For the second time within two decades Parkside Elementary School was named a National Blue Ribbon School, marking it as one of the best schools in the nation. 

“It's just really exciting. It's a bit of validation for the staff and the students for that hard work,” Principal Jason Hillman said. “I mean, we know that we're working hard, and we know that our kids are achieving at a high level, but to have such a prestigious award as this it is really a special thing for the staff and the students to be recognized for their hard work.”

Parkside is one of 356 schools recognized in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Education for excelling in academic performance or closing gaps in achievement amongst student groups, a release from the Wyoming Department of Education said. 

Parkside was chosen for its academic performance and it isn’t the only school in Wyoming to earn the prestigious Blue Ribbon this year — it was named alongside Thermopolis Middle School and Sagebrush Elementary School in Sheridan. 

Coincidentally, another Sheridan school, Meadowlark Elementary School, was also honored 12 years ago when Parkside Elementary earned its first Blue Ribbon. 

That year Parkside Elementary qualified for a nomination under exemplary improvement. But, the hardworking students' scores on proficiency assessments shone through and earned it an exemplary high-performance school nomination.

“(That) makes the honor that our staff and kids received even greater,” then Principal Kenny Jones told the Tribune in a Sept. 18, 2012 story. “We’re truly a differentiated school; we meet the needs of kids, no matter what.”

In the present, Hillman often asks himself whether or not he would want his own child to come to Parkside Elementary. 

The answer is, “100% yes, we treat these kids like they’re our own kids,” Hillman said. 

He also mentioned the great support from families for students and teachers. 

Parkside Elementary joins Southside Elementary School as the two schools in Park County School District 1 to be able to boast two Blue Ribbon awards. Westside Elementary School and Powell Middle School have also won the honor.

During the year-long application process a nominated school must go through a lot of data to be provided and questions to be answered. Members of the school worked together to tell the school’s story, Hillman said. 

So what is Parkside’s story?

The school’s focus is on being the kindest school in the state, as well as the highest performing in the state, he said, and students believe in this too.

“So our story is we have a bunch of hard working kids that are kind. We have great parents that support the school, and we have a very dedicated staff that love our kids, and we work really hard to help get them where they need to be,” Hillman said.