Barkley Bridge Elementary School has demonstrated a high level of success in educating its students by being named a Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School.

Hartselle’s Barkley Bridge Elementary School was recently named a 2010 Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School after successfully completing a yearlong assessment process conducted by Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to educational success.
The achievement was announced jointly by Superintendent Dr. Mike Reed and Principal Susan Hayes at a recent school board meeting. An award to commemorate the achievement was presented to Hayes on Wednesday at the organization’s national conference in Orlando, Fla.
In a letter to Hayes dated Nov. 1, Bart Teal, president, CEO and founder wrote: “Your school has met or exceeded all nine categories in the Blueprint for Excellence assessment process. We are greatly honored to recognize such a deserving school working so diligently to fulfill the many learning needs of students.
“Designation as a Blue Ribbon School lasts for five years, at which time the school will be eligible for revalidation.  Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Schools commit to sharing expertise and exemplary practices with other schools on a local, regional and national levels as well as providing mentoring and networking to schools seeking guidance and assistance in school improvement initiatives.
“We will be including best practices from your school in our Interactive Library of Best Practices database, as well as highlighting the school and teachers on our website. Through these initiatives, we will be able to share information from America’s best schools with other schools all around the country. It is our belief that there is always room for improvement in fulfilling the ever-changing needs of our children. If we share our knowledge, we can all be better together.”
Reed echoed Teal’s sentiments.
“I’ve been associated with schools doing this in the past,” Reed said. “I could not believe what you have accomplished, so very well, in such a short time.
He applauded the school’s faculty for stepping up and accepting the challenge of the assessment process when he offered the opportunity to all five-city schools last January.
“We were thrilled about the challenge,” Hayes said. “Our goal is always to be stronger than we are and this was an opportunity for use to go outside for an assessment of our strengths and weaknesses.  We felt it would be great to win the award, but if not, it would give us a good foundation to build on as we go forward.”
Gathering of data and evidence of excellence and setting best practice goals began in earnest during the spring and summer months and reports were assembled and mailed to a Blue Ribbon panel in the fall. At the same time a lengthy and comprehensive on-line survey was conducted. It involved all certified and classified staff, fourth and fifth grade students and 120 parents.
The Blue Ribbon Team visited the school in October and spent two days observing and interviewing stakeholders to verify the school report.
The nine areas in which Barkley Bridge either met or exceeded assessment criteria were: student focus and support; organization and culture; challenging standards and curriculum; active teaching and learning; technology integration; professional community; leadership and education vitality; indicators of success; and school family and community partnership.