Corpus Christi School, Shaping the Future
Serving the children of Corpus Christi and St. Mary of the Assumption parishes.
About: Awards
Corpus Christi School, which serves the children from Corpus Christi parish in Wilmington and St. Mary of the Assumption in Hockessin, was selected as a Blue Ribbon School in 1990 and again in 2001 by the United States Department of Education. The Blue Ribbon, the most prestigious award in the country, distinguishes our parish school for its excellence in leadership, teaching, curriculum, student achievement, parental involvement and community support.
We are certainly proud of our Blue Ribbon status. It is an outstanding accomplishment for any school to receive this award; it is remarkable and unique that any school would be granted the distinction twice!
A Blue Ribbon Decision
How does a school become a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence?
There are certain criteria that must be met before an elementary school can consider entering this national competition. One prerequisite is that for a period of three consecutive years, seventy five percent or more of the students must score at or above grade level in mathematics and reading.
Standardized test scores indicated that Corpus Christi students met this high academic standard; therefore, we were eligible! Next, the faculty took 'ownership' of the project and committed itself to the many months of hard work necessary to complete it.
Work began on an extensive self-evaluation. The process (in itself a challenging experience) involved assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the school and developing improvement plans for the future. Our teachers and assistants brainstormed in small groups to answer scores of very specific questions posed by the US Department of Education. Often the questions had at least three sub questions requiring frequent meetings with area and subject coordinators. The writing, rewriting, and proof-reading was a seven-month process. In addition to succinctly presenting a comprehensive study of Corpus Christi School, it was necessary that the presentation be flawless, and within the limit of the forty page maximum requirement.
This document was then sent to The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) for a preliminary screening. Upon reviewing our proposal, CAPE nominated Corpus Christi as a candidate for the national level of competition, and our nomination package was sent on to Washington, DC!!
The National Review Panel carefully reviewed all applications with a keen eye for overall school quality, including challenging standards and curriculum, excellent teaching, ongoing professional development, a safe and supportive school environment, strong family and community partnerships, and high student performance. Based on the quality of information in the self-evaluation, the Review Panel determines if a school is worthy of a site visit. In 2001, only 42 Private/Catholic schools that submitted applications were granted site visits--Corpus Christi was one of the 42!!
During the two-day site visit, a representative for the Review Panel visited Corpus Christi school to verify the accuracy of the information in our school's nomination package to determine if we are who we say we are! The visitor gathered information through extensive classroom observations, document review and interviews with students, parents, staff and community members. Following two days of intense scrutiny, the representative submitted a written evaluation of firsthand experiences to the Review Panel.
Following this, the panel met a second time to review the information, and named the schools that would be recognized as Blue Ribbon winners. We anxiously waited!
Finally, on June 4, 2001, sixteen months after the project began, Corpus Christi was notified that it was a winner! Sr. Donna, our principal, was invited to an award ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House to accept this honor. Corpus Christi is committed to maintaining the standards that name it a Blue Ribbon School.