The school celebrated its achievement with a school-wide announcement and by inviting students to the gym for ice cream and a thanksgiving prayer service. Photo contributed
St. Mark Catholic School, in Vienna, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education to receive the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award.
Each year the Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. St. Mark Catholic School now officially ranks, nationally, in the top 10 percent of private and religious elementary schools based on nationally standardized testing in math and reading.
“The formation of our young people in faith, knowledge and service is the most important thing we do at St. Mark Catholic School,” said St. Mark pastor Fr. Patrick Holroyd. “It is a tremendous honor for our parish school, which is so faithfully supported by our parishioners, to be recognized for its achievement in its short history.”
St. Mark Catholic School, founded in 2003, was initially led by principal Helen Brewer and a small group of faculty with about 250 students. Today, the school boasts enrollment nearly at capacity, with Darcie Girmus, an original faculty member, at the helm as principal.
“We are proud to have built a foundation of excellence for the first generation of students and their families,” said Girmus. “This recognition validates the work of our faculty, students, and families for the past 12 years and provides a standard of excellence for continuing our work well into the future,” she added.
The school celebrated its achievement with a school-wide announcement and by inviting students to the gym for ice cream and a thanksgiving prayer service.