Ridgeview Elementary School Principal gives a sendoff to third-grader Maggie Grob at the close of a school day. The Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association named Ridgeview an Elementary School of Excellence last week. (Marie Foss/Sun Newspapers)

The Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association has named Bloomington's Ridgeview Elementary School a 2005-2006 Minnesota School of Excellence.

Ridgeview was selected after completing MESPA's research-based program aligned with national standards to be designated a School of Excellence.

MESPA annually confers the title on elementary schools whose principal, staff, students, and community - working as a team - demonstrate the desire to strengthen education by successfully completing the Minnesota School of Excellence program.

"This was a powerful experience for us, for the staff and the parents that were involved, too," said Steve Abrahamson, principal of the Bloomington school at 9400 Nesbitt Ave. S.

"I think what it does, it really validates who we are as a school community," Abrahamson said. "It validates the hard work that the staff puts into their jobs. It validates the great effort that students put into their school experience, and it validates the support that parents and families in the community give to Ridgeview.

"It was gratifying to me in a special way," Abrahamson said.

"I want people to know this is a great place to go to school," Abrahamson said. "It's a fantastic school."

"We always knew it was" and now the designation as a School of Excellence confirms it, he said.

"Excellence is a process," states P. Fred Storti, MESPA executive director. "MESPA is pleased to offer the process guided by the Minnesota School of Excellence program.

"We believe that Minnesota's elementary and middle schools are good, effective schools with superior performance that deserve and need to be recognized."

The school has an enrollment of about 330 students in kindergarten through fifth grade and an average class size of 21. Ridgeview's enrollment is the smallest in the Bloomington School District.

Ridgeview has a large number of gifted and talented students, and staff has received training in differentiated instruction to challenge gifted students.

Ridgeview also serves students struggling to perform at grade level through a building-wide Area Learning Center program during much of the year. Classes meet twice a week and are taught by Ridgeview teachers in a small-group setting that gives many students the additional support and help they need.

"It is important to model the expectation I have of others," Abrahamson said. "Hard work, initiative and a desire for excellence are what make Ridgeview a very special place.

"To be our best we must make certain we remain healthy - physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and put our own families first, in order to be most effective at school."

Ridgeview also is home to a district Special K program, which provides special education students from several elementary schools with an all-day kindergarten experience.

"It provides them with a very low student-to-teacher ratio," Abrahamson said. The morning experience at Ridgeview gives them a boost.

The students spend the morning at Ridgeview, then return to their own schools for afternoon kindergarten.

Students from across the district also are enrolled in a Communication and Interaction Program, which provides support to students diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

Abrahamson greets students individually when they arrive in the morning and personally sends them off when the school day is done.

"I shake hands and get high fives with almost every kid at Ridgeview," he said. "It's become an important connection with the kids each day.

"Ridgeview is small enough that I can greet every kid in the morning and say goodbye in the afternoon."

Since the program's inception in 1986, 112 schools have earned the honor.

The designation is based on a broader array of measurements of the school's success than state standards, the principal said, referring to the state Education Department's method of rating schools' achievements on reading and math tests.

"That looks at one area, testing," Abrahamson said. "An experience like this looks at six very specific areas."

The designation holds special significance for Abrahamson. His father, Dave Abrahamson, an elementary school principal for 30 years in the St. Anthony/New Brighton School District, served on a panel that drew up School of Excellence standards 20 years ago.

"He was part of the team that developed the whole process," Abrahamson said. "He was involved in getting the whole School of Excellence program off the ground.... To me, that's a special legacy."

In addition to Ridgeview Elementary School, four other elementary schools have been endorsed as 2005-2006 Minnesota School of Excellence Award. They are O.H. Anderson Elementary School in the Mahtomedi School District; Clearview Elementary School in St. Cloud; Greenway Elementary Schools of Greenway; and Red Pine Elementary School in the Rosemount/Apple Valley/Eagan School District.

"The total commitment to excellence demonstrated by these award-winning schools is the very center of quality education in this state," Storti said.

Ridgeview also serves students struggling to perform at grade level through a building-wide Area Learning Center program during much of the year. Classes meet twice a week and are taught by Ridgeview teachers in a small-group setting that gives many students the additional support and help they need.

"It is important to model the expectation I have of others," Abrahamson said. "Hard work, initiative and a desire for excellence are what make Ridgeview a very special place.

"To be our best we must make certain we remain healthy - physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and put our own families first, in order to be most effective at school."

Ridgeview also is home to a district Special K program, which provides special education students from several elementary schools with an all-day kindergarten experience.

"It provides them with a very low student-to-teacher ratio," Abrahamson said. The morning experience at Ridgeview gives them a boost.

The students spend the morning at Ridgeview, then return to their own schools for afternoon kindergarten.

Students from across the district also are enrolled in a Communication and Interaction Program, which provides support to students diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

Abrahamson greets students individually when they arrive in the morning and personally sends them off when the school day is done.

"I shake hands and get high fives with almost every kid at Ridgeview," he said. "It's become an important connection with the kids each day.

"Ridgeview is small enough that I can greet every kid in the morning and say goodbye in the afternoon."

Since the program's inception in 1986, 112 schools have earned the honor.

The designation is based on a broader array of measurements of the school's success than state standards, the principal said, referring to the state Education Department's method of rating schools' achievements on reading and math tests.

"That looks at one area, testing," Abrahamson said. "An experience like this looks at six very specific areas."

The designation holds special significance for Abrahamson. His father, Dave Abrahamson, an elementary school principal for 30 years in the St. Anthony/New Brighton School District, served on a panel that drew up School of Excellence standards 20 years ago.

"He was part of the team that developed the whole process," Abrahamson said. "He was involved in getting the whole School of Excellence program off the ground.... To me, that's a special legacy."

In addition to Ridgeview Elementary School, four other elementary schools have been endorsed as 2005-2006 Minnesota School of Excellence Award. They are O.H. Anderson Elementary School in the Mahtomedi School District; Clearview Elementary School in St. Cloud; Greenway Elementary Schools of Greenway; and Red Pine Elementary School in the Rosemount/Apple Valley/Eagan School District.

"The total commitment to excellence demonstrated by these award-winning schools is the very center of quality education in this state," Storti said.