Field ES and Project Chrysalis MS recognized for closing achievement gaps

Field Elementary School and Project Chrysalis Middle School have been designated 2019 Blue Ribbon campuses by the U.S. Department of Education.

This is the second time Project Chrysalis Middle School has received the prestigious designation, which is awarded to schools that maintain high academic standards among all its students, while demonstrating progress in closing achievement gaps among various subgroups of students.

“I congratulate our National Blue Ribbon Schools, which are outstanding examples of our mission in HISD,” HISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan said. “Our teachers, administrators and parents work diligently to provide academic, social, and emotional supports that allow our students to excel despite challenges they may face.” 

Blue Ribbon schools are required to complete a rigorous process of submitting achievement data and essays about their instructional methods to the Department of Education.

“We are grateful and excited to win this honor for a second time,” Project Chrysalis School Support Officer Jose Covarrubia said. “Any school can be successful, and any student can be successful, given the right backing and resources.”

Before becoming school support officer, Covarrubia had been the principal at Project Chrysalis for two decades. His longtime assistant principal Lisa Rodriguez succeeded him.

“We want to establish a tradition of receiving Blue Ribbon honors,” Rodriguez said, “And by maintaining our objective of holding to a rigorous academic standard, our students and staff are more than capable of achieving that.”

The school was designed to be small, serving students in Houston’s East End who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Current enrollment is about 210 students who attend classes on the Cage Elementary School campus.

Project Chrysalis has been named one of the best public schools in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine.

Blue Ribbon winner Field Elementary School serves students in grades pre-K through fifth in Houston’s Historic Heights. Its academic programs focus on implementing early intervention strategies for all students, whether they are in Gifted and Talented or Special Education programs.

“Our campus could not have earned this distinction without the support of the district, our staff and the community,” Field Elementary Principal John Hendrickson said. “Receiving this award exemplifies our belief that if you give students proper opportunities to succeed, they will achieve great things.”

Field Elementary and Project Chrysalis will be honored during an awards ceremony Nov. 14-15 in Washington D.C.

For more information about Field Elementary School, visit:  https://www.houstonisd.org/Domain/17374

For more information about Project Chrysalis Middle School, visit: https://www.houstonisd.org/Page/72329