Press Release
St. Vincent de Paul Grade School, Peoria, to hold a local celebration of its Blue Ribbon Award November 29th

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Peoria, Illinois
November 17, 2010

St. Vincent de Paul Grade School, Peoria, to hold a local celebration of its Blue Ribbon Award November 29th

On November 15th and 16th, St. Vincent de Paul Grade School, Peoria, Illinois, sent representatives to Washington D.C. to attend the National Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony. The plaque presented by Secretary Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education will be presented on the local level at a ceremony to take place in Peoria on Monday, November 29th.

The Department of Education will be represented by Mr. Tim Tuten, Special Assistant Director of Special Projects, who will confer the award. The award will be received by Msgr. Jason Gray, Pastor, and by Dr. James Minick, Principal.

The Blue Ribbon award is conferred in light of several years of consistently demonstrated academic success. Schools must test in the 90th percentile on a nationally normed test for at least three years. St. Vincent de Paul has tested in the 90th percentile for five years.

Dr. Minick began his term as principal in July, 2010, and followed Mr. Michael Birdoes who had served as principal from 2001-2010. Mr. Birdoes left St. Vincent de Paul School to accept a position as principal of Blessed Sacrament Grade School, Morton, Illinois. Because Mr. Birdoes was principal when St. Vincent de Paul applied for Blue Ribbon status, Msgr. Jason Gray, Pastor, underscored the important role Mr. Birdoes played. “We are a Blue Ribbon School because of the consistent years of hard work by Mr. Birdoes over his nine years at St. Vincent,” Gray said.

In addition to the representative from the Department of Education, Secretary Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation will also be present. Secretary LaHood is from Peoria which he previously represented in the U.S. House of Representatives. Moreover, Secretary LaHood is a former Catholic School teacher and has grandchildren enrolled in St. Vincent de Paul School. Secretary LaHood is expected to speak during the ceremony.

Other elected officials have been invited from the state and local level. Representatives from the Catholic Diocese of Peoria will also be in attendance. Both civil and ecclesiastical dignitaries will be recognized at the ceremony.

On Monday, November 29th, the festivities will begin with School Mass in St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6001 N University, Peoria, IL 61614. Mass begins at 9:15 am. Following the school Mass, a school assembly will take place in the Livingston Gymnasium. The assembly begins at 10:15 am and should conclude by 10:50 am. Following the assembly, guests are invited to walk through the school to a reception in the Parish Hall.

The Mass, assembly, and reception are open to the public. School parents and parishioners are especially encouraged to attend.

During the assembly, Dr. James Minick, principal will introduce a short video on the school. Mr. Tim Tuten will speak about the Blue Ribbon award and will present the award to the school. Msgr. Jason Gray, pastor, will recognize the special guests present and will introduce Secretary Ray LaHood who will address the assembly.

The guests are invited to a reception as the students return to class. The students will have a special lunch and individual classroom celebrations.

St. Vincent de Paul School received the Blue Ribbon Award because it has demonstrated a pattern of excellence in the education and formation of young people. The school listed several strengths in the Blue Ribbon application. St. Vincent welcomes all students and provides a vibrant Catholic environment to teach strong moral values. St. Vincent establishes students as effective leaders with a positive and moral impact on the community. St. Vincent is strengthened by the teachers, but also by strong leadership among the parents who help build up the St. Vincent school family.

Academically, St. Vincent strives to continuously improve its program and curriculum as a North Central Association Accredited school. St. Vincent has placed in the 90th percentile nationally in math and reading for the past five years. Teachers use a variety of innovative instructional methods, drawing upon modern technology in the classroom. Individualized testing allows teachers to respond to the needs of every student at his or her level. Students study Spanish beginning in 2nd grade.

Extracurricular activities supplement the academic program. Among the extracurricular activities is the spring musical, a new addition since a new gymnasium with a stage was built in 2008. St. Vincent has a strong athletic program. Our 7th grade boys and 8th grade girls took the state title in their division in the 2009-2010 school year.

A recent renovation and expansion allows St. Vincent de Paul School to provide the facilities to meet a variety of program needs. The $6M project was completed in 2008, refitting existing classrooms with air conditioning and energy efficient improvements. The new construction provided a gym with regulation basketball and volleyball courts, a stage, and a music room.

Questions may be directed to Msgr. Jason Gray, 309-691-3602 x260.

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