Frito-Lay of Hawaii and Hawaii State Department of Education Announce Three 2011 Hawaii Distinguished Schools Winners: Schools Will Represent Hawaii in National Blue Ribbon Program

HONOLULU — Waialua Elementary, Koko Head Elementary and King Liholiho Elementary Schools were named Blue Ribbon Schools today by Frito-Lay of Hawaii and the Hawaii State Department of Education at the Hawaii Distinguished Schools awards held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and Spa.

The three schools, chosen from among 15 public school nominees, will represent Hawaii in the 2011 national No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools Program. King Liholiho Elementary is a previous recipient of this award for outstanding achievement and was selected as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2003-2004.

Frito-Lay of Hawaii, sponsor of the Hawaii Distinguished Schools Program, awarded these three elementary schools with $3,000 each for their outstanding achievements this past school year.

Ewa Beach Elementary, Momilani Elementary and Royal Elementary, selected last year as 2010 National Blue Ribbon Schools, were also recognized and presented with $1,000, in addition to the $3,000 they received upon selection as Hawaii’s representatives to the No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The three 2010 selected schools will receive the National Blue Ribbon designation along with other schools from across the country at a Washington, DC ceremony later this month. Since 1988, 56 Hawaii public schools have been nominated to the national level of the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, with 40 receiving National Blue Ribbon School honors.

The elementary and secondary schools that were named as Distinguished Schools and nominated for the Hawaii Blue Ribbon award included:

• Haleiwa Elementary
• Waialua Elementary
• Palisades Elementary
• Laie Elementary
• Hookena Elementary
• Kahala Elementary
• Kalani High School
• Koko Head Elementary
• Liholiho Elementary
• Maemae Elementary
• Manoa Elementary
• Noelani Elementary
• Nuuanu Elementary
• Aikahi Elementary
• Education Laboratory NCPCS

The Hawaii Distinguished Schools Program honors elementary and secondary schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap, or whose students achieve at the highest levels. The three selected schools are Hawaii’s nominees to the No Child Left Behind – National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. These schools have shown dramatic improvement in test scores or are achieving in the top 10 percent of schools in the state in both reading and mathematics. At least one-third of the schools must have 40 percent or more of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Frito-Lay of Hawaii established the Hawaii’s Outstanding Public Schools Program in 1985, which evolved into the Hawaii Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 1988. It was renamed the Hawaii Distinguished Schools Program in 2003. The Hawaii Distinguished Schools Program is evaluated by a panel of judges on criteria based on academic accountability targets and acceptable growth in reading and mathematics as required by the No Child Left Behind Act.

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