Laurel magnet school honored as blue-ribbon school

LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) - Students and teachers at Laurel Magnet School of the Arts celebrated being named a National Blue Ribbon School with a Thursday ceremony.

The United States Department of Education’s national Blue Ribbon School program recognizes elementary, middle and high schools based on overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps.

Dr. Kiana Pendleton, who served as LMSA principal of the school for five years, said this achievement would not be possible without the dedication put in by parents, students, teachers and the community.

“This is such a big deal because of the amount of work that was put into this,” Pendleton said.

Pendleton said the work was intentional.

“It was all done with a lot of integrity,” Pendleton said. “It was all done with a lot of love, a lot of dedication and focus and focus on what matters. And what matters is students.”

Laurel Public School District Board President Dr. James Johnson-Hill said the hard work put in by all of the people within the district has put Laurel on the map.

“The Laurel School District has been a punchline for years, but now, we’re setting the bar,” Johnson-Hill said. “We are attracting quality teachers. We have a great superintendent.”

Laurel Magnet School of the Arts has been rated an A-level school by the state for five years consecutively.

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