Huff Elementary Named National Blue Ribbon School

By KARA SEYMOUR (Patch Staff) and BEA KARNES (Patch Staff)

Mountain View Whisman School District’s Frank L. Huff School has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2015. The designation is based on its overall academic excellence.

This year, 335 schools have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools. The schools include 285 public and 50 private institutions.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program “celebrates some of the most skilled and effective educators in the country.” Blue Ribbon Schools have leaders who “not only articulate a vision of excellence and hold everyone to high standards, they stay close to the real action of teaching and learning,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Huff’s students come from a multicultural and diverse background, with approximately thirty-seven different countries with thirty-two languages other than English spoken in the homes of families.

“As a leader among the many leaders at Huff, I am very proud of the work that the entire team and school community have done to support the achievement of all children,” said Principal Heidi Smith. “As I have said publicly in the past and still maintain, Huff’s collaboration with all MVWSD schools and central administration has contributed to the recognition of Team Huff’s work. This was certainly a unified effort. I cannot say enough about the staff, students, parents, colleagues, and community supporters who continue to make Huff the special place that it is. It is an honor to be a part of this community every day.”

Huff uses the Write Tools curriculum, supporting a “focus on writing across all content areas by providing a strong foundation in the writing process. Science notebooks and writing to explain math tasks are central to every classroom. A focus on hands-on science and our ‘Enrichment for All’ PTA funded, embedded enrichment programming enhances the learning of every Huff Hawk. Socratic seminar, coding, speech & debate, science lab push-in, and creative writing pilots are among the program’s offerings. Project Cornerstone, Huffs Golden Thread, binds together all of the schools elements and supports healthy social emotional growth, respect of each learning community member, and fosters a culture of Huff Love for learning.”

Huff, along with the other Blue Ribbon Schools, will be presented with a plaque and a flag during a ceremony in Washington, DC in November. Smith will attend ceremony with selected teacher representative, Susan Chesley.