Tropic Isles Elementary School has been chosen to receive a prestigious honor in the world of education. The school has been named the Governor’s Sustained Excellence Award winner. It is the first school in the history of the program to receive the Sustained Excellence Award.

“This is a great honor, recognizing all the hard work that everyone at Tropic Isles does every day to meet our students’ needs, said Principal Brandy Macchia.

To get this award, a Florida school has to first receive a Governor’s Sterling Award for excellence, which Tropic Isles first did in 2009. Then, officials have to prove they are maintaining standards of excellence, as developed through the educational Sterling Model.

In a world where education is constantly changing at both the state and national level, using the Sterling Model helps sustain organizational performance excellence, Macchia said.

The selection committee agreed after a lengthy evaluation process.

The application is a 35-page written application, then three examiners and one member of the Sterling Council comes on site, said Macchia. They are on site for three days, hosting interviews, reviewing documents and observing.

Tropic Isles Elementary is a Title I school with approximately 920 students in grades PreK-5, and dedicated to excellence in the classroom, said Lee County Schools officials.

In addition to the Sterling Model, the school has built on its use of the national Glasser Quality Model by expanding its network of volunteers, businesses, and community partners. With that support, it supports their motto, “Our kids are worth whatever it takes.”

The school has earned an A+ grade for the past eight years with results that place the school above the 80th percentile of state Title I schools. Tropic Isles Elementary has engaged 96 percent of parents in school events and 86 percent of students are in the Extended Day Program.

Tropic Isles Elementary will be honored at the 2012 Governor’s Sterling Award Banquet, scheduled for Friday, June 1, at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes.