CT PHOTO BY TONY TRIBBLE	CT PHOTO BY TONY TRIBBLE
Kindergartners at Cardinal Pacelli were eager to show their visitor some of the traits that earned the school its award.	At St. Ignatius School, principal Tim Reilly was surrounded by a sea of blue shirts celebrating the school’s Blue Ribbon status.

Federal official honors Cincinnati Blue Ribbon schools

ARCHDIOCESE — Todd Zoellick, U.S. Secretary of Education deputy regional representative, was a busy man on Oct. 3 as he visited the three Cincinnati-area Catholic schools who were honored for national achievement this year as 2008 Blue Ribbon Schools.

The three were among four in the archdiocese so honored out of 50 private schools nationally. Zoellick led celebrations with the student body at St. Dominic, St. Ignatius and Cardinal Pacelli schools, congratulating teachers, students and principals. At Cardinal Pacelli and St. Ignatius, he took part in all-school assemblies.

Zoellick is one of the top officials for the U.S. Department of Education’s Region V, which encompasses Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin and is headquartered in Chicago. He regularly visits communities throughout the region to meet educators, parents and students, learn firsthand about programs and issues and provide information about federal education policies and initiatives.

CT PHOTO BY TONY TRIBBLE

St. Dominic students posed for photos with Todd Zoellick as he visited their classroom.