Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education,
has announced John S. Wash Elementary School in the Sanger Unified School District
as a National Blue Ribbon School. We are the first school in the history of
Sanger Unified to be honored with this prestigious tribute. Of the four Blue Ribbon schools in the Central Valley named this year, John Wash Elementary is the only school that is not a magnet or charter school.
This award was not easy to achieve. The
face of John S. Wash Elementary has changed drastically in the last five years. In addition
to an increase in the total school population, there has been a considerable
increase in English Learners, Asian students, and Socio-Economically
Disadvantaged students. Five years
ago, John Wash had a population of approximately 200 students. Only 12
of these students were English Language Learners. Today, we have 400 students, of which 130 are English Language Learners.
Even with these dramatic changes in student demographics,
results show student achievement is higher than ever. These results did not happen by accident. This five-year
journey has been one of change and hard work with the realization of Blue
Ribbon status. Structured
collaboration as a staff raised the expectations for each other, our students,
and our community. Our practices improved, our beliefs have never been
stronger, and our focus is making the difference in the lives of every
child. This was a journey that an
entire community and district participated in. It was not easy, but the dream of Blue Ribbon Ribbon
Recognition was achieved and our hard work recognized.
We are here to share with you "Together we can.....",