EDITORIAL: A shining light in the Clark County School District

And now for something completely different about the Nevada public school system.

The U.S. Department of Education this week announced that one Las Vegas elementary school and two Reno elementary campuses have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2018.

The schools — Goolsby Elementary in Southern Nevada and Mount Rose Elementary and Roy Gomm Elementary in Northern Nevada — made the cut as Exemplary High Performing Schools that are among Nevada’s highest-scoring campuses on state and national achievement tests.

Nationally, 349 schools earned honors for either student performance or closing achievement gaps over the past five years.

“Our staff is so excited about this nomination,” Goolsby Principal Kimberly Cunningham said. “It shows the high level of commitment that our students can reach. It takes a team of committed educators, parents, staff and students to reach and achieve our goals.”

It’s worth noting that Goolsby Elementary, located on West Desert Inn Road in Summerlin, also received an “A” grade for diversity from the website niche.com.

The three recipients of the 2018 designation join 21 other Nevada schools that have been so honored over the past 15 years. Previous winners in Southern Nevada include Advanced Technologies Academy (2003, 2011), Stuckey Elementary (2016), Glen C. Taylor Elementary (2015), Helen M. Smith Elementary (2010), Dooley Elementary (2014), Vanderburg Elementary (2012), Bonner Elementary (2014), Bendorf Elementary (2011), Thompson Elementary (2017), Wallin Elementary (2017), Rogich Middle School (2015), Morrow Elementary (2015) and Bracken Elementary (2013).

The challenges facing the struggling Clark County School District are numerous and well documented. But let’s not forget that within the massive district — the nation’s fifth-largest — there are many schools, students, teachers and administrators who are meeting high standards and achieving success on a daily basis.

Congratulations to Goolsby Elementary School.