Townsend Elementary School gets national academic nomination

For a school with only 135 students, a pat on the back goes a long way. Townsend Elementary School Principal John Dalton says his teachers and staff were all surprised when they found out that their school was one of six Tennessee schools to be nominated for the Blue Ribbon Award.

"We look at it as an opportunity to get our name out there and show that Townsend is a great school. Great things are going on here each and every day," Dalton says.

Since Dalton became the school's principal two years ago, TCAP scores have improved in all four subject areas. In testing academic growth over a three-year period, the school received all As in math, reading, social studies, and science.

At least 40 percent of the students at Townsend Elementary come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. But Dalton says the close knit community of Townsend gives its school an advantage at beating the odds.

"It's a small community. It's a small school. We're like a family here," Dalton says. "We know each other very well, and the care that our community shows to our school and the support that we have, and the care that our teachers have for our kids, they go above and beyond to do what they can to maximize that academic potential of every child."

Now, the Blue Ribbon nomination is giving teachers and students even more momentum to aim high, making the grade toward a better future.

Schools nominated for the Blue Ribbon Award will be judged on how they perform on the 2010 TCAP. The winner will be announced in Washington DC in November.