Blue Ribbon Drive

In October, United States Secretary of Education Betsy Devos named 49 private schools nationwide 2018 National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. Of the 49 schools, nine are in Pennsylvania and four are located in Bucks County.

Within a 30 miles radius, all four schools that earned the award from the U.S. Department of Education are Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Doylestown, St. Katharine Drexel in Holland, St. Joseph/St. Roberts in Warrington, and St. Jude in Chalfont were recipients of the 2018 National Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Education. Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is a two-time recipient of this award.

Each school strives to uphold a rigorous academic standard to provide students with the critical skills needed to understand the diverse subjects they encounter throughout their studies while fostering a Christ-like spirit of compassion, humility, and charity. The schools challenge students to listen, share, and work together for the betterment of the community. For this reason, the schools decided something more needed to be done.

Upon receiving the award in November, the schools hosted celebrations including school and parish Masses of Thanksgiving, Blue Ribbon T-shirts, and school wide spirit days and parades. As important as it is to celebrate, it is equally important to give back so the directors of advancement met and planned a united school service project to benefit The New Britain Food Larder in New Britain.

Have Heart, a weeklong donation drive, was planned during the week of Valentine’s Day. Faculty, students and families were encouraged to donate blue labeled food and toiletry items during the week. Class representatives from each school delivered the food to the food pantry on Feb. 25. More than 3,500 items were collected between the four schools. The New Britain Food Larder weighed everything and the total weight donated was 2,016 pounds.