On Thursday, the Perry School District had a very special guest visit them.

US Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona came to Bluejay Nation after the elementary school was named a National Blue Ribbon School this past September. Perry Elementary was one of five schools in Iowa to receive this designation because of its high performance as measured by assessments. Pre-k through fifth grade spelled out “Perry” on the high school football field to welcome Secretary Cardona. He toured various classrooms before holding a roundtable discussion in the elementary library.

Before the roundtable began, Secretary Cardona took a moment to acknowledge what he saw that propelled the school into being named a National Blue Ribbon designee.

“You could feel that there’s a sense of family here, a sense of community. You could have all the best strategies you want but if you don’t have a culture of belonging and students feeling welcomed and seen here and the staff feeling supported, you’re not going to see that. And it’s no surprise to me that Perry (Elementary) is a Blue Ribbon School that’s quite an accomplishment, that’s a big task, so congratulations to the whole school community.” 

During the roundtable, there were several paraeducators that spoke about their experiences with the pilot program that provides funding for individuals to become paraeducators, which would lead to a career in teaching. Secretary Cardona added that only 29 states are participating in the program but thought it was successful at the Perry School District. Cardona also visited with students and staff at the Perry campus of Des Moines Area Community College later in the day.