St. Gabe's to Celebrate Blue Ribbon Recognition

This year, only 49 private schools in the United States were recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools for academic excellence.  was one of the 49, and the only private school in New England to be recognized.

The Bloomfield Avenue Catholic School will celebrate its recognition Monday when its teachers and student body will be joined by local dignitaries, including Archbishop Henry J. Mansell and Superintendent Dale R. Hoyt, during a school ceremony.

“This prestigious award has impacted the overall feeling at the school. We are all very excited and proud,” said Patricia Martin, principal of St. Gabriel. “The school is all a buzz about the ceremony. I even have parents taking the day off from work to attend.”

Blue Ribbon recognition is the highest honor a U.S. school can receive from the United States Department of Education.

Nationally, 304 public schools were honored.

Students will be participating in the ceremony by essays and poems detailing what it means to them to have earned Blue Ribbon recognition.

According to the Archdiocese of Hartford, in order for a school to be considered for the recognition, all grades in the school must score in the 85th percentile or better in reading and math on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

Students in grades 3 through 7 were tested at St. Gabriel, and each grade scored in the 90th percentile or above, the Archdiocese reported.

The school was also honored during a national ceremony on November 15 and 16 in Washington D.C.

The ceremony will be held at St. Gabriel School at 10 a.m. on Mon., Nov. 21.