There is much ado about being blue at two Queens schools.
P.S. 203 in Oakland Gardens and P.S. 191 in Floral Park were named Blue Ribbon schools by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) this year.
The borough’s high performing schools join three others in the city — Brooklyn’s P.S. 34 Oliver H. Perry School, Bronx Charter School for Excellence and Harlem Success Academy I — and 309 more in the country, according to the DOE.
“To be named a Blue Ribbon school is to join a very special, elite group,” said Carole Nussbaum, principal of P.S. 203. “It is a real ‘wow.’ It is the highest award in education that any school can get.”
An ocean of youngsters in blue shirts gathered at the Oakland Gardens school with Chancellor Dennis Walcott and elected officials on November 29 to celebrate earning the coveted honor, which is based on overall school excellence and progress.
They sang blue-themed songs, like “Blue Moon” and “Blue Suede Shoes,” and wowed the audience with comedic plays explaining how they won the Blue Ribbon through hard work.
“You’re role models for your community and all New Yorkers,” Walcott said. “We hope the Blue Ribbons inspire all students to cultivate a lifelong love of learning.”
Comptroller John Liu, the school’s 1979 valedictorian, said it was “no small feat” to gain national recognition.
“This is also a great day for all of our public schools in New York because it shows what our public schools here in New York City are capable of,” he said.
