Sitka school wins National Blue Ribbon award; Trump kills program
- Daily Sitka Sentinel
- Oct 22
- 5 min read
By Shannon Haugland
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Blatchley Middle School has won a U.S. Department of Education award as a high-performing school based on its achievements in academics and other criteria.
But the honor was somewhat bittersweet after the school learned the National Blue Ribbon School program – a part of the U.S. Department of Education for more than 40 years to recognize high achieving public and private schools, and schools that close the achievement gap – was discontinued by the Trump administration in late August.
Principal Ben White shared both the “pride” and “frustration” he felt while announcing the national award, which he and assistant principal Keith Shelton said is the highest honor a public school can achieve.
“This decision (to cut the program) effectively takes away the recognition that so many schools, including ours, have earned,” White said.
But he and Shelton are moving ahead as they would without the official recognition, spreading the news to the school staff and media about the award and the many other Blatchley achievements.
“This prestigious honor is one of the highest recognitions a school can receive in the United States, signifying excellence in academic achievement, leadership and fostering an environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive,” White said. “Schools that earn the Blue Ribbon Award have demonstrated outstanding academic performance, innovation in teaching, and a commitment to equity and inclusion, all hallmarks of a fantastic school.”
In 2023, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary was one of three schools in Alaska – and among 353 across the U.S. – to earn the title. Since the program was canceled, it’s not known how many schools were slated to be honored this year.
The news that they had been given the award – then not given the official recognition – came as a surprise to White and Shelton. Last year the two had completed all the final steps in the process, including verifying scores from last spring’s standardized tests. They had been waiting to be given final word by mail or email to announce the award to their school and the public.
“We weren’t told we actually won the award until the very beginning of this school year,” White said. When neither he nor Superintendent Deidre Jenson received word verifying the award, he called the Blue Ribbon Award office in Washington, D.C.
“That’s when they said, ‘Yeah, the funding’s been cut. We aren’t going to be doing any of the awards this year,’” White said. “So that’s how we found out about it: we had to actually call the national organization.”
Blatchley Middle School was nominated by the state Department of Education to apply for the award, which was the start of a lengthy process a year ago.
“They look at all the things they see as a trend in any given school,” White said. “In this case, Blatchley has been performing at a pretty high level for a long time. They delve deeper into scores, demographics, the size of the school, and if they think you might be a candidate they nominate you, ‘Here’s the application you need to fill out.’”
The process included input from the school administration, staff members and other stakeholders. The awards panel considers the school’s resources, partnerships and support programs.
“Do you have a social-emotional learning curriculum, do you have a school-wide behavior plan, do you use curriculums that are state-approved or known curriculums, do you work with community partners, do you have a parent advisory committee, all the stuff they want to ensure a healthy school has,” White said.
The award means more than a trophy or a plaque to White. He sees it as a symbol of the school’s dedication to academic, behavioral and social-emotional excellence in its ongoing effort to provide “a positive and inclusive learning environment” for all students.
“Blatchley Middle School’s qualification for this award was a direct result of the hard work, collaboration and commitment of our teachers, staff, families and students,” White said in a statement for the Sentinel. “We met the rigorous criteria for the award, and we are proud to be counted among the nation’s top schools.”
White and Shelton said they hope the community recognizes the achievements of the entire school community in earning this honor. Beyond performing in the top 10 to 15% among schools in math and reading, White wanted to recognize the “phenomenal staff that goes above and beyond.”
“We have tried everything imaginable with our students to create the best environment we can for them, and the staff is always willing to try new things, and improve upon them,” he said.
White noted the greetings teachers give students before every class period, by name, as they enter the room, and try to make students feel welcome. Giving another example, White said, the administration solicits input for improvements from the staff and students.
“It’s my 12th year here, and I think a lot of the stuff we do I now take for granted because we’ve been doing it for so long,” he said. “Yet when I talk to other principals across the state and tell them what we do, they’re kind of surprised at how much stuff we have in place for kids. That's always a good reminder to me.”
In some ways the award was both a surprise, and also not a surprise to White and Shelton.
“It’s not like we just suddenly got good at running a school,” White said. “We’ve done it intentionally, and it’s taken us a long time to get our systems as smooth and functional as we have, in everything from our discipline to our positive behavior support system, to our multi-tiered systems of support, to teacher celebrations and student celebrations. All of the stuff has been done intentionally ... we keep the stuff that’s worked well, we revise and redo what hasn’t, until we get it working well.”
Shelton, who’s been at the school for two years, agreed with White, and added that staff makes an effort to foster kids’ enthusiasm, whatever it is.
“Something that I think that makes us stand out is, every student has something they can be passionate about here, whether it’s PE, or the arts, tech or shop class, whatever it is, we have something for everybody,” Shelton said. “Every student has something to be passionate about, and something to be excited for.”
A celebration is in the works. White and Shelton said the rough plan is a Fun Friday with a shortened class schedule and a number of stations of games, gym time, board games in the library, and karaoke in the multipurpose room. In honor of the Blue Ribbon title, AC Lakeside has offered 250 donuts with blue icing for the party.
• This story was originally published by the Daily Sitka Sentinel.
