P.S. 101Q in Forest Hills has been awarded a national blue ribbon for being among the highest performing schools in New York, the US Department of Education announced on Sept. 26. 101Q is one of eight schools in NYC to receive this distinction, and the only one in Queens. Blue Ribbons “affirm the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content,” according to the DOE.
“We are humbled by such a recognition and it inspires us to continue to do more,” Principal Monique Lopez-Paniagua said in a statement, the Forest Hills Patch reports. “We want to give our students the best chance they can have to be successful with a strong sense of emotional well-being. In our efforts to create such a space for them, it requires all of us to collaborate and achieve greater things together than we could ever do in isolation.”
19 schools in New York won blue ribbons. Of the 312 public schools that received the award, 46% have student bodies where more than 40% of students are “disadvantaged.” NYC schools that have received this award in past years include Academic Leadership Charter School in the Bronx, Achievement First Bushwick Charter School in Brooklyn, Big Apple Academy in Brooklyn, College of Staten Island High School For International Studies on Staten Island, Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx, Excellence Girls Charter School in Brooklyn, Icahn Charter Schools 2, 4, and 5 in the Bronx, Leadership Prep Ocean Hill Charter School in Brooklyn, P.S. 115Q in Floral Park, P.S. 130, 150, 158, and 183 in Manhattan, P.S. 195 in Brooklyn, and more.
A ceremony honoring all 362 blue ribbon schools, including P.S. 101Q, will be held in Washington D.C. in November. For the full list of New York schools that have received blue ribbons, head to the national blue ribbon schools’ website.
Main Image: Credit P.S. 101Q, via Forest Hills Patch.
