Allentown Diocese Bishop Thomas Welsh presented the prestigious “Bishop’s Turnaround Award” to SS. Peter and Paul School, Lehighton, during a Mass of Thanksgiving held yesterday in the parish’s church in Lehighton.

Principal Antoinette Collier and her husband, Larry, and the Rev. Robert McConaghy, accepted the heavy wooden plaque from the bishop, along with a $500 award for “turning around the outlook of the school.”

The award was announced earlier this year by Bishop Welsh, who said it represents the school in the Allentown Diocese that best markets the benefits of Catholic education, resulting in a dramatic improvement in the school’s enrollment.