Rochester School Principal to Receive Prestigious National Award

Get our free mobile app

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The principal of the Lincoln K-8 Choice School in Rochester will be traveling to Washington DC in a few weeks to receive a prestigious national honor.

James Sonju is among the nine recipients this year of the Terrel H. Bell Award For Outstanding School Leadership. All of the recipients are leaders of schools that were designated this year as National Blue Ribbon Schools by the US Department of Education.

Sonju has 30 years of experience as an educator and has served as principal at Lincoln K-8 for about half of his career in education. According to an Education Department news release, Sonju and the school staff created a STEM focus that includes a partnership with the Mayo Clinic.

Lincoln K-8 was among the 8 eight Minnesota schools to receive the National Blue Ribbon Schools designation this year. According to the Education Department, the recognition is based on a school's "overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups."

Lincoln K-8 Choice School and its principal will be presented with the awards at the National Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony on November 3.