Rugby High School given Blue Ribbon Honor
Rugby High School was one of three North Dakota schools to be designated Blue Ribbon Schools by the Department of Education.
North Dakota State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler praised the three schools, which also included Taylor-Richardton Elementary and William S. Gussner Elementary in Jamestown, calling attention to the effort and qualities required to earn the honor.
“Blue Ribbon schools are recognized as among our country’s best,” Baesler said. “It takes a great deal of work, effort, collaboration and excellence to become a national Blue Ribbon school, and all North Dakotans should celebrate this achievement.”
Jared Blikre, principal of Rugby High School, said he was “elated” by the Blue Ribbon designation.
“This is a great honor for our school district and our community,” he said. “It reflects the fact that our staff has a commitment to excellence. Our focus is, ‘Every child, every day.’ We stress rigor, relevancy, grit, perseverance and relationships – things that will ultimately lead our students to become successful adults.”
Rugby High School has 307 students in grades seven through 12. The school’s teachers work in professional learning communities and emphasize collaboration to improve school instruction, Blikre said.
“That is where we start everything, all of our groundwork, and we’ve been doing it for about 10 years,” he said.
“The credit for this goes to everybody in our district,” Blikre said. “It certainly takes a village, and we have that mindset. This award is a symbol of achievement and a source of pride for our district and community.”
State leaders such as Sen. John Hoeven and Gov. Doug Burgum congratulated the three schools for closing the gap, with Burgum saying, “This prestigious award is a testament to the hard work, enthusiasm and dedication that the students, teachers and administrators at these exceptional schools bring to the classroom every day.”
The Education Department named the first group of Blue Ribbon schools in 1983, a year after the program was established. It recognizes public and private schools in which students have exceptional levels of academic achievement or record substantial improvements in their students’ learning. The three schools were all honored as “exemplary high performing schools.”
Nationally, the Education Department recognized 353 Blue Ribbon schools on Tuesday. Forty-nine North Dakota schools have received 55 Blue Ribbon awards since the program began. To be eligible, schools must provide information about their academic performance, teaching strategies, curriculum, school culture and test results.