Belmont Middle School honored with Blue Ribbon Award

Belmont Middle School students react Friday after principal Aaron Pope, far left, told them their school won a National Blue Ribbon School award. (Geoff Forester/Concord Monitor)

By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, LACONIA DAILY SUN

BELMONT — Students arriving at Belmont Middle School on Friday received the news that theirs was one of the four schools in New Hampshire named as an Exemplary High Performing School, as part of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos made the announcement the day before as she also named Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools, the other Blue Ribbon category.

“It’s nice to be recognized when the staff and students have been working so hard,” Belmont Middle School Principal Aaron Pope said.

The award recognizes schools that score in the top 15 percent of the schools in their state in standardized testing. The other New Hampshire schools named this year are the Academy for Science and Design, a charter school; Nashua Catholic Regional High School; and Riddle Brook School in Bedford.

“I am proud of these students, teachers, and schools,” said Frank Edelblut, the state commissioner of education. “The diversity on this list is very exciting. This award recognizes that students excel in different environments. We should all be proud that we are creating more opportunities for our students that meet their individual learning styles and help them reach high levels of achievement.”

Pope said Belmont Middle School has made significant improvements from year to year in statewide testing, and he credits the staff with personalizing learning for the students.

“The expectation is that all kids will be learning at a high level,” Pope said. “That raises the bar for everyone.”

He said the staff and administration have been focusing on curriculum and assessment work, asking students to apply their knowledge in real-world situations. Rather than multiple-choice tests, students perform tasks that demonstrate their knowledge.

Pope said there are opportunities for students to earn high school credit, and they have the ability to take online classes as a way of engaging in higher-level thinking. The school emphasizes STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics — that involves creating things as part of their learning.

“We have a number of opportunities to explore learning at a higher level,” Pope said.

Belmont’s is no different from other middle schools in dealing with students from a variety of backgrounds and needs, Pope said, but the school has “a great staff that supports developmental and social needs, and gets them back engaged in learning.”

Belmont is not the first school in the Shaker Regional School District to achieve Blue Ribbon status. Canterbury Elementary School won the honor a few years ago, Pope said.

The student assembly on Friday morning included a short video featuring DeVos’ announcement.

“We wanted to share the news with the students,” said Pope, “and let them know they’ve been working hard and that it paid off.”

Blue Ribbon schools will be honored during an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 6-7, with the principal and one teacher from each school invited to attend. Pope said Belmont is allowing the staff to choose its representative to accompany him.

Each school will receive an award plaque and a flag to display that symbolizes the exemplary teaching and learning taking place within its walls.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has been in place for 35 years, with nominations coming from the top education official in each state, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Activity, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private school nominations come from the Council for American Private Education.