Fr. Prietto’s efforts paid off in 1984 when SI was named one of the top-60 private schools from among the 6,000 in the country. Of the 60 schools receiving the award, given through the Exemplary Private School Recognition Project, half were Catholic and five were Jesuit. The award recognized SI’s commitment to excellence in education, supporting a diverse student body, and the help it gave needy students through financial aid. On August 27, 1984, Frs. Sauer and Prietto traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive a banner (which Fr. Prietto hung above the door to his office), and a plaque from President Reagan and Secretary of Education Terrell H. Bell. (Fr. Sauer recalls that their luggage was lost on the flight over and they had to borrow black suits from brother Jesuits in Washington, D.C.)
The award on the plaque reads:
To Saint Ignatius College Preparatory,
San Francisco, California
For Recognition by its Peers in Education
As an Exemplary Secondary School
For the Exemplary Private School Recognition Project
1983–1984
Council for American Private Education
Washington, D.C.