A CLOSER LOOK -- The ties that bind

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Schools are continuously striving for and bragging

about the coveted National Blue Ribbon School Award.

But what does it take, aside from a 30-page application, to become a

blue ribbon school and what makes it worth the countless hours that go

into the application process?

It is a distinction that one Newport-Mesa high school has under its

belt, that one school is likely on its way to earning and for which two

have yet to try.

“You’ve got to set yourself apart,” said Bob Boies, principal of

Newport Harbor High School, which is close to receiving the honor.

WHY APPLY?

The Blue Ribbon program was developed by the secretary of education in

1982 to identify and give recognition to outstanding schools nationwide.

The schools would then become models, providing a framework of criteria

for other schools.

Before any school can become a Blue Ribbon school, they must first

earn the honor of California Distinguished School. Once a school receives

that award, it is invited to apply for the national award. Those

applications are evaluated by the California Department of Education,

which determines finalists to be sent on to the national evaluation.

To become a finalist, schools need to prove that they are a model for

other schools to emulate, Boies said.

“For instance, at Tustin High School, we won a distinguished school

award for our support program and technology program,” he said. That is

not to say that a school will become a success by copying what a Blue

Ribbon school does, Boies added. Rather, schools should look at the needs

of the students and create programs that address those needs.

“What I would look at is evaluating what you do with what you’ve got,”

said Don Martin, principal of Corona del Mar, which got the Blue Ribbon

award two years ago. “What kinds of programs do you have in place to make

sure that kids are learning? What has the school done, looking at the

resources?”

When Corona del Mar won the distinction, Boies served as a consultant

to the U.S. Department of Education and helped in evaluating the school.

“I thought one strength was their commitment to restructuring when they

recognized that they have at-risk students,” he said. “I was impressed by

the quality of family involvement -- of students and community

involvement.”

Martin attributes the school’s success to student achievement and the

community business partnerships.

In the last five years, the faculty and staff at Corona has been

dedicated to raising the level of students’ achievement, Martin said.

Other schools in the district have also recognized the benefits of the

distinction. Principals at both Costa Mesa and Estancia high schools said

they hope to apply for the honor in the future.

WHAT IT TAKES

The Blue Ribbon application delves into every nuance of the school,

including test scores, curriculum, technology, the level of student and

parent and community involvement.

Administrators are asked to describe the student population and its

needs, to describe students’ opportunities to build sustained caring

relationships with teachers and how extracurricular activities support

academics.

There are 50 questions put before the schools. And every school

applying will have answers for those questions. The secret to success,

Boies said, is in going the extra mile.

“You have to have special programs,” he said. “We have [Advancement

Via Individual Determination], a special program for at-risk students. We

have programs that challenge kids to excel. [And] we place an emphasis on

academics in athletics.”

It is however, Newport Harbor’s academy program that teachers and

administrators feel will earn them Blue Ribbon status.

Newport Harbor has six academies that students may join as freshman.

The Da Vinci Academy specializes in math and science; the Franklin

Academy in communications and technology; the Robinson Academy in health,

athletics and fitness; the Shakespeare Academy in visual and performing

arts; the Magellan Academy in liberal arts and humanities; and the

Roosevelt Academy in leadership and public service.

The purpose of the academies is to encourage students to explore study

areas that interest them and provide the close-knit feeling of a small

school environment in a school of more than 2,000 students.

Students in academies follow the regular college

preparatorycurriculum, but teachers work within each academy theme to

integrate studies with cross-curricular projects.

“We started our freshman year having four of six classes with all Da

Vinci students, so we had a real tight camaraderie,” said Paul Kepner, a

senior in the Da Vinci Academy. “The biggest commitment is that you’re

always doing projects that other freshmen don’t typically get to do.”

It is extra work, Kepner said, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You’re just kind of ahead of the rest of the student body,” he said.

“It gave you a sense of purpose.”

WHAT YOU GET Joe Robinson, who has run the Da Vinci Academy since

it began, has seen firsthand the benefits of the academies. He has been

instrumental in applying for the award, with the belief that it, too,

will help students.

“It will go on their diploma and it is one more advantage to have gone

to a Blue Ribbon school when applying to college,” Robinson said. “And

though it will probably not have any direct financial effect, it will

help when [the school is] applying for grants.”

It is certainly a coveted status. Principals at both Costa Mesa and

Estancia high schools hope to apply for the honor in the future.

“I’d love to be a Blue Ribbon school,” said Tom Antal, principal of

Estancia. “The school I came from was a Blue Ribbon school.”

Still, despite the high prestige of attaining blue ribbon status, it

doesn’t give students an edge in every arena.

Susan Wilbur, director of admission and relations with other schools

for UC Irvine, said the university does not give special preference to

students from Blue Ribbon schools.

“I certainly can’t speak for all colleges, but we do not give it any

weight,” Wilbur said. “It’s still an indication that the school is a fine

school, but in making the admission decision we don’t consider it at the

University of California.”

However, Bois said the award is not just for the students.

“The alumni take a lot of pride in it, and [so do] a lot of people in

Newport Beach,” he said. “Everyone knows about our athletics, this lets

them know about our academics.”

BOX

Schools need to be able to describe successes in the following

criteria:

1. Student Focus and Support

2. School Organization and Culture

3. Challenging Standards and Curriculum

4. Active Teaching and Learning

5. Professional Community

6. Leadership and Educational Vitality

7. School, Family, and Community Partnerships

8. Indicators of Success

Schools must meet seven basic eligibility requirements in compliance

with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights.

1. The school is a middle school, junior high school, or a senior high

school.

2. The school has been in existence for at least five full years.

3. The school has not received national recognition as a Blue Ribbon

school since September 1994.

4. The nominated school is not refusing the Office of Civil Rights

access to information necessary to investigate any civil rights complaint

or to conduct a districtwide compliance review.

5. The school has not violated any civil rights statutes.

6. The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit

alleging that the school, or district, has violated one or more civil

rights statutes or the Constitutions equal protection clause.

7. There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with

Disabilities Act.

OTHER FACTS

* Since the program’s inception, nearly 3,700 schools have been

recognized.

* Awards alternate each year between Elementary and Secondary schools.

* Last year Lincoln Elementary School received the Blue Ribbon Award.