Congressman Jon Runyan attended an assembly at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science today to honor the school’s achievement as a National Blue Ribbon School.

The Manahawkin-based school is one of only 17 schools in New Jersey that have been named as 2012 Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education, and one of about 270 nationwide.

According to information from the Department of Education, The Blue Ribbon School designation is one of the highest honors a school can receive in the American education system, recognizing public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools where students consistently achieve at very high levels or where student performance has improved significantly.

The ceremony also featured a question-and-answer session, where students discussed various issues with the Congressman.