F.E. Burleson Elementary School is now the second school in the Hartselle system to earn Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School status within the last year.

Principal Sherry Calvert said they received notification about the award earlier this week.

“This award is a reflection of everyone, including teachers, students, parents and our community,” Calvert said. “It takes the entire community to achieve this level of success. We are proud of everyone’s hard work. It is an exciting for us to achieve this honor so quickly.”

School Superintendent Dr. Mike Reed said some schools have to work for years to achieve this status. However, Burleson and Barkley Bridge Elementary, which received the honor in 2010, both achieved it on the first try.

“Some schools have even worked as much as four years trying to achieve this and still didn’t get it,” Reed said. “It really says something about our teachers, students and parents to receive this on the first try. We’re just tickled to death to have two of our schools receive this achievement.”

The Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School Award is a recognition program for schools of excellence. Schools are identified and selected for this award based on achievement of excellent performance in all nine major categories of the Blueprint for Excellence assessment. Those categories are:

• Student Focus and Support
• School Organization and Culture
• Challenging Standards and Curriculum
• Active Teaching and Learning
• Technology Integration
• Professional Community
• Leadership and Educational Vitality
• School, Family, and Community Partnerships
• Indicators of Success

Schools achieving excellence in less than nine categories could be eligible for the “Points of Light” Award or recognition as an Aspiring School. These awards are given at the sole discretion of the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc.

Calvert also said the organization also found a large number of strengths that the school has to offer.

“Normally, a school receives about eight to 10 pages of strengths, but our school received 37 pages of strengths,” Calvert said. “It is not just our school that is strong, but every one in the system. We have an outstanding school system.”

Reed said it is his goal for all five of the schools in the system to receive Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Awards. Crestline Elementary is currently beginning the application process. Hartselle High School and Hartselle Junior High School will follow after that.

In addition to the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Award, Barkley Bridge Elementary was also named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Reed said he hopes F.E. Burleson Elementary will continue to that same line.