Staff, parents, and students celebrate New Buffalo Elementary School’s 2020 National Blue Ribbon PAGES

Staff, parents, and students celebrate New Buffalo Elementary School’s 2020 National Blue Ribbon

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA C

It takes a village to run a Blue Ribbon School.

A village – of teachers and students, of parents, a school resource officer, a cafeteria staff, a technology department, and much more.

This was what was revealed to a crowd of teachers, students, parents, and other members of the community during a special assembly that was held Tuesday, Aug. 31, that recognized New Buffalo Elementary School being named a 2020 National Blue Ribbon Exemplary High Performing School.

“Last year, we were not able to celebrate this milestone in person - and we feel it’s important to do so,” Adam Bowen, principal at New Buffalo Elementary School, said.

Bowen said the school was one out of 367 schools in the nation to receive the award last year, with only 15 schools from Michigan being recognized for the accomplishment.

“If put this into perspective, there are about 130,000 K-12 schools in the United States and 3,350 of those schools are in the state of Michigan, so the chance of receiving this award is less than one half of a percent,” he said.

It’s an accomplishment, Bowen said, that “involves a lot of people who deeply care about kids -especially our teaching staff.”

“Also, it has taken several years of initiatives, implementation with fidelity, hard work, stress, professional development, changes in our approach of teaching, focusing on student engagement and there wanting to be the best that there is,” Bowen added.

Bus drivers in the morning set a positive tone for the day by greeting students as they get off the bus.

The custodial and maintenance staff put in a “lot of time, effort and pride to make NBES the best learning environment for children to learn in,” Bowen said.

Children are greeted by paraprofessionals and a guidance counselor when they step off the bus. School Resource Officer Deputy Micheal Troupe is also present to ensure the safety of everyone who enters the building.

The cafeteria staff fuels students’ minds for learning by feeding them breakfast and lunch every day.

Students are provided with topnotch technology from the technology department for “all their learning needs.” The secretarial staff also attentive to students’ needs before, during and after school. Children “continue to be safe” after school lets out in the school’s award-winning Bison Afterschool Enrichment (BASE) program. “The teachers, Title 1, counselor, and paraprofessionals are the most dedicated professionals and servants to children – each one of these professionals knows the exact information a child needs in order to advance their learning whether it’s for intervention or enrichment purposes,” Bowen said.

Bowen also credited the schools’ art, P.E., and Spanish programs, which further enrich students’ learning experience outside of the classroom.

The well-balanced pre-K program focuses not only on academic needs but “social skills as well.”

“Five years ago, when I took over the position of principal, Dr. Leslie really pushed us to focus on student growth – this was a shift from focusing on student achievement. Using NWEA assessment data, we’re able to meet the needs of all learners like none before,” he said. Kristi Pinette speaks during the ceremony

Bowen thanked the PTO for planning fun events and the board of education and business office for showing support.

Bowen said to parents that the school is very lucky “to have you behind us to push your child to be the best.”

He added that the teaching staff puts in “countless hours to provide the highest quality education to our students.”

“If it wasn’t for the teachers, we wouldn’t be standing here tonight talking about a Blue Ribbon ceremony,” he said.

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Chuck Heit, president of the New Buffalo Area Schools Board of Education, said that his father, Robert Heit, who was principal at the elementary school for 30 years, would’ve been “very proud of what happens here at the school - and it doesn’t happen by just one person.”

“I’m glad the National Blue Ribbon Committee recognized something we’ve known for a long time: We have an excellent elementary school here at New Buffalo Area Schools.”

Second grade teacher and New Buffalo Area Schools Association Representative Kristi Pinette said the schools’ success can be owed to the “school community.”

She doesn’t know many schools where teachers are the grandparents of the students and teachers and administrators supervise students on the playground where they once played.

“From the enthusiastic greetings given to each student as they arrive in the morning to teachers who quietly volunteer to stay after school and help students in need of extra support, to custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, office personnel and our school resource officer that work to know the names and interests of each student so that meaningful connections are made – this is what makes us successful and changes lives for the better,” she said.

A former teacher at Lake Michigan Catholic, Michigan State Sen. Kim LaSata (R-St. Joseph) said she was impressed by the programs that were being used and how the students were working hard when she visited the school with Lieutenant Gov. Garlin Gilchrist in 2019.

“Kids, you’re our future and this is your time, and you deserve every opportunity to be successful and I know this is the place you’re going to be successful,” she said.

In 2019, New Buffalo High School was named a Blue Ribbon School.

Representatives from the United States Department of Education said that “a bunch of metrics” are looked at in deciding on which schools receive a Blue Ribbon – which Superintendent Dr. Jeff Leslie said was “code word” for test scores.

It made Leslie ponder about the “phenomenal things” going on at the elementary school as well.

“I like coming over here just kind of roaming around the classrooms and I’m kind of jealous of the education the kids are getting here because it’s just much better than what I ever got growing up – you do a phenomenal job, from the teachers to the support staff to everybody…I’m just jealous of what our kids are able to get,” he said.