(September 28, 2006) — Last Sunday, most Clark students heard the all too familiar voice of Principal Doug Dall on their answering machines congratulating students and faculty on their commendable achievements and announcing that there will be free dress and free cake the next day. What was the cause of this celebration? On Sept. 22, Clark was awarded the special status as a 2006 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School. There are two ways a school can qualify to be a Blue Ribbon School. “They can either have scores in the top 10 percent of achievement tests, or they must have 40 percent disadvantaged students that score 60 percent,” Dall said. Clark was one of only five schools in the nation to quality for both. “This is a great tribute to the teachers and students and everyone involved,” Dall said. Seniors were the first students to find out about this during the senior meeting, where Assistant Principal Joan Shoff announced the news to a cheering audience. Dall and one teacher will attend a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 9-10, where they will represent Clark and receive a plaque and a Blue Ribbon flag. Many students and teachers said they are proud of this notable achievement. “This is an amazing feat considering we’ve only been open for nine years,” Shoff said. “Everyone at this school is a volunteer,” Dall said, when asked what he thinks is the biggest contributing factor to Clark’s success. “All the students and teachers come here because they choose to.” The following Monday, ASB and faculty set up cake and drinks for the entire student body at lunch to celebrate. The cakes were decorated in red, white and blue American flags. “We were very pleased with how everything was working out,” said Shoff. According to Doll, despite the disappointment that followed when some students proceeded to throw cake and smear it in each other’s hair, it was still a great event. “There’s always a small group of students that don’t appreciate what people try to do, but I had a lot more people come up to me to say thank you.”