A national nonprofit organization recognized Eastside Catholic School’s 2016 music program recently.

“Eastside Catholic has been honored with the SupportMusic Merit Award from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education,” according to a press release. “Eastside Catholic joins 118 schools across the country in receiving the prestigious award in 2016 and is the only private school in the state of Washington to receive this award.”

The award is given to individual schools that “demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students,” according to the release.

“The recognition of our hard work is very rewarding,” said Eastside Catholic freshman Jared Grambihlerm in the release. Grambihlerm plays the clarinet and the tenor sax in the school’s band program.

To qualify for the SupportMusic Merit Award, Eastside Catholic answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas reviewed the responses.

“This award recognizes that Eastside Catholic is leading the way with learning opportunities as outlined in the new federal education legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA),” according to the statement. “[T]he NAMM Foundation’s SupportMusic Merit Award and the implementation of the federal ESSA law bring attention to the importance of keeping music education part of the school’s core education for all students. It also highlights music’s vital role in students’ overall success in school.”

Eastside Catholic School is a Catholic faith-based educational community founded by parents in 1980 in Sammamish. Eastside Catholic School enrolls 930 students, employs 120 faculty and staff members and has an alumni base of more than 3,500.

The NAMM Foundation is supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,300 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information, visit www.nammfoundation.org.