique programs at Howard-Ellis.
In the last three years, Howard-Ellis has implemented Spanish classes, writing lessons and a safety program. The school also has eight special education classrooms.
"They were very interested in our Spanish program," Ausmus said.
Every Howard-Ellis student takes Spanish, and the library, office and other items in the school are labeled in the language. The CraftPlus Writer's Workshop has students composing daily.
The school has also put in place a Violence Prevention Program to discourage bullying and hold students accountable for improper actions. Administrators created a guide that shows the punishment for specific offenses.
"They have to call their parents and tell them what they did," Ausmus said. "The kids will know exactly what's going to happen to them."
The Blue Ribbon status will have an influence on a lot of people, Ausmus said. Howard-Ellis parents know their children are getting an education at a top elementary school, and the Blue Ribbon tag will attract other families shopping for schools.
Everyone at Howard-Ellis who was involved with the application – administrators, teachers, staff, students – can be proud of what they've accomplished for their school and community, Ausmus said.
"We don't just pat ourselves on the back, and this was a good way to see what we do," Ausmus said. "[Everyone] seem(s) to be walking a little taller these days."