Rockfield Elementary named Blue Ribbon finalist

Germantown - For the second time in three years, a Germantown school has been selected as Blue Ribbon finalist, and three principals will have helmed Blue Ribbon nominees, solidifying Germantown's place among the elite school districts in the state.

Rockfield Elementary, with incredibly high performance levels, is one of the eight nominated schools as chosen by the Department of Public Instruction.

First-year Principal Lynn Bub is quick to credit her predecessor Paul Bingen - now retired - for the work that made Rockfield a top-flight performer.

Every year, state education officials across the country select eight schools to be Blue Ribbon nominees with criteria based on state test scores in reading and math. That means Rockfield is considered one of the best 500 schools in the country for 2012.

DPI breaks down nominees in two categories, high-improvement where school test scores rise considerably over time, and high-achievement, where students show wide-spread success on the WKCE.

Rockfield falls into the latter category with students 100 percent proficiency in nearly every category on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam.

"Our staff spends a lot of time discussing our instructional practices and learning from each other," Bub said. "I think that just being cognizant of the fact that when you strive for excellence, you're never finished."

Building foundation early

Bub admits that Rockfield benefits from being the smallest of the elementary schools in Germantown, with just two sections in most grades. She said having the Early Learning Center in the same building also builds a culture from a young age.

"Rockfield is very fortunate because it's a little bit smaller than the other elementary (schools) and I think that has fostered a very close-knit atmosphere with our parents and just our community in general."

The Blue Ribbon award is nothing new for Germantown. County Line Elementary won in 2009 and the new principal at Amy Belle, Maria Kucharski, was recruited from Magee Elementary in Kettle Moraine School District, a 2012 Blue Ribbon nominee as well.

"I don't know if you can put into words what that means, but it's pretty valuable. How do you put a price tag on that? How do you put a value on that?" Bub said.

"That's an amazing honor, accomplishment in service we provide to students."