Madison Station receives ‘Blue Ribbon’

Madison Station receives ‘Blue Ribbon’

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Madison Station Elementary marked a top national award with a celebration before the school day began Friday as well as in-class celebrations throughout the day.

Madison Station Elementary in September received notification it received one of just over 350 National Blue Ribbon School honors for 2020. The blue ribbon award is considered the highest recognition awarded to schools in the nation. 

“Academics, arts integration, fitness and wellness, and character development are all key components of Madison Station Elementary’s mission,” Madison County Schools Director of Communications Gene Wright said. “The school is dedicated to providing all students the opportunity to excel through an arts-integrated curriculum providing relevant, diverse, and challenging learning experiences in a safe and positive environment.”

Madison Station is home to nearly 1,000 students and more than 100 faculty members. 

"The excitement and energy at MSE, truly makes our school the place to be,” Davis said. “Hard work and passion make anything possible. We are so grateful our teachers and to those in our community who partnered with us to make this day happen - Balloon Mississippi, T.L. Brown Properties, Alpha-Lit Jackson, Get Yarded Madison and our amazing Parent Teacher Organization to name a few."

This prestigious honor bookends the decade with top honors. In 2010 the school won its first National Blue Ribbon School award. Only 367 schools in the nation were recognized as 2020 Blue Ribbon Schools, placing Madison Station Elementary among the top schools in the U.S., not just the state of Mississippi. 

"This day was a celebration of all the things our school community has worked for and accomplished. With a steadfast focus on rigorous daily instruction, student engagement, and school culture anything can happen,” Hanna said. “School days at Madison Station Elementary is a testament to that. It is an honor to celebrate this amazing recognition with our faculty, staff, students, and families. We are the only school in Mississippi to win this award twice, and you can bet we have our eye on a third time.”

Madison Station students, teachers and parents celebrated the award last Friday, Nov. 20. Festivities included the unveiling of the 2020 National Blue Ribbon School banners and plaque. 

Students were greeted with a hot air balloon flying over the campus as well as music from Assistant Principal Harvey Williams’ DJ booth. The two-story columns in front of the school were wrapped in blue for the occasion as well. The outdoor celebration began at 7 a.m. and ended around 7:50 a.m. for the beginning of the school day.

"There is a hot air balloon at our school! This is the most amazing day that I've ever had from Kindergarten until now,” second-grader Archer Easley was overheard saying.

Hanna said that students and parents were not informed of what the day would hold.

“The children were very surprised and very excited,” Hanna said. “It was a high-energy fun-filled day.”

Throughout the school day, teachers and students had Blue Ribbon Day festivities in their classrooms as well. But that did not mean the students took a break from learning. Hanna said that each class had activities based in their regular curriculum. For instance, fourth-graders did an activity studying different blues artists as part of their Mississippi History curriculum and first graders read a book about a blue truck and did activities inspired by the book.

School officials assured that COVID-19 safety precautions were in place for the celebration event.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes both public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. 

Ginger Holaday, a kindergarten teacher, said that each level of education offered at MSE creates a foundation to succeed at the next level.

"We set the stage for students in Kindergarten,” Holaday said. “Every day we work towards growing students as learners, but mostly children as lifelong learners. Our is to build the foundation for our school goals: Academic Excellence, Arts Integration, Fitness and Wellness, and Character Building."

Wright said that the honor affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content. National Blue Ribbon School recognition is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning. 






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