By Jessica Able and Ruby Thomas, Record Staff Writers
Two schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville have been named U.S. Department of Education 2016 National Blue Ribbon Schools.
The two schools are:
St. Francis of Assisi School, 1938 Alfresco Place, and St. Xavier High School, 1609 Poplar Level Road.
This is the first Blue Ribbon distinction for St. Francis of Assisi. This is the fourth time St. Xavier has been recognized. St. Xavier — the first school in the archdiocese to be recognized as a Blue Ribbon School — was previously honored in 1984, 1989 and 1993.
The awards were announced Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C., by Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr.
Steve Frommeyer, principal of St. Francis of Assisi, said the Blue Ribbon distinction is a validation of “all the good work and good effort that goes into educating” the students at St. Francis of Assisi.
“To even apply, you have to have test scores in the top 15 percent in the nation,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s all of our
kids, not just one good grade. All of our kids have to achieve very, very well in order to even apply.”
Frommeyer said the award speaks to “the long history of success St. Francis has had” and said the academic achievement is earned “on a consistent basis, year in, year out.”
The Highlands school plans to hold a special Mass and dinner on Nov. 12 to formally celebrate the national award.
Dr. Perry Sangalli, president of St. Xavier, said this is a “wonderful” time for the school and that it’s “an honor for the whole school community.”
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon school of excellence,” said Sangalli. “To have achieved it for the fourth time validates the sustained excellence in instruction and the quality of the program we offer.”
St. Xavier plans to celebrate the award after it is formally presented in Arlington, Va., early next month. Representatives from both schools will travel to Virginia on Nov. 7 and 8 to receive the award.
St. Francis of Assisi and St. Xavier join four other high schools and 13 other elementary schools in the archdiocese that have previously received this award.
The four other secondary schools are Assumption High School, Mercy Academy, Sacred Heart Academy and Trinity High School.
The 13 other elementary schools are St. Agnes, St. Albert the Great, St. Gabriel, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Margaret Mary, St. Mary Academy, St. Patrick, St. Raphael and Sacred Heart Model, all in Louisville; St. Aloysius in Pewee Valley, Ky.; and St. James in Elizabethtown, Ky.
