2004

Powerpoint Pesentation from The Blue Ribbon Schools Blueprint for Excellence Conference 2011

In early November 2004 Mrs. Hedger and Mrs. Hirschauer traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the Blue Ribbon School Award

The following was e-mailed to all school parents on Friday morning, Sept 17th: "WE DID IT! We are a Blue Ribbon School ! I am so proud of our faculty and staff for all of the hard work they have been doing for the past three years. They have risen to the challenge and have made significant strides to make IHM a school of excellence. You, too, share in this award. It takes the foresight of parents who are willing to accept growth and change to make good things happen for our children. Nancy and I thank you for sharing in the vision and working with us to make this award possible.

Mary Hedger"

From the Administration, Faculty and Staff of IHM School:

Thank you, parents, for all of the congratulatory notes and e-mails. The No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School Award is a national recognition given by the U. S. Department of Education. This award acknowledges our efforts for academic excellence and recognizes the commitment of faculty and staff toward achieving that excellence.

Needless to say, this award is difficult to achieve, and it serves as national confirmation of what we as a faculty and staff have accomplished to best serve our students. Mrs. Hedger and Mrs. Hirschauer, who has been a teacher here for 29 years, will travel to Washington D.C. in November to receive the award at the White House.

Thank you to our PTO . . . not only did they place
blue ribbons on every possible surface of our campus upon learning our news . . . they will be helping with “Blue Day” the first of many celebrations!

In order to apply for this award, private schools must have standardized test scores in the top 10% in the nation. Once that was verified, Mrs. Hedger applied to CAPE, then wrote the application which was accepted in January, 2004. CAPE nominated 50 schools and the Chief State School Offices nominated 321 public schools. Those applications were forwarded to The Department of Education in the spring of 2004, and 255 schools were selected for the NCLB-BRS award. (Data provided September 17, 2004; check the Dept. of Education web site for updated information as it becomes available.)

In addition to demographic and testing statistics, the application included a narrative that promoted and detailed faculty commitment, indicators of academic success, use of assessment data for improvement, curriculum, and the use of instructional methods to improve learning.

As parents, you are to be congratulated for your willingness to cooperate with the school and for your dedication to doing all that you can to make sure we have whatever it takes to give each child the best education possible.

5th grade science teacher Jeni Ray speaks with students at the Immaculate Heart of Mary school in Anderson Twp., one of two schools in the area that garnered a Blue Ribbon Schools designation.
(Enquirer photo/CRAIG RUTTLE)

The Cincinnati Enquirer
Monday, September 27, 2004

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Terrace Park Elementary
By Perry Schaible
Enquirer contributor

     Achieving "Blue Ribbon" status is more than just a milestone for Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Anderson Township.
    "Basically it's not the end of the goal, it's the beginning of continuing expectations," Principal Mary Hedger said. Her school, and Terrace Park Elementary in the Mariemont City Schools, were among 17 Ohio schools - and the only ones in Greater Cincinnati - to win the national 2004 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools award. Both schools marked the achievement with celebrations over the past week...
     The program recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap, or whose students achieve at high levels. More than 250 schools nationwide received the honor this year.
     Hedger set a three-year goal to make IHM a Blue Ribbon School when she arrived in 2001.
    She has worked with staff to implement "best practices," teaching techniques used to meet the individual needs of students, into the school's curriculum to increase student achievement.
     "Really, the award is about the kids and the teachers," Hedger said.
     The Catholic elementary has 637 students in grades 1-8...The principals and a teacher from each school will be recognized in October in a ceremony in Washington, D.C.