Blue confetti rained down on students Monday at Porter Lakes Elementary School as more than 500 students and their teachers reveled in their first National Blue Ribbon School honor for high academic achievement.
Porter Lakes and St. Thomas More Catholic School in Munster were Northwest Indiana’s lone winners this year in the annual award program presented by the U.S. Department of Education.
Nationwide, 16 Indiana schools and 356 schools nationwide received the honor.
At Porter Lakes, students and teachers, wearing their Blue Ribbon T-shirts, gathered in the gym as Principal Kevin Donnell and four students unveiled the Blue Ribbon flag Donnell received last week during the award presentation in Washington, D.C.
“The teachers are good, it’s a great school,” kindergarten student Willow Collins told the assembly.
“I would rate it five stars,” said Anden Taneff, a second grader.
Donnell said the honor is shared not only by teachers and aides but with custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria and kitchen staff, the office staff and the school’s PTO group.
As school board members Lilann Sgouros, Jeannette Skibbie and Eric McGinty looked on, State Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point, presented a state proclamation that called the school a “beacon of educational excellence,” in recognition of the accomplishment.
“I’m so excited and proud of all of you,” she said.
Superintendent Stacey Schmidt, whose two children attend Porter Lakes, said a big part of its success is the launch of an early childhood preschool about a decade ago.
The program is parent-funded, she said, voicing support for universal preschool, an effort that’s repeatedly stalled in Indiana.
“About 60% of the kids go through early learning and we see it play out in test scores,” she said.
“The other focus is meeting students where they are and meeting specific needs,” she said.
Schmidt also credited Donnell and Assistant Principal Kristin Mucha, director of the early learning program.
Schmidt said growth at Porter Lakes, a pre-K to grade 3 school, has spurred the district to launch an eight-classroom expansion project. She said it will also include a cafeteria and a new kitchen.
Donnell has been at the school for 17 years.
“Mr. Donnell knows every student by name, that’s something you don’t find in every principal,” said Schmidt. “That’s another key to student success, they know their principal.”
Donnell said he remained at Porter Lakes because “it’s a great school. We’ve built some longevity here and it makes a difference.”
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
