St. Joseph’s Regional Catholic School in Beltsville was recently announced as the recipient of the 2019 National Blue Ribbon Award for Academic Excellence. The US Department of Education annually recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that demonstrate that all students can achieve at high levels through the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. St. Joseph’s is one of only eight Maryland schools and one of two schools in Prince George’s County that received this illustrious award. Only 362 schools nationally received the award.
St. Joseph was recognized as an Exemplary High Performing School based on the exceptional academic achievement of its students. Students scored in the top 15% in the nation in reading and math for students enrolled in grades 2–8. The Exemplary High Performing School designation for the award indicates that St. Joseph’s is among the state's highest performing schools based on nationally normed tests. The award affirms the hard work of the teachers who partner with parents in the education of their students.
St. Joseph’s Regional Catholic School is a small, coeducational Catholic school that serves 196 students and their families in grades pre–K4 through 8th grade. The students reflect the ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic diversity of the nation’s capital with over 32 countries and 27 languages represented. The rich diversity of the student population is embraced by a faculty and staff who fundamentally believe that each child is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, each child is unique and equally deserving of love, respect, kindness, and mercy.
Through the adoption of a growth mindset philosophy, the staff focuses on progress in all aspects of a child's development and instills high expectations for behavior and achievement. Staff members expect that each student will be self-disciplined and conduct themselves with kindness and love based on the understanding that their actions have a direct impact on their individual person and the larger school community. Using data-driven decision-making as a tool to maintain high expectations, teachers emphasize progress in academic achievement and, equally as important, the skills necessary for student success.
To best support the development of our children, it is our ideology that faculty and staff work collaboratively with parents. Parents and staff are committed to the equal development of all aspects of the child; spiritual, socio-emotional, academic, and physical development systematically create and sustain opportunities for growth. Therefore, the faculty and staff, in collaboration with parents, work diligently to foster the self-discipline required of each child by focusing on how children monitor their thoughts, words, and actions so that an environment conducive to learning is maintained.
Photo Caption: Students at St. Joseph’s in Beltsville. The school is the recipient of the 2019 National Blue Ribbon Award for Academic Excellence.