A shower of blue confetti and happy cheering from the student body of St. James, Basking Ridge, filled the air at the announcement that the Catholic elementary school has been designated one of the nation’s Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence for 2024.
St. James was chosen as one of 356 schools nationwide, 11 of them in New Jersey, to receive the designation as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence for 2024 from U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel A. Cardona in a live broadcast announcement Sept. 23. The National Blue Ribbon award recognizes schools for either exemplary high performance or great strides in improving achievement gaps; nominations for Blue Ribbon public elementary, middle, high and K-12 schools are made by the top education official in every state and U.S. territory, or by the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) in the case of private schools.
St. James School credited its faith-based academic excellence and efforts to provide a safe, engaging and fun learning environment to nurture their emerging skills in its 22-page application for the award. Principal Suzanne Florendo stressed that teamwork is another integral ingredient in the success of the preK-3 to eighth grade school.
“Since opening our doors in 1965, St. James School has provided an exemplary, Christ-centered education that has shaped the lives of countless students,” Florendo said. “This recognition is a testament to the collective commitment to excellence of our students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni and parish - past and present - who work together to make our school community such a special place.”
The principal admitted keeping the school’s Blue Ribbon award a secret from the 340-student body was difficult, but teamwork proved the key. Official notification of the win came just a week before the broadcast, giving her little time to plan a celebration, but emails to parents and advisory board members; a dress-down day during which students sported blue “Hearts on Fire” t-shirts, and arranging a link from the national broadcast with the parish livestream set the event in motion.
One last request was made by Florendo to the Home School Association, she revealed with a chuckle. “I told them, ‘All I wanted were confetti cannons.’”
A video posted on the school’s Facebook page shows a sea of students, parents, faculty, staff, administrators and visitors viewing the press conference by the Dept. of Education in relative order… until the name of St. James School was announced by Dr. Cardona. As the adults smiled and applauded, the students erupted in joy, jumping, high-fiving and firing off those cannons filled with blue confetti. The decibel level in the gymnasium from the exuberant schoolchildren rivaled that of a fighter jet taking off at top speed. All were treated to an ice cream party following the announcement.
St. James Parish pastor, Msgr. Sylvester J. Cronin, was present for the jubilant video reveal. Reflecting upon the win, he stated, “As I witnessed the announcement of this wonderful achievement for our school, I could not help but be inspired by the hard work and dedication of our administration, faculty, staff and by the commitment of our students and their parents to making St. James School worthy of the Blue Ribbon award. Education may be the foundation of a successful future for our children, but to be able to ground education in the principles of our Catholic faith bodes well for the future of our world at large. I am proud of our students and grateful to our teachers and administration, present and past, who have built an environment of faith, love and learning.”
The Metuchen Diocese Office of Schools issued a statement in praise of the Somerset County school, saying, “This prestigious national award is a testament to the outstanding dedication, hard work, and commitment of the entire St. James community – its faculty, staff, students and families. St. James has consistently demonstrated academic excellence and a nurturing environment that fosters spiritual, academic and personal growth for their students… We are confident that this achievement will further strengthen the mission of Catholic education, bringing even greater opportunities for student success and flourishing. Congratulations once again to the St. James School community!”
St. James School is the eighth Catholic school in the Diocese of Metuchen to be named a Blue Ribbon recipient. Prior winners include: Immaculata High School, Somerville (1997); St. Matthias School, Somerset (2001); Immaculate Conception School, Annandale (2013); St. Augustine of Canterbury School, Kendall Park (2016); St. Francis Cathedral School, Metuchen (2017); St. Helena School, Edison (2018), and St. Thomas the Apostle School, Old Bridge (2018).
Florendo noted she and Msgr. Cronin planned to represent St. James School at the national Blue Ribbon Award recognition ceremony slated for Nov. 7-8 in Washington, but once again stressed the hard work of so many others were the keys to the school’s success.
“I am beyond proud of this whole community,” Florendo said. “I have been receiving emails congratulating me, but I tell them, ‘No, this is for everyone.’”
St. James School’s winning application is posted on the U.S. Education Department’s Blue Ribbon website at 24nj102pv_st_james_school_finalapplication.pdf (ed.gov)