Tuesday, it was announced three Horry County Schools won the National Blue Ribbon award for exemplary academics.
Lakewood Elementary, and Forestbrook Middle, and Myrtle Beach Intermediate were the three schools within Horry County that won.
District officials say this is the first time three schools won in the same year.
Even though this award highlights academic achievement, the people who work at Myrtle Beach Intermediate School say teaching life lessons and being supportive of the students is far more important than just test results.
“What draws people into the field is the ability to change people not to teach content,” said Sarah Edge.
Edge has been a teacher at Myrtle Beach Intermediate School for six years.
She says winning the National Blue Ribbon Award is nice to know the faculty’s efforts are being recognized.
“I am doing something right, but I also think it says something really awesome for kids that something’s going right for them,” said Edge.
The award highlights academic achievement in standardized test scores, but Edge say the school’s focus is not to score high grades, but teaching students how to be good people.
“How can I help you learn to treat you neighbors with more respect today than we did yesterday; How can I go out of my way to nice things for people,” said Edge.
This is something the faculty not only teaches, but practices.
“What you would find at MBI (Myrtle Beach Intermediate) is that if a child was stressed or needed something in the hallway every adult goes to them to try and help them,” said Deb Colliver.
Deb Colliver is in her third year as principal at Myrtle Beach Intermediate.
However, in her 31 years as an Horry County educator she’s won the Blue Ribbon Award at the two other school’s she has worked.
Colliver says when the students feel respected, they want to work for you and in turn the grades will follow.
Edge tells me what comes next is to continue to do what the faculty has done for years.
“It’s not necessarily building off of last year, because you also just sent off 350 students but you’re also paying it forward to the middle school now, but that you’re starting again you have to go in with the same rigor and the same attitude for new kids,” she said.
The state nominates schools for the award.
In total five, South Carolina Schools won this time.
There are only 355 winners across the entire country.
