Committed to Excellence:
National Blue Ribbon Award is Pisgah’s Pride
By Stacia Harris, Communications Department
“Pisgah is the most fabuloso school and I’m going
to tell you why.”
This is how 4th grader Addison begins her essay
explaining why she thinks Pisgah Elementary
deserves to be named a 2016 National Blue Ribbon
School. She goes on to say the things she loves about
Pisgah include “good cookies” and “galaxy pizza”
at lunch (which are small, round pizzas shaped like
planets). She also thinks the teachers and staff are
“really nice.”
This year, Pisgah is one of only 8 schools in North
Carolina and 316 in the nation to receive this honor.
Pisgah joins two other Buncombe County Schools that
have earned the distinction since the program began in
1982. (Emma Elementary earned the title in 2001 and
A.C. Reynolds High in 2002).
Principal Jeanann Yates took the helm at Pisgah this
year.
“Schools are selected based on excellence in leadership,
teaching, curriculum, student achievement, and parent
involvement,” Yates says. “Pisgah is among a very
small percentage of schools that have received this
prestigious award!”
Pisgah held a community celebration in December to
allow parents and stakeholders to be a part of this
rare honor. As part of the program, students at Pisgah
wrote essays explaining why they thought their school
deserved this distinction.
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4th grader Jordyn says, “Pisgah is an awesome school to
go to because of our clean grounds, our clubs, activities,
and our clean building!”
Ava, a 4th grader, says “the teachers here make us work
hard. The teachers teach us good things, and teach us
what we need to know.”
Though new to the school, Principal Yates says she could
immediately see why the school earned Blue Ribbon
status. “I have seen- first hand -the commitment and
love that this staff has for our students. I’ve seen
their tremendous expertise in teaching, unwavering
expectations, and their desire to excel in everything
that they do.”
Pisgah continues to focus on high student achievement
and closing achievement gaps. Their students are
able to participate in unique and enriching clubs like
“Trout Club”- where they are raising their own fish -
and Destination Imagination, which promotes teaching
21st century skills and STEM (Science, Technology,