(September 9, 2008) -- Five Minnesota schools are among 320 in the country named as 2008 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said today. Among those schools are: Plymouth Creek Elementary School (Dr. Karla Thompson, principal) in Plymouth; Shirley Hills Primary School (Ann Swanson, principal) in Mound.

The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Department of Education and is given to schools that challenge students to perform at high academic levels and make significant progress in closing the achievement gap between highest- and lowest-performing students.