By Staff
The sun was shining on a sea of blue Tuesday afternoon as the community gathered to congratulate the Howard-Ellis Elementary Schools achieving the coveted Blue Ribbon of excellence status from the State of Michigan.
As many who spoke mentioned, the honor was a long time in the making, with not only the teachers contributing. Also deserving praise should be the administration, parents and staff, including bus drivers, custodians and lunch help. Not to be forgotten are the students who presevered to help make their school the best it could be.
The three year project took hours of documentation and dedication, to fulfill all of the requirements.
The first hurdle was being accepted as "one school" and not having to do two applications.
With this honor, Howard-Ellis is the first in the state with two separate buildings to achieve the Blue Ribbon.
We expect there will be a sigh of relief now that the achievement has been reached.
We are also confident that there will not be a reduction in the devotion of the teachers, the endless giving by the administration or the involvement of the parents.
As the students wearing their blue t-shirts sang together, their bond could be felt across Champ Field, where they filled the infield. Superintendent Doug Law couldn't have been prouder. Principal Barb Garrard, who tried to thank everyone else, was surprised by the appreciation shown by the students to her.
Everyone involved deserves congratulations from the Niles Community Schools administration to the Howard Township residents on the first Blue Ribbon school in Niles.