“Upon entering Clear Lake Elementary School in Oxford, Michigan, visitors are welcomed by displays of student work, a friendly, open office space, and bright, clean hallways. A tile mosaic created by staff and students adorns the hallway, giving visitors their first impression of a school committed to the idea of pieces fitting together and the inclusion of all. A walk down the hallway reveals another mosaic depicting the activities of school children. In the classrooms, the demeanor of the teachers and the concentration and enthusiasm apparent on students’ faces reflect the school’s commitment to our mission, namely, to instill ‘Competence, Confidence and Character’ in all students.”
? An excerpt from Clear Lake’s 52-page application for Blue Ribbon status

Clear Lake Elementary last week became the first Oxford school in district history to be designated as a Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School by the state Board of Education.
“Obviously, we’re very, very excited and very, very proud,” said Clear Lake Principal James Schwarz. “This gives us validation that we are achieving and providing the best possible education for our students with the resources available. It’s a misnomer that only the districts with the most money have the finest schools. This proves that’s not always the case.”
Clear Lake was one of 11 elementary schools statewide and five elementary schools in Oakland County to win the coveted honor for 2002-03.
Since it’s inception in 1982, the Michigan Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Exemplary Schools Program has recognized more than 350 of the state’s most successful schools.
“The schools that we are honoring today exemplify educational excellence,” stated State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus in a Jan. 23 press release. “This program identifies and recognizes outstanding public schools across the state that provide students a world-class education.”
Schwarz said the Blue Ribbon is a “testament to the education and pride of the students, the support and involvement of the parents and the commitment of the staff.”
“I can’t say enough about the people who brought this to fruition,” he said.
Built in 1959, Clear Lake is home to 519 kindergarten through fifth-grade students and 44 staff members, all of whom are supported by an army of concerned parents who regularly serve as volunteers in the classroom, trained tutors in various learning programs and provide financial, physical and moral support through the Parent Teacher Organization.
Parent-Teacher Conferences at Clear Lake are regularly attended by an impressive 97 percent of the parents.
A 52-page nomination application for the state award was prepared last year by the principal and a “core group” of six Clear Lake teachers including Jean Swartzmiller, Susan Teague, Liz Nowakowski, Michele Pinelli, Suzanne Rosevelt and Peggy Mueller.
“It felt like all our hard work paid off,” said Rosevelt of winning the Blue Ribbon award. “I knew we really deserved it and I’m glad (the state) agreed.”
Prior to Oxford, Rosevelt said she taught at a nationally-recognized Blue Ribbon school in Houston, Texas and based on her experiences there and here, Clear Lake is “just as good if not better.”
“It’s very gratifying to be recognized for the job we do here,” Swartzmiller said. “We have talented and dedicated teachers and support staff. The principal is the best. Clear Lake parents work tirelessly to make the school special. All of these pieces have to be in place to be successful in the rigorous Blue Ribbon process.”
“It validated what we already felt. We knew we were an excellent school and a Blue Ribbon school. But it’s nice to be validated,” Teague said.
Schwarz said the information collected and presented in the application “provides intense introspection into every facet of what (the school does) on a daily basis.”
The application includes numerous questions divided into eight categories designed to gauge school quality. The categories are Student Focus and Support; School Organization and Culture; Challenging Standards and Curriculum; Active Teaching and Learning; Professional Community; Leadership and Educational Vitality; School, Family and Community Partnerships and Indicators of (Academic) Success.
“(The application) is a true testament to what happens here on a daily basis,” Schwarz said. “It’s a living document. It comes to life when you walk through (the school’s) doors.”
Teague called the application process a “great means of reflection” for teachers to “examine what we do everyday” and “help us make improvements” and “expand our successes.”
For the next step of the award process, the application was sent to a Blue Ribbon Review Panel in Lansing that scored Clear Lake’s answers and determined the school was qualified to be visited by a three-member team, comprised of school officials from previous Blue Ribbon schools.
This visitation team toured and observed all 25 classrooms at Clear Lake and interviewed school and district administrators, support staff, teachers, parents, students and volunteers to see “how well the content (of the application) matched the reality,” Schwarz said.
“They basically do an audit of the application,” he said.
A report was then written by the visiting team, which Clear Lake used to revise its application and send it back to Lansing to another committee for the final review. That committee re-scored the application and determined Clear Lake was a Blue Ribbon school.
Schwarz said Clear Lake will be awarded a plaque in early March by representatives from the Governor’s office and state Board of Education and Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins.