LONDONDERRY — Londonderry High School Principal James Elefante is leaving the best high school in New Hampshire.
During his final pep rally yesterday, Elefante delivered the news to the students and staff: Londonderry High was named New Hampshire's 2008 High School of Excellence.
His four years as principal at Londonderry High were the best years of his life, Elefante told 1,800 cheering students.
"Remember what you have here at Londonderry High," said Elefante, who is retiring in June. "You have the best teachers, the best staff, best students, best parents."
The pep rally was a last hurrah for the principal, as well as the athletic director and football coach. They are leaving on a high note.
The EDie award, as it's called, means Londonderry High is the No. 1 high school in New Hampshire, according to Mark Jette, principal of Merrimack Valley High School.
Jette credited the school spirit students showed at the pep rally as one reason Londonderry won. The award is given by the Excellence in Education Initiative, a nonprofit group. Jette led the panel that selected Londonderry. He said the experts looked at a lot of criteria, including student achievement and school climate.
"You guys are awesome with these pep rallies," he told the crowd. "You really rock."
Jette said the award was a secret until yesterday to everyone but Elefante and a close circle of administrators.
"Well, it's pretty nice," Assistant Principal Arthur Psaledas said.
He said the award was like a pat on the back.
"It reaffirms we're going in the right direction," he said. "We're meeting the needs of the children, and it's a great honor. When you finally win that award, you step back and say, 'Wow.'"
This is the first time a Londonderry school has won the award, although Londonderry educators have won an EDie before, Psaledas said. Previously, Elefante was named Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal Jason Parent was named Assistant Principal of the Year.
School Superintendent Nate Greenberg said Londonderry can boast about many awards, but this is a special prize.
"We're absolutely thrilled," he said. "We feel it speaks extremely well for the community and the support for education."
Elefante said he wanted to make it clear that all Londonderry schools had a piece of the EDie.
"When you come to Londonderry schools, you see we are just like a family. You see the spirit of our students and the dedication of our faculty," he said. "We don't hide it. You see it. It's very obvious."
