Three Sunnyvale elementary schools—Cumberland, Fairwood and Vargas—have been named as California Distinguished Schools in 2004. And on May 21, six representatives from each school and Sunnyvale School District Superintendent Dr. Joe Rudnicki attended the statewide awards ceremony in Anaheim.

"The elation is still sinking in," says Annette Grasty, principal at Fairwood. "This is a huge accomplishment."

The Distinguished School honor is awarded by the California Department of Education to schools that meet a number of criteria. The award winners were notified in October that their academic performances and test scores had qualified them for the next round, which required a lengthy, time-intensive application to be completed by December.

Small committees then toured each school site in March to match their observations with what was entered on the application. The schools that survived the process received word on April 21. The Department of Education awards schools not just on academics, but for advancements in innovation and community as well.

For the Sunnyvale schools, strong communities seem to be the unifying factor.

"This is our seventh year, so we're a fairly new school," Grasty says. "When we first started, the staff was young, but they've matured now. All the components have finally gelled."

Fairwood encompasses a unique community—declining enrollments caused the campus' closure 22 years ago, but the blossoming population north of Highway 101 prompted a reopening in 1996. The school, whose curriculum and programs took time to rebuild, enrolls students whose parents attended the school before its closure.

"We're small enough to know all of our families, and we're just starting to see our second round of students come in," Grasty says.

Those students can take advantage of Fairwood's status as a Project H.E.L.P. "Academic Safety-Net" School. Students that need extra help in the classroom start their school year in the summer, and parents are required to meet with teachers every week. Upon the start of the traditional school year in September, those students remain with the same teacher to provide continuity, and they attend additional tutoring sessions after school.

"People don't want to drive to this side of Sunnyvale, but our community is so behind us," Grasty says. "It's a cliché, but our diversity is our strength."

A large Hispanic population characterizes Vargas Elementary School, but it's another kind of diversity that has strengthened the community there. Vargas is home to a group of orthopedically impaired students. "We have kids with physical disabilities mainstreamed into the regular classroom, but the student body learns and becomes able to accept the differences," says Dr. Ana Bonilla, Vargas' principal.

Vargas also benefits from volunteerism on all levels. Their active student council spearheads a recycling program and walks kindergartners and first graders to their classrooms. And a school staff member donates the time to teach music to students before school—including violins to fourth graders and flutes to third.

Two of the slots on Vargas' team heading to Anaheim are specially reserved. "They're going to two of our parents who helped write the application," Bonilla says.

Parent involvement is also a huge element at the third honored school, Cumberland. Principal Fran Johnson says that the school only holds one fundraiser a year—a huge walkathon in October that raises $50,000 to $60,000 and fully funds the school's music program. "Normally, you might have 25 parents working on something like this, but we have about 300," Johnson says.

Cumberland keeps its parents involved with events like an upcoming Klutz Bookmaking Family Participation Night. Parents and students will receive blank spiral-bound books to write their own story and illustrate it however they see fit. The campus has also received grants from local businesses. "It doesn't happen unless we all lead at different times," Johnson says. "You oftentimes read about how good a community is, but you have to truly experience our community to understand that."

The communities at each of the schools are still brimming with excitement over the Distinguished School honor. Only a small number of representatives can attend the ceremony, however. So why all the fervor over an honor announced in April?

"The painters just came and painted the 'Distinguished School' symbol on the exterior," Johnson explains. "It's right out front."