"Bulldogs got the best school in Dodge City. We're proud to be at our Beeson school," Beeson's Elementary School honor choir sang on Friday during their Blue Ribbon Celebration.
This fall, Beeson was designated as a Blue Ribbon School for 2008 by the U.S. Department of Education for its all-round excellence.
"I'm so proud of you," said Ethel Peterson, a member of the USD 443 Board of Education. "You can't imagine how proud the Board of Education is of all of you."
The award honors schools that have posted test scores in the top 10 percent of the state or that achieve high scores when at least 40 percent of their students are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Beeson met both of these requirements.
Blue Ribbon recognition is based on students' math and reading test scores, given under the federal No Child Left Behind Law, which requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014.
Beeson was one of five Kansas schools to receive this national honor. The other schools were Blue Valley North High in Overland Park, Ellsworth Elementary in Ellsworth, Lincoln Elementary in Lincoln and Syracuse High in Syracuse.
In addition to being named a Blue Ribbon school, Beeson received numerous Standard of Excellence Certificates for mathematics and reading from the Kansas Department of Education.
The school also received a Challenge Award from the Confidence in Public Education Task Force.
Dodge City Public Schools Superintendent Alan Cunningham told Beeson students that they had hit a home run with all of their accomplishments.
Across town, the Comanche Coyotes were howling as they celebrated their outstanding improvement on meeting adequate yearly progress on state exams, as determined by No Child Left Behind standards.
"Today we celebrate excellence," said Comanche principal Marge Schuckman. "Today we celebrate you."
Comanche Intermediate Center increased the percentage of students reaching proficiency on state exams by almost 27 percent, from 53 percent to nearly 80 percent.
"Those tests are just one thing that makes Comanche Intermediate special," Cunningham said. "We're proud of what you've been able to do. We look forward to what you're going to do this year and make Comanche shine."
Reach Cherise Forno at (620) 408-9931 or e-mail her at cherise.forno@dodgeglobe.com.
DODGE CITY —
