When teachers and other staff members arrived at Angell Elementary yesterday morning they noticed Principal Meg Fenech had brought in blue chips, blueberry bars and other snacks. They also found blue Angell tote bags that had blue ribbons inside of them. These were a small token of appreciation for all of the hard work the Angell team did over the last year-plus that led to the announcement by the Michigan Department of Education that Angell was one of only 16 schools in the state to be recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools.
AAPS Superintendent Jazz Parks congratulated the Angell Elementary School community on this well-deserved recognition. “The teachers, staff, students and families of Angell Elementary should be proud of the hard work and dedication to student achievement that led to this recognition,” Parks said.
“I am so proud that Angell has received this award – it’s an incredible achievement!” said Angell Principal Meg Fenech. “It affirms what I’ve always known about our school: our teachers are talented and dedicated, our staff builds the foundation for success, our students give their best every day, and our families are wonderfully supportive partners. Together, our entire school community creates a joyful, engaging, and caring learning environment.”
For the most part, it was just another day of teaching and learning at Angell, yesterday, but teachers were excited about the honor. “We are incredibly proud that Angell Elementary has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School, a reflection of our students’ hard work and the dedication of our entire school community,” said second grade teacher Abbie Stull. “This honor highlights what is possible when teachers, families, and students come together with a shared commitment to excellence. As public school educators, this recognition is especially meaningful. It’s a powerful reminder of the impact of dedication to every child.”
“It’s an honor to be named a 2025 Blue Ribbon school,” said Building Literacy Coach Jenn Poliguin. “While we are proud of our academic achievements, we are even more proud of the inclusive, joyful, and nurturing environment we’ve created together.”
The State Board of Education will hold a special ceremony at its Nov. 13 meeting to honor Angell and the other Michigan public schools that the department nominated as Blue Ribbon Schools. The meeting will be livestreamed with a link that will be posted on the homepage of Michigan.gov/MDE on that date for community members that can’t attend the event in Lansing in person.
“Students and parents, school staff, and local communities deserve to be honored for the outstanding achievement by our Blue Ribbon Schools,” said Interim State Superintendent Dr. Sue C. Carnell. “These schools serve as an example to others and, at the same time, are representative of the accomplishments and progress at schools around the state.”
MDE nominated the schools for being Exemplary High-Performing Schools, which are among the state’s highest-performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
In previous years, the U.S. Department of Education bestowed the prestigious National Blue Ribbon Schools designation in recognition of schools that excelled in academic performance or made significant strides in closing achievement gaps among different student groups. However, this year the federal education department discontinued the national program after the nominations had been submitted.
“MDE and the State Board of Education want to make sure these outstanding schools in our state get the recognition they deserve,” said board President Dr. Pamela Pugh. “These Michigan schools are worthy of national attention, so it is very disappointing that Blue Ribbon Schools no longer will be honored by the U.S. Department of Education. State board members are looking forward to learning more about the successes of these schools.”
This isn’t the first time Angell has received Blue Ribbon designation. Angell was also named a Blue Ribbon School in 2015. Other AAPS schools to receive this recognition recently include; King in 2021, Community in 2019, Allen in 2017, Wines in 2015 and King in 2014.
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