Alamo’s Stone Valley Middle School earns Gold Ribbon award

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Stone Valley Middle School was named a California Gold Ribbon School last week, being recognized for its strides in implementing state education standards.

San Ramon Valley school district officials praised Stone Valley for earning the award, saying it reflected the Alamo school’s positive learning atmosphere, creative and talented staff and supportive school community.

Principal Jon Campopiano said he was “honored” state officials recognized his campus with a 2017 Gold Ribbon award.

“Our school is committed to ensuring that all students learn at high levels and the Gold Ribbon award highlights the work of our Response to Intervention program that provides additional time those that need it,” he said in a statement Friday.

“Stone Valley is comprised of a distinguished and talented teaching staff that provides a 21st-century learning environment where excellence occurs on a daily basis. We are pleased that the Stone Valley Community has been recognized and celebrated,” Campopiano added.

The Gold Ribbon awards — first introduced in 2013 — are presented to the most exemplary schools in California that have made strides in implementing the academic content and performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education, including California Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, California English Language Development Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.

The Miranda Avenue campus was the only SRVUSD school picked for this year’s award program recognizing middle and high schools across the state — but for good reason.

Every other SRVUSD middle school and all four comprehensive high schools received a 2015 Gold Ribbon award, meaning they were ineligible to win an award this year, according to the state program’s rules. The program will acknowledge elementary schools next year.

The award comes at a time of transition for Stone Valley, which is in the midst of construction on a $37.5 million renovation project.

The Measure D-funded project, currently estimated to be completed by spring 2018, involves replacing decades-old single-story classrooms with a new two-story classroom building, along with adding a new multipurpose room and creating a central quad area.

Stone Valley is set to receive its Gold Ribbon award during a regional ceremony in Santa Clara next month. In all, 275 middle and high schools in the state were named Gold Ribbon Schools this year.