At the end of September, we broke the news that John F. Farrell-Emmett Elementary School in the Yale School District had been chosen as a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School. This is a rare honor that only went to thirteen schools in Michigan. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Every year the U. S. Department of Education seeks out and celebrates great American schools demonstrating that all students can achieve high levels.
The 212 students of the Emmett Elementary school, their families, and the Yale School District have been celebrating this honor for a month now, and the excitement peaked this past weekend when Teacher Erin Kavanaugh, Assistant Superintendent Joe Haynes, and Principal Bob Watson took a trip to Washington, D.C., to receive the honor in person and attend educational opportunities.
Mr. Watson told us that the event had a host of guest speakers and workshops with a message that resonated the most with him: the importance of building relationships. He said he “thought about how this award is not something that was earned in just one year, but the product of a group of people working together for several years to create a sense of family with a focus on creating a safe learning culture for everyone.”
Mr. Watson said that one of the presenters used the analogy “this is the Super Bowl and we just won it.” We got a student’s perspective on what makes Farrell-Emmett such an exemplary school. Mackey M., a fourth grader at the school told us that one of the things that makes his school so special is that the teachers “make it great to learn with fun stuff to do and a whole bunch of activities, like building catapults.” Mackey is not the only one who thinks Farrell is a great school, as their 2019 National Blue Ribbon School status proves.
