One South Bend school named a national blue ribbon school

SOUTH BEND, Ind. –Swanson Traditional School was one of just 325 schools nationwide to be named a blue ribbon school for 2021.

Only seven schools in Indiana received the National Blue Ribbon. The award is based on a school’s academic success. Swanson Traditional School Principal Amy Troyer mentioned the strenuous application process and how some questions focused on how schools adapted to the pandemic.

“We had to learn a whole new way of connecting with our students. A whole new way of teaching and again, it was successful because our parents helped out at home and that was a big contributing factor to the success and a lot of professional development on how to make sure our students were learning on devices through the screen” Troyer said.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program was started back in1982 by the U.S Department of Education, it recognizes educational achievements from both public and non-public schools.

Swanson Traditional School is the only school in South Bend to receive the award this year, something the principal attributes to the school's environment and unity.

“It really is a reflection on the hard work and the devotion of our teachers, our staff our students, our parents, and the Swanson community that we work so hard to create a place for students can grow and learn,” Troyer said.

South Bend Schools Superintendent Todd Cummings was at the ceremony, he said he’s thankful for all the hard work the teachers and put in and he hopes other South Bend schools will follow suit.

“For the first time, the district, operationally, is in a place, financially is in a place. Now we’re focused on making sure every single child reads on grade level and the great work that Swanson is doing on literacy, we’re doing our best to have the principal share with other principals to replicate that in other buildings,” Cummings said.

All National Blue Ribbon schools will be honored at an award ceremony in Washington D.C on Nov. 4 and 5.