Monty Upper Middle School Earns a Blue Ribbon

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted October 2, 2024

The U.S. Department of Education announced on September 23 that Montgomery Upper Middle School (MUMS) has been selected as a National Blue Ribbon School. The Blue Ribbon designation is considered one of the highest education honors in the nation.

Montgomery Upper Middle School students embrace the power of resilience.

The Upper Middle School in Skillman received the news of the honor shortly after one of its teachers, Stefanie Lachenauer, was named New Jersey’s new Teacher of the Year.

Blue Ribbon schools are chosen for having strong leaders, high standards, and using effective teaching methods based on data, federal officials said. The schools also offer strong teacher training, make sure every student succeeds, and collaborate with the family and community.

A group of parents recently described Montgomery Upper Middle School (MUMS) as “academic excellence with a soul,” writes MUMS Principal Raquel Rivera. “This feedback and the words chosen to represent these families’ experiences capture the essence of our mission and prove that we are successful in accomplishing it,” she wrote in her nomination form.

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“The staff at MUMS is intentional about maintaining a dual focus on academic achievement and all our students’ social and emotional development. They are experts in their content areas and in the developmental stages our adolescent students navigate.”

Student Demographics

• Asian: 55%

• White: 33%

• Hispanic: 6%

• Two or more races: 3%

• African American: 2%

• Native American: 1%

The federally funded National Blue Ribbon Schools Program celebrates school excellence, turnaround stories, and closing student achievement gaps. Each year, the NJ Department of Education nominates public schools that meet “Academic Excellence with a soul,” — Principal Raquel Rivera the eligibility requirements provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Nominated schools are then invited to apply by the U.S. Department of Education.

From Principal Rivera’s Nomination Form:

The families that reside in Montgomery Township and Rocky Hill are a combination of generational families who have contributed to our rich history and many first-generation families who moved in during the townships’ residential building boom. What ties them all together is their pride in our schools. They value the annual school performance accomplishments, the award-winning visual and performing arts programs, the success of our athletic teams, and the college and career readiness of our graduates. Our interdisciplinary teacher teams use a strategy referred to as relationship mapping to ensure every student has an adult in our school that they know and trust. The success of our school is not solely measured by academic achievement but also by the positive and nurturing environment it fosters for all stakeholders. This is how we define “academic excellence with a soul.”