Goshen High School Principal Nick Inabnitt, pictured, and officials held a pep rally on September 30, 2015 to announce that the school had been named a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Goshen High School Principal Nick Inabnitt, pictured, and officials held a pep rally on September 30, 2015 to announce that the school had been named a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
By Megan Alley
Sun staff

Goshen High School has been named a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, one of the highest honors for schools in America for academic achievement.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private kindergarten through 12th grade schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement, according to a press release.

Goshen High School is one of only 335 schools in the U.S. to be named a National Blue Ribbon School for 2015 based on overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

The high school is also one of three high schools and fourteen total schools in Ohio to receive the honor for 2015, according to a press release.

“We are excited to announce that Goshen High School has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. We are very fortunate to have great teachers, students and families, along with an incredibly supportive community to share this award with,” said Goshen Local School District Superintendent Darrell Edwards in an email.

He added, “As a community, we are proud of our high school’s accomplishment and want to thank and acknowledge the hard work of our entire pre-kindergarten through 12th grade learning community, as this award would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of many.”

The Blue Ribbon Schools are selected based on performance on state assessments or performance in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students over the past five years while increasing graduation rates for each subgroup, according to a press release.

“It’s recognition of the hard work that our students and staff put in,” Edwards said in an interview. “It shows we’re working hard to meet the needs of all children in our community.”

Goshen High School held a pep rally on September 30 to announce the award to the school.

“I think [the students] are really excited,” Edwards said. “We had a pep rally, which you don’t always see for academics. Our students feel like they are part of something special, that they are getting a high level of education and that they are getting recognized.”

The U.S. Department of Education will honor all of the nation’s 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools during a conference and awards ceremony Nov. 9-10 in Washington, D.C.

Goshen High School Principal Nick Inabnitt, Assistant Principal Marilyn Meyer and science teacher Shiloh Ashley will travel to Washington, D.C. to represent the school.

The award plaque schools receive affirms the hard work of students, educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content, according to a press release. The award flag gracing a school’s building is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.

Edwards said that while the award marks achievements that the school has made, he is looking forward to the future.

“It’s nice to get that pat on the back and be recognized,” he said.

“Our work is never done, and hopefully we’re laying the groundwork for future Goshen students that will travel through our schools.”