Christ Our King receives Blue Ribbon award

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Those who are familiar with Christ Our King-Stella Maris School know it's a special place, and a prestigious national award announced Tuesday reaffirmed what many already believed.

The private, Catholic school was one of only seven public and private schools in the state to be named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. It was the only school in the Lowcountry to receive the award this year.

Nationally, 264 public and 50 private schools will be honored at a November awards ceremony in Washington. Each school will be given a plaque and flag.

Blue Ribbon awards recognize public and private schools that meet one of two criteria -- its students score in the top 10 percent on state or national tests or its students show dramatic improvement and at least 40 percent are considered low-income, non-native English speakers or migrants.

Christ Our King-Stella Maris School fell into the former category, with its students scoring in the top 10 percent of the country on a nationally normed test. The school does not have admissions standards, other than the desire to receive a Catholic education.

School Principal Jean Moschella said she knew as soon as she came to the 650-student, pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school three years ago that it was worthy of a Blue Ribbon award.

She credited the school's high-quality teachers, supportive parents, industrious students and dedicated volunteers for making the school what it is.

"It's a top-notch school," she said. "In many ways it's a reward for all the hard work that's gone on here since the school began in 1950."

Moschella said she suspects that one of the reasons the school stood out was that it's a candidate to offer an authorized International Baccalaureate program for middle school students, and she hopes the school will receive full authorization.

The school on Russell Drive would be one of only two or three Catholic schools nationwide to offer that program.

Moschella surprised students and teachers with news about the Blue Ribbon award at an assembly Tuesday afternoon that included blue balloons and donuts with blue sprinkles.

Afterward, students took turns posing for pictures at a sign announcing the award.

Middle school math teacher Debbie Mallaney was one of the teachers who helped Moschella with the award application.

She said the school initially planned to celebrate its nomination, regardless of whether it won, because it considered that a significant accomplishment, much less winning the award.

Mallaney said the people who are involved with the school make it special. Parents will do anything they can to help teachers, and teachers make the extra effort to help students, she said.

Eighth-grader Nick Norman has been going to the school since pre-kindergarten, and he said he's grateful for the opportunity to graduate from the same school his mother attended. Everyone in the school works together, he said.

"The Blue Ribbon award makes it all that much better," he said.

Reach Diette Courrégé at dcourrege@postandcourier.com or 937-5546.