The smallest River Pilots in school at Hannibal have achieved something big — they earned recognition from the Ohio Department of Education.

River Elementary School recently received a School Performance Award from the ODE. The honor was awarded for progress made during the 2018-19 school year.

According to Principal Eric James, the recognition is for “high progress” on tests mandated by the department.

“It’s great,” James said. “We’re one of 71 other schools in Ohio, and to my knowledge there are over 3,000 in the state. It’s a pretty big deal. We’re excited. I think the district is excited about it as well.”

In order for River Elementary to be eligible for the award, it had to be a Title I school, which means a high percentage of its students come from low-income families.

Other factors that made the school eligible included that its third through eighth grades were math and English Language Arts proficient over a five-year period and that it received an A or B on the state report card. River Elementary received a B. James said that was due to one deficiency in the area of positive behavior intervention support. He expects the school to receive an A for 2019-20.

The Department of Education stressed that River and other schools that received the award are meeting a broad range of students’ needs.

“Across the state, there is increased student exposure to poverty and social stressors,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria said. “These schools are succeeding in meeting the needs of the whole child, and helping students take full advantage of educational opportunities. Congratulations to the students, teachers and administrators at these schools for the impressive success we celebrate with these awards.”

Congratulations indeed. We commend James and the rest of the staff at River Elementary and their students. Keep up the good work!