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Two Brazos Valley elementary schools have been nominated by the Texas Education Agency for the prestigious Blue Ribbon Schools award, officials announced Wednesday.
Iola and Mumford elementary schools are among 26 selected as eligible for the national award by the TEA.
Iola Elementary School Principal Danny Mallett said he was shocked when state officials called to tell him the news.
"I was speechless, absolutely speechless, that we had done so well to be recognized by TEA," he said. "It is a great honor just to be nominated."
The nomination sets both schools on a competitive track toward the national No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools award, which will be announced in September. Applications from schools in each state are due Feb. 18.
The program honors public and private schools that have 40 percent of students from low-income families and dramatically improve student performance or that score in the top 10 percent on state-mandated tests regardless of socioeconomic status.
Schools must also meet Adequate Yearly Progress standards.
No area schools were nominated last year. Johnson Elementary School in Bryan was recognized in 2007.
Mumford Superintendent Pete J. Bienski Jr., who also serves as principal of the district's high school and elementary school, said the town's students and teachers have been consistently successful on state tests.
"We have very hard-working, very dedicated teachers that work together. I think that's key," he said. "Teachers and staff work together here to help each other out. We're not competing here; we're working together for the betterment of the kids."
About 70 percent of Mumford students are from low-income families, he said. The elementary school has 375 students.
Mumford Elementary was rated exemplary -- the highest ranking in the state's accountability system -- by the TEA in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
In Iola, 53 percent of students are from low-income families. Iola Elementary, which has 275 students, has achieved recognized status from the TEA for the past three years.
Bienski attributed Mumford's success to the freedom that teachers are given in the classroom. The fact that he serves in place of three administrators means there's not a lot of upper-level management to get in the way, he said.
"We give [teachers] supervision and suggestion, but they have the freedom and flexibility," he said. "We empower our teachers here in Mumford schools."
Mallett said Iola's success is a sign of a community that values education for its kids.
"I'm just so very proud of their accomplishments. I'm just extremely proud of the work these teachers have done and the results that these students have gotten and the support that these parents have shown," Mallett said.
