If you happened to look up yesterday afternoon, you may have seen a sea of blue balloons over the town of Caledonia. Hundreds gathered on the streets of downtown Caledonia as the high school marching band, color guard and cheerleaders led students and teachers from the elementary school on a parade to celebrate Caledonia Elementary being named a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School.
The National Blue Ribbon School Program is a product of the U.S. Department of Education that recognizes both private and public schools whose students are high performing. Leadership of schools is also taken into consideration in the school selection process. The 32-year-old program recognized 340 schools nationally this year according to the U.S. Department of Education’s website. The elementary school is one of two in the state of Mississippi to receive the designation this year.
It was the only school in the Lowndes County School District to receive an “A” rating from the Mississippi Department of Education for the 2013-2014 school year.
Before dancing in the street with Mother Goose, Caledonia Elementary principal Roger Hill addressed the gathered crowd.
“I cannot tell you how proud I am of the students and the staff that we’ve accomplished this,” Hill said.
Caledonia Mayor Bill Lawrence declared Friday, Nov. 21, as Caledonia Elementary School Day.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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