GARY | Banneker Elementary School parents and the school's principal have scheduled an all-day Banneker achievement celebration beginning with an assembly at 9 a.m. Friday.

Members of the community, as well as city leaders, are invited to attend.

Banneker Elementary, 1912 W. 23rd Ave., has maintained Four Star Status through the Indiana Department of Education and is listed as an exemplary school with the state. It has maintained adequate yearly progress status since the federal guidelines were established and exists in a school district where academic success can be hard to come by.

Student passing rates on the state's ISTEP-Plus standardized tests are more than 90 percent at Banneker. And the attendance level is 98.1 percent, also above the state average.

Principal Sarah Givens said the celebration is to give recognition and honor to the students and staff who have worked so hard.

Meanwhile, PTA President Pam Stalling said fifth-graders had a 100 percent passing rate in English and Math scores in 2007 on the ISTEP-Plus test.

"We want to show the students and teachers how much we appreciate them," she said, adding the secret to the school's success is not only the teachers and students but also the parents who give so much time, effort and energy to the school.