National Blue Ribbon School nominees honored by NYS Board of Regents after Trump administration cancels prestigious program
Harborfields High School was one of four Long Island schools nominated by the state for National Blue Ribbon awards before the program was cancelled earlier this year. Credit: Rick Kopstein
New York’s top education officials on Monday honored four Long Island schools and 15 others across the state that were named National Blue Ribbon Schools before the federal program’s abrupt cancellation.
Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson, Garden City High School, Harborfields High School in Greenlawn and Manhasset Secondary School were among the 19 district and charter schools recognized Monday morning at the meeting of the New York State Board of Regents.
The schools “embody what's best about New York education: academic excellence, innovation, equity and opportunity for every student,” David Frank, assistant commissioner of the state Department of Education, said at the meeting.
The 19 schools — including nine in New York City, two in Westchester and four upstate — had been nominated by the state and accepted by the federal Department of Education as Blue Ribbon Schools this summer, according to the state Department of Education. The Trump administration informed state education departments in late August it was ending the program as it hands more control over education to the states.
The program had recognized the country’s highest-achieving schools, either for exemplary academic performance or for closing educational gaps between groups of students. All the Long Island schools nominated this year were chosen for their exemplary performance.
At Monday's meeting, Frank showed a slide listing the nominated schools and noted that Felicia Thomas-Williams, the Board of Regents representative from Long Island, and Aramina Vega Ferrer of the Bronx “certainly have their fair share of schools on that list.”
The schools “had already completed the federal government's time-intensive and detailed application and pulled together voluminous supporting materials, and the U.S. Department of Education had indicated that these schools would be honored this fall,” Frank said. “Unfortunately, that did not come to pass.”
But, he said, “While federal recognition and support have been withdrawn, New York State will not allow this moment of excellence to go uncelebrated.”
The state Department of Education, he said, “is currently working on how we can continue to recognize the exemplary work of our schools moving forward.”
All four Long Island schools have received Blue Ribbon honors before, most recently Manhasset in 2019, Garden City and Vandermeulen in 2017 and Harborfields in 2016.
The national honor was “a remarkable achievement" for Harborfields High School, Rory Manning, superintendent of the Harborfields district, said in an interview last week. The recognition "means so much to our staff, to our students, to our community, that I was very disappointed that the program was canceled,” he said. In addition to the state honor, the school also will be recognized at the school board’s Nov. 19 meeting, he added.
Garden City High School students consistently excel not only on tests but also in science contests, sports and other realms, Principal Kevin Steingruebner said in an interview last week. Of the state recognition, he said, “It's great to have that support again…. You feel valued by them for the work we do.”
In a statement, Christopher J. Pellettieri, interim superintendent of the Manhasset school district, said school leaders “are proud of our dedicated staff, motivated students and supportive community who made this recognition possible.”
In past years, the national awards generally were announced at celebratory events. Having a Blue Ribbon School was often touted as an attraction for families seeking high-quality education.
Roger Tilles of Manhasset, a Regent at-large, urged schools to host their own festivities and invite the Regents representatives, noting that Blue Ribbon honorees have done so in past years.
“I would hope that the schools themselves might continue their celebration of the great work that they've done,” he said. “It’s a significant achievement that they need to celebrate.”
With Michael R. Ebert
Maura McDermott covers education. Since joining Newsday in 2012, she also has worked on the investigations team and covered real estate and the business of health care.
