2 Surf City schools named Blue Ribbon...

2 Surf City schools named Blue Ribbon

Two Huntington Beach schools were among six in Orange County

Tuesday to earn Blue Ribbon awards from the U.S. Department of

Education.

Circle View Elementary School, in the Ocean View School District,

and the Hebrew Academy, a Kindergarten through 12th-grade private

school, spent Tuesday and Wednesday tying blue ribbons on every

available campus edifice in celebration of receiving the prestigious

award.

“We’re the only K-12 school in Orange County to win the award and

the only Jewish day school in the country to win,” said Sue Schwartz,

first-year principal at the Hebrew Academy. “I’m so excited I can

hardly think straight.”

Circle View Principal Pauline Tressler said her office was filled

with blue balloons, stars and ribbons upon returning from a district

meeting Wednesday.

“Everybody’s celebrating here,” Tressler said. “The award’s just

testament to our wonderful teachers, parents and especially our

students here.”

To receive the honor, schools had to have students ranking in the

top 10% statewide in test scores or at least 40% of the school’s

student population had to come from disadvantaged backgrounds and

show marked improvement on test scores, Schwartz said.

“It’s so awesome that two Huntington Beach schools won the award,”

she said. “I’d guess there isn’t another city in the country that had

two winners.”

Schwartz said Orange County public schools seem more advanced than

others she’s seen, and the Hebrew Academy just broadens the scope.

“We’re aligned with state standards, but we add something extra,”

she said.

Circle View Elementary and the Hebrew Academy joined 34 schools

state-wide and 217 nation-wide in receiving the award.