[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15806]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING COASTAL RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I wish to commend Coastal Ridge 
Elementary School in York, ME, on being named a 2015 National Blue 
Ribbon School of Excellence. This year, Coastal Ridge Elementary was 
one of only 335 schools across the country and one of only two schools 
from Maine to receive this prestigious recognition of high 
accomplishment by the U.S. Department of Education.
  Created in 1982, the Blue Ribbon Schools Award honors schools that 
are either academically superior in their States or that demonstrate 
significant gains in student achievement. The schools singled out for 
this national recognition are models of high educational standards and 
accountability.
  This award recognizes Coastal Ridge Elementary as a model of 
excellence and high achievement. The students' success can be 
attributed to the school's focus on creating a healthy climate where 
adults model respect and selflessness. Principal Sean Murphy noted that 
while the award is based on exemplary test scores in math and reading, 
the school's emphasis on the arts, sciences, and social development has 
contributed to the students' overall achievement.
  I am pleased that the U.S. Department of Education has selected 
Coastal Ridge Elementary School for this well-deserved honor and 
congratulate not only the students, but also the administrators, 
teachers, staff, and parents on this outstanding achievement. Together, 
they are making a difference in the lives of hundreds of students by 
helping them become energetic learners and engaged citizens.

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