This year, three Long Island schools were selected for the Blue Ribbon Award: Wantagh, West Islip, and our school, POBJFK. We were recognized for superior graduation rates and test scores. According to the latest data, there are only 366 other schools out of roughly 10 that received this award. This puts us in the top 3.5% nationwide. To talk about our achievement, I sat down with our principal, Mr. Murray during my lunch period.
What factors led our school to being chosen? When they are evaluating a high school, the Blue Ribbon Schools Program ignores minute details. Instead, they focus on the overall picture. Our school offers a variety of courses across subject areas. Student achievement programs (extracurriculars, in the form of clubs and sports) target students with diverse interests. Teachers use innovative teaching strategies, including the use of technology, to tackle course material. Data performance results are used to evaluate students’ performance and change the teacher’s approach when necessary. What does this award mean for our school and community? Oftentimes, people move to towns based on the schools. Now that we have won this award, people will want to move to Plainview. Real estate agents will use this knowledge when they are selling homes. Additionally, students who graduate over the next few years can write that our school achieved a Blue Ribbon Award on their transcripts. Colleges will recognize that the students graduated from an honorable school and that they played a role in creating this successful environment. When considering our students’ foundations it is also worth noting our primary education. Our elementary and middle school teachers encouraged us to work hard and gave us the knowledge to succeed at the high school level. Did you anticipate winning this award, and what was your reaction when you found out? Mr. Murray did not anticipate winning. In fact, he almost didn’t complete the application. During quarantine, his top priority was trying to create an effective learning program for the students. This left little time to focus on anything else. What’s more, our high school had never applied for the Blue Ribbon Program in the past and the paperwork was quite challenging and detailed. The application process required him to provide hard facts in sections with limited word counts. Before the results were finalized, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program kept dropping hints that we would win. Administrators and board representatives kept telling him that “we got it” and that “it’s in the bag,” but Mr. Murray refused to believe it until he saw it. On Thursday, September 24, teachers, students, and administrators alike were going to get together by the school’s TV to witness our school getting recognized. Unfortunately, this became a full remote day when a Coronavirus case was reported. When reflecting on this award, Mr. Murray says that he is proud of our school community for their consistent hard work. Before retiring he wanted to leave his mark on the high school. Certainly he has done that. “I was part of making this a reality for our school,” he says. Reported by Michael Khalfin |