Boardman elementary school earns second national award

BOARDMAN — West Boulevard Elementary School recently earned its second National Blue Ribbon Schools award.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos last month recognized West Boulevard as one of only 367 schools in the country to earn the award, and one of the few in the nation to have won the award twice.

"It's exciting, even a bit overwhelming," West Boulevard Principal Al Cervello said in a news release.

West Boulevard was first recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2011. According to the Blue Ribbon Program, five years must pass before a school can be nominated again.

"We were nominated as an Exemplary High Performing School by the state of Ohio last spring," Cervello said. "The Boardman School District sets a high standard, and we are fortunate at West to have an incredible staff, enthusiastic students and very supportive parents. This national honor requires everyone working together to achieve, and we are grateful."

The traditional awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., can't take place this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so a virtual ceremony will take place Nov. 12 and 13.

This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Boardman elementary school earns second national award."