Soon, students and community members entering Mars Area High School will be greeted by a blue banner that is a “widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.”

The awarding of that banner, denoting Mars as a U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School, was announced last week. The Department of Education indicates those schools winning the award are operating at the highest level of student achievement and performance.

Since 1982, more than 9,000 schools across the nation have earned the award. A check of that list shows just five other Butler County schools have earned the award in those 37 years.

While the award itself is certainly something of which to be proud, it’s what the award represents that should be the focus.

The quality of education in the Mars Area School District is superb by every level of comparison. Students routinely perform well in nearly every metric, and many find themselves well prepared for life after the classroom. The nomination from the state’s Department of Education was made due to the district’s student achievement numbers.

We hope this award and what it represents stays at the forefront of the minds of district parents and leaders in the future.

District teachers and administrators are tasked with looking out for the best interest of all students, and awards such as the Blue Ribbon confirm that. The students are clearly responding well.

As Superintendent Wesley Shipley was quick to note, teachers and students are most responsible for the award, as it is directly tied to instruction and learning.

There is also something to be said for the level of engagement that has taken place during school board meetings and other community forums in recent years. Although the motives may not always be pure, nor the forum the best way to approach certain situations, it shows that parents care and will do what they can to ensure their children are receiving the best education possible.

Certainly, some students will find themselves in situations in which they are not performing well, by no fault of their own. It’s an unfortunate occurrence in school districts nationwide, and can be a cause of frustration for parents that their child is seemingly falling behind their classmates.

We hope, however, that this award gives parents peace of mind that the Mars Area School District is doing all that it can to meet the needs of all students.

As Shipley put it, the award brings with it a new standard to meet for district schools, and it will take all involved to make sure that goal is met.