Saints Philip and James Parish School in Exton to Celebrate Designation as a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School with Pep Rally
Special guest appearance by the Phillie Phanatic and video message from
Matt Ryan, SSPJ Class of ‘99 and 2016 NFL MVP.
Saints Philip and James Parish School (SSPJ) in Exton (Chester County) will celebrate its designation as a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School with a pep rally featuring the Phillie Phanatic and a special video message from 2016 NFL Most Valuable Player Matt Ryan, an alumnus of SSPJ.
Friday, December 1, 2023
11:00 – 11:30 a.m. Pep Rally – Gymnasium
Saints Philip and James Parish School
721 East Lincoln Highway
Exton, PA 19341 (Chester County)
All 178 SSPJ students will participate while wearing specially made blue t-shirts to commemorate the award.
Additional participants include Most Reverend Michael J. Fitzgerald, retired Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia who oversaw the ministry of Catholic education; Reverend Joseph C. Dieckhaus, Pastor of Saints Philip and James Church; Sister Teresa Ballisty, I.H.M., Principal of Saints Philip and James Parish School; Andrew McLaughlin, Ed.D., Secretary for Elementary Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; and Bernadette Dougherty, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The event will culminate in the raising of a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School banner to the gymnasium rafters.
In addition, Sister Teresa Ballisty, I.H.M., Principal of Saints Philip and James Parish School, was named a recipient of the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership for 2023 by the United States Secretary of Education, Miguel A. Cardona. Sister Teresa is one of nine school leaders from the 2023 cohort of National Blue Ribbon Schools who was honored with the award.
SSPJ is one of just three parochial elementary schools in the Archdiocese to be named a Blue Ribbon School and one of 13 in Pennsylvania. Nationwide, 353 schools were named to the 2023 Blue Ribbon Cohort.
For information about Archdiocesan parish and regional elementary schools who have been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, please visit
aopcatholicschools.org/elementary/blue-ribbon-schools.
Background Information on Saints Philip and James Parish School
Saints Philip and James Parish School provides a quality Catholic education for students in preschool (3 and 4 year olds) through grade 8. The school combines the best of current teaching strategies and technology with traditional Catholic values in a warm and caring atmosphere. Saints Philip and James, has been educating students since 1960 and has a history of challenging academics enhanced by the latest technology, a fine arts program, Spanish, Honors Math, a spacious gym, a STREAM lab, and a state-of-the-art science lab.
In addition to being recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 1989-1990 and 2023, the school has been recognized as one of the Archdiocesan Schools of Distinguished Instruction for 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. This award is in recognition for growth and exceeding potential based on students’ Terra Nova Standardized Testing scores. For additional information about Saints Philip and James Parish School, please visit school.sspj.net/.
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Editor’s Note: For additional information about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit aopcatholicschools.org/.
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
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Meredith Wilson
Media and Events Specialist
215-587-3747