Friday, Dec. 21 2012 5:02PM

Lee’s Summit West High school among eight Missouri schools in the running for ‘Blue Ribbon’ recognition

Lee’s Summit West High School is among eight public schools in Missouri recently invited by the U.S. Department of Education to apply for national Blue Ribbon Schools recognition.

The local high school is the only school among the eight located within the Kansas City metropolitan area.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools where students are achieving at high levels or where significant progress is being made in closing achievement gaps, especially for disadvantaged and minority students. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was allowed to nominate eight schools for the 2013 awards, based on the state’s public school enrollment.

In addition to LSWHS, other Missouri nominees are Bolivar High School, Brentwood High School, Nixa High School, Sappington Elementary School, Spokane High School, Willow Springs High School and W.W. Keysor Elementary School.

“We are proud to nominate these schools for this honor,” said Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro. “We commend the teachers and administrators for their commitment to preparing all students for college, other postsecondary training and careers.”

College-and career-readiness is a primary goal for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Top 10 by 20 initiative, which calls for education in Missouri to rank in the top 10 nationwide by 2020.

In addition to a nearly year-long application and review process, schools nominated for the recognition must meet specific levels of achievement, called annual measurable objectives, during the state’s spring assessment testing. The Blue Ribbon Schools will be announced in Sept. 2013.

Since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools Program has recognized more than 7,000 of America’s most successful public and private elementary, middle and high schools.