The Florida Department of Education recently handed Five-Star School awards to four Pembroke Pines elementary schools for community involvement in the 2008-09 school year.

Palm Cove Elementary notched its 14th consecutive year, Chapel Trail marked its 12th, Panther Run its 11th and Pembroke Lakes its 8th to net the award among 66 Broward Schools.

The honor merits schools who actively involve parents, guardians, businesspeople and other community leaders in the education process.

To be eligible, the quartet of Pines schoolhouses had to be graded higher than a “C,” had already received the FDOE’s Golden School award for excellence in school volunteer programs and satisfied 29 criteria.

Those milestones included drafting and enforcing a School Improvement Plan, ironing out a business pact with agencies that support teaching in exchange for donations of goods and services to schools, adding discussion and focus groups for families and outlining a plan to allow school staff and students to volunteer for community service learning.

For more information, call 754-321-2040, or visit www.browardschools.org.