Two Bladen County schools are celebrating this week.

Dublin Primary School and Bladen Lakes Elementary School have been designated "Schools of Distinction" for their academic progress.

Under the state's Dept. of Public Instruction guidelines, a School of Distinction is one with 80 percent or above of all students reading and performing math problems at grade level or above. The ratings are based on test scores in those areas.

Deborah Hester is media coordinator at Dublin Primary. The school's success is the result of teamwork on everyone's part, she said.

"Six years ago," she said, "our test scores were in the upper fifties. We decided something needed to be done about that."

The teachers and staff decided that they needed to improve the school's record, Hester said. Even teachers whose grades were not tested under the ABC program decided to play an active part in the effort.

A year after the low grade, Hester said, reading and math scores were improving. They steadily improved for five years, breaking the 80 percentile mark this year.

Principal Mac Porter played a large role in that transformation, Hester said.

"He's always been there, encouraging, building everyone up, inspiring us, student and teacher a like," she said. "He never misses a chance to remind us that everyone is here to learn, and that we should all do our best."

Porter also goes out of his way to help his teachers, Hester said.

"If a teacher really needs something that can help the students," she said, "he will almost always find a way to come up with it from somewhere, whether it's special supplies or learning aids."

Community support, especially in the form of parental volunteers, has made a major difference as well, Hester said.

"Without our parental and community support," she said, "We couldn't have come this far."

It was the school's first time reaching the level of School of Distinction.

At Bladen Lakes, Principal Roland McKoy said he was proud of his teachers, parents and students for their continued improvement.

The school has held the School of Distinction title before, and met expected growth during the last ratings period.

This time, 8l.5 percent of the students in grades 3-5 were able to perform above their grade level in reading and math.

"We don't like to boast too much," McKoy said. "It was just a lot of hard work on everybody's part, and help from the good Lord."

Bladen County Schools Superintendent Byron Lawson said the awards "speak well of the accomplishments of these two schools."

"To be a School of Distinction, and to show a year's growth on top of that, is absolutely outstanding," Lawson said. "We very, very proud of our teachers, students, parents and staff."

Lawson said it was no surprise both schools credited intensive, active parental involvement in their successes.

"We have the kids for six, maybe seven hours day," Lawson said. "Mom and dad have them the rest of the time. There has to be positive encouragement at home as well as in the classroom."

School of Distinction banners will be hung at both schools by week's end.

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