By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Littlebrook Elementary School is a National Blue Ribbon school for 2017, part of a select group of 342 schools to be recognized overall, the Trump administration said last week.
In all, New Jersey had nine Blue Ribbon winners, with Littlebrook the only one in Mercer County. The school was recognized for its “overall academic excellence,” according to the federal Department of Education.
Representatives of the school and district will travel to Washington D.C. in November to pick up the award, Superintendent of Schools Stephen C. Cochrane said Tuesday.
“It’s a celebration of their achievement and of the level of care that we have for the kids in that school and really across the district,” he said. “And it’s a celebration of teachers, of staff, of parents and of the students themselves. We’re excited.”
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who designated Littlebrook and the other winners, lauded them for their accomplishments. The schools came from 44 states, Washington D.C. and Department of Defense schools, she said.
“National Blue Ribbon schools are active demonstrations of preparing every child for a bright future,” she said. “America’s students are more diverse than ever. No child is the same, and National Blue Ribbon schools recognize that different students, in different places, have different needs.”
Mayor Liz Lempert, who sent her two daughters to Littlebrook, this week called it a “great honor for the school.”
“Annie Kosek was a fantastic principal,” she said Wednesday of the district’s current assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. “You have a combination of great teachers, great kids and parents who are deeply involved in the school community.”
