Grand View Elementary was one of 335 public and private schools recognized around the country by the U.S. Department of Education for its “overall academic excellence” on Sept. 29.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program acknowledges elementary, middle and high schools which “have their state’s highest high school graduation rates and the highest achieving students (the top 15 percent) in English and mathematics, measured by state assessments,” or “have made the greatest advances (top 15 percent) in closing subgroup achievement gaps in English and mathematics over the past five years, measured by state assessments.”
Grand View falls into the first category of “exemplary high performing” schools.
“It’s an amazing recognition for the outstanding job that my students, teachers and parents do every day,” said Principal Rhonda Steinberg. “We’re fortunate to come to school in Manhattan Beach: We have wonderful, supportive parents. But we still can never be complacent.”
It was the first time the school, which has 734 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, won the award.
Opal Robinson Elementary, one of the Manhattan Beach School District’s four other elementary schools, won the same award in 2013.
Steinberg said that in addition to the school’s solid academics, a few programs in particular make the school stand out.
The school has adopted the MakerSpace program, which gives students a room and materials in which to let their imagination run wild.
“It’s a place where there are no right or wrong answers,” said Steinberg. “They’re allowed to explore, invent and make things and be rewarded for thinking outside of the box.”
Grand View’s version of the program is GatorMaker, named for their school mascot.
The school has been utilizing another initiative, Character Counts, for a decade. Students focus on a particular quality, such as citizenship or trustworthiness, about which they read and watch movies for a month. Pupils who embody the quality are recognized.
Finally, Mind Up teaches students how to deal with stress. Implemented two years ago at the school, the idea is for kids to be “be more in touch with their feelings and understand how their brain works,” Steinberg said.
Grand View was named a Green Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2012. The criteria for this recognition was reducing environmental impact and costs, improving the health and wellness of students and staff, and providing environmental education.
Built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, the school had its 75th anniversary last year.
According to the school’s application for the Blue Ribbons award, 98 percent of families contribute to the PTA, and 87 percent to the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation.
“We are an old-fashioned community school in which 95 percent of the students live within a half mile of campus, with most riding bikes or walking to school,” the school’s application for the award said. “This area attracts parents who prioritize sending their children to strong community public schools.”
