After a fire last month sent Elk Valley Elementary students into remote learning, they came back together for a big end of year celebration. 

Students grades K through 4 put on a rocking musical, and celebrated being named a national blue ribbon school.

It was exciting for the students to come back together to demonstrate what high achievers they are academically and how resilient they are.

Last fall, the U.S. Department of Education named Elk Valley an exemplary, high performing school, one of only 10 in Pennsylvania to receive that designation.

In the Girard High School auditorium officials honored the students, teachers and entire school community with a special ceremony. 

But first, all 560 students entertained their families by turning on the Juke Box Time Machine, a special musical they prepared, even while doing remote education.

Each grade sang songs representing musical styles through the decades, and you'd never know they weren't together to practice the production for the last few weeks.

After a heat lamp hatching eggs in a first grade classroom touched off a smoky fire in mid-May, Elk Valley students were not able to attend school classes in their building for the last month.

The play and Blue Ribbon ceremony was an uplifting way to end the school year.  

Principal Mike Trudnowski is hopeful the Elk Valley Elementary building will be ready for students in the fall.  Repair and extensive cleaning after the fire has been underway, and a planned construction project at the school has also started.