Fountain Green Elementary School in Bel Air has been named a Maryland Blue Ribbon School for 2015, one of six schools in the state and the only school in Harford County that received the top honor.
"We're extremely proud of all the hard work that the students have done and all the hard work that the teachers have done," Principal Alison Donnelly said.
Administrators, teachers and parents representing each school traveled to the Maryland State Department of Education headquarters in Baltimore for the surprise announcement Wednesday.
Donnelly said she told the teachers that they were going to speak to the State Superintendent of Schools Lillian Lowery about Common Core State Standards and that there would be representatives of other schools there.
"We were shocked and so proud of our school," Tracy Morehouse, a fifth-grade teacher, who has been at Fountain Green for 14 years, said.
Fountain Green Elementary is just east of the center of Bel Air, off Route 543 near Route 22. It has 485 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The Maryland Blue Ribbon award goes to schools that have met state and federal benchmarks for "high achievement and significant improvement," according to a news release posted on the MSDE website.
"The Maryland Blue Ribbon Schools exemplify the wonderful work taking place at public schools throughout our state, as they prepare students for college and careers," Lowery stated.
Donnelly added that the schools must score higher than 95 percent on reading and math tests, show academic improvement and demonstrate community involvement in the school.
"They're looking for sustained growth and continued high performance," she explained.
Donnelly said the president of the school's Parent-Teacher Association also went to the announcement.
"We have a fantastic PTA," Donnelly said.
At least 95.4 percent of Fountain Green's students were at a "proficient or advanced" level on Maryland School Assessment mathematics tests, and 96.9 percent were at a proficient or advanced level on MSA reading tests, according to a news release from Harford County Public Schools.
"Fountain Green Elementary continues to meet and exceed the challenge of meeting the needs of all students and serves as an outstanding example of public education at its best," HCPS Superintendent Barbara Canavan said in the release. "We are incredibly proud of our students, teachers, parents, administrators and the school community."
Students and teachers not only work for academic achievements, but also work to develop what they term the "whole child" with activities such as fine arts, character education, and the PTA's Lego Club and STEM Club to help students develop critical thinking skills, according to the news release.
Fountain Green was recognized as a Maryland Center for Character Education School of the Year in 2011.
Fourth grade teacher Lisa Keller, who has been at Fountain Green for 10 years, said school staff focuses more on "overall achievement," rather than just test scores.
"We just set personal goals with the children daily and strive for excellence in all that we do," she said.
Keller said she told her fourth graders that state education officials are "recognizing all of your hard work."
"They were absolutely thrilled that someone had seen all of their hard work," she said. "They were proud of themselves, proud of their school."
Donnelly, who took over as principal in July, reserved the credit for the award for her predecessor, former Principal Stacey Gerringer.
"It's been years in the making," Donnelly said. "I cannot take credit for this."
Donnelly, who has taught at Fountain Green, said she "inherited a wonderful school with very, very hard-working, collaborative teachers."
Donnelly said she ran through the school halls with the Blue Ribbon flag and took it to each classroom.
She said the students were excited, "and I'm sure they're going to work even harder."
The school can now apply to the federal Department of Education for a National Blue Ribbon award.
Keisha Nandalal, a first-grade teacher, who has been at the school for 20 years, said the award is Fountain Green's first recognition as a Blue Ribbon school.
She said it is a recognition of students', staff and parents' efforts.
"I'm elated," Nandalal said. "I think this is an outstanding award, and I'm very proud that our entire school community is being recognized."
Ring Factory Elementary School, Bel Air Middle School, Joppatowne High School, North Harford Middle School, Jarrettsville Elementary School and Havre de Grace High School have also won state and national blue ribbon awards between 1990 and 2012, according to the school system. The private St. Margaret School in Bel Air was named a Blue Ribbon School in 2013.