Fourteen months ago, when the new principal of the Jewish Day School, Yossi Kastan, began, he, the faculty and board of directors decided to re-energize the school and move it toward becoming one of the Blue Ribbon Beacon Schools of Distinction. It follows the same standards as all public schools in the area and all over the nation.

The Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence program is a comprehensive school self-assessment that is a way to develop a plan of action to recognize schools that excel in nine critical areas.

After assessing the school, it is classified into one of four levels of distinction: Aspiring School, Points of Light School, Beacon School or the Lighthouse School.

The Jewish Day School began as an Aspiring School. The faculty, board and principals met and planned an attack.

What they wanted to achieve was to move toward a future of academic distinction. Many positive changes were made.

They participated in a comprehensive school self-assessment that was validated by a rigorous on-site evaluation.

At a recent state of the school address given to parents and faculty, faculty member Jean Schneider, who attended the annual Blueprint for Excellence National Conference in Orlando, Fla. last December, announced the Jewish Day School received the Blue Ribbon Beacon School Award.

In only a year and two months, the Jewish Day School achieved the Blue Ribbon Beacon Award by making significant progress in eight key areas of development.

The first was to strengthen technology integration through use of iPads and Apple TV in grades one, and five through eight, and Smart Boards and Mac laptop carts for grades two through four.

The school has invested in additional student support services through a new school counselor, a reading specialist and resource staff.

Opportunities for co-curricular and leadership opportunities were increased through an on-line student newspaper and after-school activities.

In the admissions and retention area, the Jewish Day School was showcased to prospective families through events such as parlor meetings and an open house.

School administration created safety training opportunities for faculty and staff and they established a successful partnership with the Community Music School to provide instrumental lessons to dozens of students.

Before the announcement at the state of the school address, tours of the school were given by Director of Marketing and Communications Heather Mill.

Founded in 1954, the school is entering its sixth decade of serving the Lehigh Valley as a community school dedicated to a holistic approach to education.

Half a day is devoted to Jewish education; the other half to secular education.

After the State of the School Address and the award presentation, teachers were available to speak to parents.

The next school projects will be to remodel and refurbish the front offices, the library and media center and the multi-purpose room. A new and improved website will be launched this spring.

All are working toward maintaining financial sustainability of the school.