Hartman Elementary caps off celebration with a parade
By Joe Reavis
Staff Writer
Students at R.F. Hartman Elementary School, along with parents, teachers, former students and Wylie Independent School District administrators took a timeout last week to celebrate selection as a 2017 Blue Ribbon School.
The celebration took place Friday, Oct. 20, to a packed house in the First Baptist Wylie sanctuary.
Master of ceremonies Will Doty, a fourth grade student at the school, introduced Hartman Principal Shawna Ballast, WISD Superintendent David Vinson, school administrators and board members, and speakers for the celebration.
“If you are here with us today, you have had an impact on our school,” Ballast declared.
Out of 99,000 public schools in the United States, 342 were selected this year as Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. There were 20 selections in Texas and five in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Hartman was nominated for the award in October 2016 by Texas Education Agency based on State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test results in reading, writing and closing achievement gaps over a 3-year period.
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private schools based on overall academic excellence and the ability to close achievement gaps among student subgroups that include English language learners and economically disadvantaged.
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