When the national Blue Ribbon award winners were announced last month and Guilford High School (GHS) was on the list, Principal Rick Misenti could hardly say he was surprised.

Since 1982, the Blue Ribbon program has recognized schools across the country that meet exemplary status criteria, looking at various measures of faculty professional development participation, student rankings on state tests, and an ability to articulate a vision of excellence.

While the fact that GHS meets or exceeds all these might not be news, Misenti said that receiving such high-profile, national recognition is important.

“It validates all the good things that we do, not just at our school but in our community,” he said.

There are two categories of Blue Ribbon awards. The first is awarded to exemplary high performing schools that show very high performances across the board, and the second is for exemplary achievement gap closing, which celebrates schools that make progress in closing gaps between sub-groups. GHS was recognized in the first category.

GHS was also the only high school recognized in Connecticut this year; the North Mianus School, a Greenwich elementary school, was the only other school in the state to receive exemplary high performing status.

Misenti reflected on the many ways that he has seen Guilford school administrators, teachers, and community members build a school organization worthy of this kind of distinguished praise.

“I always mention that there are three common threads that run ‘through and true’ in successful...school systems,” Misenti said. “Number one, a tremendously talented and engaging faculty, which this school has. The second is a talented and wonderful student body, second to none. And the third is a community that partners with and supports their school and their school system. And this high school has all three of those threads.”

Misenti cited thousands of volunteer hours that community members offered to the school system, as well as the number of various scholarships awarded to students, and a thriving system of parent involvement through booster clubs and art programs.

“It validated all the hard work—it validated the vision of this superintendent and this Board of Education,” said Misenti. “It validated the good teaching and the great student body and the parental support that we have.”

Validation was really the primary reaction of the community, according to Misenti. Blue Ribbon awards often help raise the profile of schools, bringing people into the town who value education. Guilford already has that reputation, Misenti said, but that being a Blue Ribbon school will certainly continue to spread that message.

“It should tell this community and anyone wanted to move to this community that this high school is held to high standards,” said Misenti.

Misenti said that the school district is currently putting together a delegation for the official award ceremony in Washington D.C, where Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will honor school officials. Misenti said he wanted to bring one teacher to represent the faculty, though choosing any single member of the faculty from a pool of volunteers is “difficult.”

“Every teacher [at GHS] is a leader among educators in this state,” he said. “This is a great teaching staff.”