Lu Sutton, San Ramon Bask in 'Distinguished School' Light

First-year Novato school principals Bonnie Barron and Andy Cline got a special kick out of announcing the major awards their elementary schools received last week from the state Department of Education.

Barron revealed the coveted Distinguished School status during's open house event when the campus was packed with kids and parents.

"I was in the office making the announcement, and I could hear the applause from there, which was really cool," Barron said. "It was my first open house at Lu Sutton, and we had an amazing turnout. It was nice to be able to tell them such great news."

Cline made the same announcement at during community time and got a great reaction as well. It was the third time since the Distinguished Schools program was established in 1986 that San Ramon had received the honor.

"Both of us more or less inherited great schools and we've had the chance to carry the torch for the past year," he said. "The news was very well-timed."

The principals received word March 29 about the honor from the office of state schools chief Tom Torlakson along with 385 other elementary schools in California. The honors go to schools credited with innovative education programs that encourage students to learn and help close the achievement gap, according to a Department of Education release.

"The schools we are recognizing demonstrate the incredible commitment of California's teachers, administrators, and school employees to provide a world-class education to every student in spite of the financial hardships facing our state and our schools," Torlakson said in the release. "Their dedication is inspiring, and I applaud and admire their passion and persistence."

The application process consists of a comprehensive description of two of the school's signature practices plus a county-led site validation review process that gauges the implementation of those practices.

At Lu Sutton, the practices were engaging all families in the school community and the emphasis on literacy clubs. At San Ramon, it was community building and staff collaboration.

Both principals said their staffs did a great job showing examples of those practices to the site validation teams in January, and now it's paying off with all the positive publicity.

"Probably the best part is recognition for the teachers because they work so hard and often don't get recognized," Barron said. "With what our district is going through right now, the changing of school boundaries and families looking at different schools, it's just really important for us to receive this honor. We can tell our prospective families what a wonderful school we have, but it's wonderful to get validation from an outside source."

Torlakson's office will present the two schools with plaques and flags. The state annually alternates its Distinguished Schools announcements between elementaries and middle/high schools.

Novato public schools that earned Distinguished School status in the new century include Rancho Elementary (2008), Lu Sutton (2008), Sinaloa Middle School (2007, 2003), San Jose Middle School (2003), Pleasant Valley Elementary (2002), Hill Middle School (2001) and San Ramon (2000).