Rancho Verde Elementary celebrates national award

Rancho Verde Elementary students raised their National Blue Ribbon School flag Friday as peers, staff and administrators cheered.

The campus was one of 20 Texas schools awarded the distinction last year by the Department of Education.

Darcy Boles, who teaches in the school’s dyslexia lab, was one of three staff members who accepted the award on behalf of the school last fall in Washington, D.C. The trip was inspirational, she said, but that same feeling can be found closer to home.

“Now I realize,” Boles said, emotion in her voice, “that I did not need to travel to Washington, D.C., to find inspiration. Girls and boys, I find inspiration in you.”

She commended students for their hard work, willingness to try new things and compassion for their classmates.

“You are the heart of this school,” Boles said.

Rancho Verde Elementary was selected as an exemplary high performing school based on five years of standardized testing data. Being named a NationalBlueRibbonSchool is the highest distinction the Department of Education can bestow on a school.

Los Fresnos CISD Superintendent Gonzalo Salazar noted how the flag ceremony was an apt parallel to the school’s efforts to rise to the top.

“There’s a real synergy here. Everyone’s working toward a single vision,” he said, “and dedicates themselves to every student every day. The school has reached the top, and now we have to work to stay there.”

U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, lauded students’ and staff members’ hard work. Only seven elementary schools in Texas were awarded the title in 2017.

“You represent the best in the country,” he told students.

Rancho Verde Elementary takes a data-driven approach to teaching, Principal Maria Elisa Pineda said, addressing the unique learning needs of every class each year. Students get leadership opportunities, and the variety of afterschool clubs offers another incentive.

Also, Pineda has individual conferences with students in third grade and up, working with them to set goals for their performance on state tests.

“I just believe it’s the dedication from our staff and our students, who always come in ready to learn,” she said. “Our community is very supportive. It’s a team effort.”

Fifth-grader Tamara Uribe closed the ceremony by announcing the school’s next goal: It has its eyes set on another Blue Ribbon School nomination in 2023.