Photo Caption: Pictured at the Dec. 5 celebration are, from left, Dr. Maureen Dowling of the U.S. Department of Education, Dr. Sharon Weiss, principal, and Msgr. John Prendergast, pastor.

WASHINGTON — Being designated a Blue Ribbon School took representatives from St. Patrick’s School to Washington, D.C., to receive the national award Nov. 13. The celebration wasn’t complete, however, until they returned to Washington, Ill., to share it with students, faculty, staff, parents and parishioners last week.

“Please know that I’m tremendously, hugely, gigantically, humongously proud of each and every one of you,” Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, told those gathered in the Sister Mary Ann Schmitz Gymnasium at St. Patrick’s School on Dec. 5.

The school community also heard words of praise from Washington Mayor Gary Manier, who read a proclamation declaring it to be St. Patrick’s School Recognition Day. In it he noted that St. Patrick’s was one of 269 schools in the nation that were recognized as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan couldn’t be present for the local celebration, so he sent Dr. Maureen Dowling, director of the Office of Non-Public Education, to offer his congratulations for their hard work. She reminded them that even though they had accomplished so much, they couldn’t sit back and take it easy now.

A former teacher herself, Dowling taught them a cheer, which they repeated with great enthusiasm: “Good, better, best/never let it rest/until your good is better/and your better is best!”

They cheered again a few moments later when she presented the Blue Ribbon plaque to Dr. Sharon Weiss, principal, and Msgr. John J. Prendergast, pastor. Weiss and Prendergast had traveled to the nation’s capital for the awards ceremony, as did longtime teacher Kathy Schlack and Doreen Shipman, who will succeed Weiss as principal next month when Weiss assumes full-time duties as superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Peoria.

At that ceremony Blue Ribbon recipients were invited to celebrate by dancing across the stage to accept the award and Weiss led the students in a few moments of fancy footwork before presenting each of them with a medallion hung on — what else? — a blue ribbon. Joining her in presenting the medallions were Bishop Jenky, Msgr. Prendergast, Father John Steffen, parochial vicar, and Shipman.

Last year’s eighth-graders, now freshmen at Washington Community High School and Peoria Notre Dame High School, returned for the ceremony since they had been part of the effort to make St. Patrick’s School worthy of national recognition.

While they didn’t receive medallions, parents, grandparents and parishioners were asked to stand and be honored for their support.

“Today all of you serve as an example to the surrounding communities,” said Charlie Roy, principal of Peoria Notre Dame. “We want to offer you our heartfelt congratulations on all your work and all your efforts, because it’s truly remarkable and inspiring. You deserve it.”

The ceremony ended with the surprise announcement that Schlack had been chosen as one of 12 Distinguished Teachers by the National Catholic Educational Association. She will be honored at the NCEA’s national convention in Houston next April.