The color blue inundated the halls of Dishman Elementary as the entire school eagerly awaited the news they’d been longing to hear for eight long months – that they have been named a National Blue Ribbon School.
Students, teachers, staff, and Harlingen CISD administrators alike erupted in celebration as Dishman’s name came up on a video announcement from the U.S. Department of Education.
“We are super proud. This is a testament to the work we have put in for the past seven years and the hard work and dedication of our students, our teachers, our faculty, our campus, and our parents,” said Dishman Principal Irma Davis. “This has been a long journey, but it’s a journey we knew we could accomplish if we stayed focused on our work. And along the way, we changed, we modified, we’ve been strategic, but we never lost sight of our goal. Today is just proof of that, and here we are – a National Blue Ribbon School.”
The school is one of 349 schools across the country to receive the coveted award and the first at HCISD to ever receive the honor. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
Over the years, Dishman has accumulated many accolades such as being named a Texas Honor Roll School in 2016 and 2017 as well as earning all six possible distinctions in the 2017 and 2018 Accountability Ratings.
Now in its 36th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed recognition on more than 8,800 schools. On November 7-8, the Secretary and the Department of Education will celebrate with 300 public and 49 private school honorees at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
