On its 75th Anniversary, LBHS Gets a Blue Ribbon
By COURTENAY NEARBURG
The U.S. Education Department named Laguna Beach High School a Blue Ribbon school Wednesday under the federal No Child Left Behind program.
Administrators completed the application process during the past school year, but received the designation in the new school year, coinciding with high school's 75th anniversary.
LBHS is one of 320 public schools in the nation and one of only 35 California high schools to receive the honor this year. Blue Ribbon schools are chosen primarily for high scores by students on the Academic Performance Index and on standardized tests in math, English and other core subjects.
While the Blue Ribbon award lacks prize money, neighborhoods around Blue Ribbon schools often increase in popularity, leading to higher property values, according to Superintendent Bob Fraisse.
"In a very mobile country where people move around for jobs, they literally shop for schools. That wasn't true 25 years ago when I started this career," he said. "It's a determining factor in where they choose to live. If you have the opportunity to go to a district that has Distinguished Schools and Blue Ribbon schools, you're going to move mountains to get into that district."
Rick McIntire, president of the Laguna Board of Realtors, agreed that school performance buoys local property values. He described a recent experience, spending a month showing property to a client considering leaving the area. When the school district's API scores came out, the client turned on a dime and decided to put down roots here, McIntire said.
National recognition is one of the reasons Fraisse and Asst. Supt. Nancy Hubbell suspect enrollment in Laguna Beach is up by 100 students this year, despite a dismal housing market and economic indicators that point to declining enrollment expectations.
For graduating seniors, Blue Ribbon status for their high school indicates they attended a "top tier" school, according to school principal Don Austin. "It means the school profile exceeds state and national averages for standardized testing. We include that information in our communications with the colleges and universities our students apply to; they see that we are in the top 10 percent of all schools nationwide."
Austin described the application process for a Blue Ribbon as "monumental," requiring extensive narrative writing to enumerate the qualities of LBHS. Since the award cycles every four years, much of the work had been already been done by former and current staff, Austin said, and he culled that information into one application.
"This doesn't just happen overnight," Austin said. "What goes into creating a school that gets a Blue Ribbon, that happens over the 75 years it's been here. Our doors opened in 1933. It's a milestone on that road. This isn't the finish line."
The honor also rests on the shoulders of former school superintendent Theresa Daem, who left the district in 2007, and the late Kay Turner, a former school board member. They pushed the district to adopt the best practices of other districts, said school board member Betsy Jenkins. Professional learning communities, for example, where teachers mentor each other to improve student learning, "really has brought us forward," Jenkins said.
Both Laguna Beach elementary schools, El Morro and Top of the World, were named California Distinguished Schools last spring, and therefore qualify as applicants for Blue Ribbon status this year.
The awards process follows a four-year cycle, with each year designated for applications by either high schools, middle schools, or elementary schools.
Thurston Middle School last won the award in 2003-04 under then-principal Chris Duddy and school officials will apply again this coming year, according to Fraisse. Duddy is writing the application this year for El Morro Elementary.
Austin will visit Washington, D.C., in November for the award reception with President George Bush.
