Western School of Technology Earns National Recognition

The Baltimore County Public Schools issued the following statement this week on the recent honor earned by Western School of Technology and Environmental Science, noting it was the 17th school in Baltimore County to receive this recognition:

The U.S. Department of Education today announced that Western School of Technology and Environmental Science in Catonsville has been named a National Blue Ribbon School, one of only 48 high schools across the nation recognized this year.

Western Tech joins 16 other BCPS schools that have received this prestigious honor since 1994, and it is the third time since 2010 that a Baltimore County high school has achieved National Blue Ribbon status.

“The National Blue Ribbon for Western Tech is a well-deserved recognition of the excellence that characterizes all facets of the school’s program, from its leadership under Principal Buddy Parker to its teachers and students, to the support it receives from parents and its community,” said Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. S. Dallas Dance. “Western Tech has really come into its own in the past few years; it’s the school’s dedication to achievement, as well as the hard work of students and staff, that led to the honor today.”

Principal Parker said he planned to send a message to students and parents Tuesday evening, thanking them for contributing to the school’s Blue Ribbon effort. “Earning National Blue Ribbon status reinforces our record of academic excellence and the many other positive things that are taking place within our school,” Parker said. “I am extremely proud of this accomplishment because it is based on the collaborative efforts of our students, parents, faculty, and staff. This is truly a total team effort.”

The National Blue Ribbon Schools program honors public and private schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.

A magnet school, Western Tech provides students with challenging academic courses and cutting-edge technological career programs, as well as a variety of experiential environmental science programs. As a result, the school has been recognized as a top performing high school in the region and nation by the Baltimore Business Journal, Washington Post, US News & World Report and Newsweek.

The school’s strong academic profile is characterized by Western’s performance on Advanced Placement exams, which have seen recent increases in both participation and passing rate. Since 2012, Western AP participation has risen from 370 exams taken to 548, with an overall passing rate increase from 55 percent to 68.4 percent. In addition, the school’s participation in AP Environmental Science test-taking rose from 32 to 61 exams; the percentage of students earning a three or above on the test increased from 56 percent to 70.5 percent.

Western joins Eastern Technical and Towson high schools in earning BCPS high school National Blue Ribbons in recent years. In total, 20 BCPS schools have earned Maryland Blue Ribbons, with 17 of those going on to earn national Blue Ribbon honors.

Eastern Technical High School became the first Baltimore County public high school to earn National Blue Ribbon status in 2010, with Towson named a national winner in 2011. In addition, schools previously designated as National Blue Ribbon Schools in Baltimore County include Carroll Manor, Chadwick, Charlesmont, Middlesex, Red House Run, Riderwood, Seventh District, Sparks, Summit Park, Timonium, and Woodholme elementary schools and Dumbarton, Hereford, and Ridgely middle schools.

This is the sixth year in a row that BCPS has celebrated a National Blue Ribbon designation for one of its schools.

Western Tech representatives are expected to be invited to Washington D.C., later this year to be honored by national officials, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Photo Credit: Western Tech/Baltimore County Public Schools