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Paul Covey, principal of Valle Verde Early College High School (VVECHS) in the Ysleta Independent School District (YISD), has won the coveted 2017 Terrel H. Bell Award for serving as an outstanding school leader and playing a vital role in guiding students and schools to excellence, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Wednesday.

Covey, who has led the 400-student VVECHS since 2009, was one of only eight principals in the nation – and the only principal in the state of Texas – to win this year’s Bell Award.

It is named in honor of the second U.S. Secretary of Education, who held education as his highest priority and trusted that all students would find it as their personal key to success, just as he had.

Bell Award winners are chosen every year from among the principals whose campuses are designated as National Blue Ribbon Schools. The principals nominated for this award are committed to fostering successful teaching and learning at their schools and doing whatever it takes to help their students meet high standards, officials said.

“It’s a privilege to honor this year’s Bell awardees and to recognize them for their achievement,” DeVos said. “Through their work, these principals show that when effective leadership is coupled with high expectations, we can expect great results for all of our nation’s students.”

Covey and the other seven Bell Award winners are dedicated to education as both a powerful and liberating force in people’s lives, officials said. They will be honored during the National Blue Ribbon Schools awards ceremony on Nov. 6 in Washington, D.C.

VVECHS was the 11th YISD school to become a National Blue Ribbon School.

At VVECHS, students commit to a rigorous, four-year curriculum in order to graduate with a high-school diploma and an associate’s degree from El Paso Community College.

About 93 percent of its graduates go on to attend four-year colleges and universities.

Under Covey’s leadership, the school has been recognized multiple times as an Apple Distinguished School, a Texas Early College High School Demonstration School, and was listed in 2016 as the top-ranked public high school in the El Paso region by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek.

A brief summary of Covey’s work at VVECHS is available online.

Valle Verde Early College High School (VVECHS) is among 11 campuses in Texas – and the only public high school in West Texas – to earn the prestigious Apple Distinguished School designation through 2019 for continuous innovation in learning, teaching, and the school environment.

This is the third consecutive time that VVECHS has won this designation from Apple, a company known worldwide for its popular and innovative products.

This year, only 400 schools in 26 countries earned this designation for serving as centers of leadership and educational excellence that demonstrate Apple’s vision for learning with technology.

Apple officials say its Distinguished Schools program highlights school leaders, faculty, and the extended community for having a clear vision that articulates how their technology-rich environment supports their goals for learning.

School leaders have established elements for continuous innovation to support their school’s vision, including culture, team, capacity, community, finance, and measurement.

VVECHS – and other Apple Distinguished Schools – understand that continuous innovation is an ongoing process that requires thoughtful planning, practice, and iteration along the way, officials said. They use Apple products to inspire student creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking.

This designation is the latest in a series of notable achievements for the 400-student VVECHS, which was also named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School in late September.

It has also been recognized as a Texas Early College High School Demonstration School, and was listed in 2016 as the top-ranked public high school in the El Paso region by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek.

In order to attend VVECHS, students must commit to a rigorous, four-year curriculum in order to graduate with a high-school diploma and an associate’s degree from El Paso Community College.

Through the Apple Distinguished Schools program, VVECHS will not only receive a customized plaque and banner, but support through leadership events, opportunities to engage with experts, and collaboration with peers who share an interest in sustaining an innovative learning and teaching environment.

Ysleta ISD’s Valle Verde Early College High School (VVECHS) was honored Thursday morning by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School

Students and staff from VVECHS, as well as Superintendent of Schools Dr. Xavier De La Torre, were gathered in the Ysleta ISD Central Office Theater watching a livestream feed from the U.S. Department of Education, announcing that the school had been named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School.

Upon the announcement, all began cheering and celebrating the national honor.

In January, VVECHS was among only 26 schools in Texas – and three in El Paso – to be nominated for the National Blue Ribbon Schools program. The school then completed a rigorous application process through the U.S. Department of Education.

VVECHS is the 11th YISD school to become a National Blue Ribbon School.

In recent years, the 400-student VVECHS has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School, a Texas Early College High School Demonstration School, and was listed in 2016 as the top-ranked public high school in the El Paso region by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek.

WATCH: VVECHS Video 2017