The United States Department of Education has announced that Mater Dei Catholic School of Lansdale is one of the recipients of the 2018 National Blue Ribbon Award.
The Blue Ribbon award is the most prestigious award given to public and private schools across the country. In order to qualify for the award, schools, either public or private, need to be in the top 15 percent in the country in reading and mathematics performance. Mater Dei had to apply for the award.
The announcement came on Monday afternoon following a podcast out of Washington. The school watched the podcast at 1 p.m. and saw their name on the screen.
“When the children saw our name up there, they were just thrilled,” said Grace Samanns, Mater Dei’s director of advancement. “There was lots of excitement.”
To celebrate the achievement, the school gathered in the gym at 2:15 p.m. on Monday to watch the podcast as a school. The school dropped 521 balloons and had a celebration involving prayer and song.
In addition to Monday’s celebration, Tuesday was declared “Mater Dei Blue Ribbon Day,” where students got to wear their Blue Ribbon shirts and blue gym shorts. They also participated in activities involving technology, treats, and a school-wide aerial photo taken by a drone.
The school is also having a celebration on November 17. Since the Lansdale Mardi Gras parade is that day, the school is having a float in the parade and will follow with a Blue Ribbon tailgate.
“We’re going to have food and games and horses coming to give kids horse and cart rides,” Samanns said. “We’re going to end the day with Mass at St. Stanislaus Parish at 5:15.”
