Chukker Creek nominated for National Blue Ribbon program 12/5/2008 1:53 AM
By ROB NOVIT Senior writer
Amy Gregory, the Chukker Creek Elementary School principal, was stunned but thrilled after getting off the phone with Aiken County Superintendent Dr. Beth Everitt on Thursday.
Everitt had informed Gregory that the school is one of five throughout South Carolina nominated to compete in the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education, honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Aiken Elementary School is a previous Blue Ribbon winner.
"I wasn't expecting it," said Gregory, midway through her second year as principal at Chukker Creek. "It's going to be a surprise for the teachers. They've worked so hard this year with the new reading initiative. It's another pat on the back that they're doing what they need to do."
The other schools nominated by the State Department of Education are Carolina Elementary School in Hartsville, Midland Elementary School in Galivants Ferry, Ninety Six High School in Greenwood County and Chapin High School in Lexington/Richland District 5. Chukker Creek was one of the nominated schools that are among the top 10 percent academically in the state.
"We're very pleased with the nomination," Everitt said. "At a time when we're focused on the budget and trying to figure out how we're going to balance it next year, it's nice to get good news."
Area 1 assistant superintendent Peggy Trivelas spent five years as the Chukker Creek principal. Gregory was the assistant principal with her for one year before becoming the principal in 2007.
"Chukker Creek has everybody on board - the faculty, staff and the parents - to make sure the school is successful," said Trivelas. "There's a pervasive atmosphere of achievement. I am so proud."
The U.S. Education Department will invite a panel of assessment specialists to review the nominated schools' applications next summer. The 2009 winners will be announced in Washington, D.C., and the recognition ceremony will be held there in November 2009.
Gregory said her teachers have bought into the district's reading initiative, which focuses on a 90-minute block of uninterrupted instruction to meet each child's needs.
"We've also got a great arts program and strong parent support," she said. "Our parents are in here all the time volunteering in the classrooms, and it does make a difference. When we have a problem, they're in there helping us solve it. This (nomination) will be great for them, too."
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.
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