Published: October 19, 2009 06:45 pm      

Tunnel Hill Elementary honored with ice cream party

Blue Bell Creameries honored Tunnel Hill Elementary School on Friday with a school-wide ice cream party to celebrate the school’s being named a 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon School.

Tunnel Hill Elementary is one of only 12 schools in Georgia to be named a 2009 Blue Ribbon School. The U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools program has honored more than 6,000 schools of America’s most successful schools for the past 27 years. Schools are selected and awarded this prestigious honor annually for two reasons — helping students achieve at very high levels and making significant progress in closing the achievement gap.

“At Blue Bell, we recognize the importance of encouraging and honoring schools for educational excellence,” said Paul Kruse, CEO and president of Blue Bell Creameries. “We are well aware that such high levels of achievement require tremendous effort from students, teachers, administrators and parents. This is Blue Bell’s way of showing how proud we are.”

In 2002, the program was renewed to correspond with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, setting a high standard for schools nationwide. This year’s winners will be honored at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.