On Tuesday, November 16, Ryan Elementary School Principal, Darlene Brister, received the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership at the 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C.  Principals nominated for the Terrell Bell Award are school leaders committed to fostering successful teaching and learning at their schools. 

Principals who receive this award must be nominated by a faculty member who writes an essay describing what qualities the person exhibits as an outstanding academic leader. Melinda Jeffers Billings, a teacher at the school, wrote the nominating essay, which described how Brister's leadership and progressive approach to educating at-risk children has increased Ryan Elementary School’s school performance score.

This prestigious award was given to only 10 principals from schools receiving a Blue Ribbon Award from the U.S. department of Education this year. About 302 principals were eligible for the 2010 award.

The Terrel H. Bell award is named after the late U.S. secretary of Education. Ryan Elementary School was one of only four schools in the state, and the only Baton Rouge area school, to receive the 2010 Blue Ribbon award.