As the 2012-2013 school year came to a close, the list of 2011-2012 Indiana Four Star Schools was released. Lake Central School Corporation brought the Tri-Town area Four Star honors for not only Watson Elementary School, but also Lake Central High School.

“It’s an exciting achievement. I’m not completely sure what it means long-term, but it’s an achievement that our teachers and our students should truly embrace. It’s not something I could put on my mantel and take credit for,” Mr. Robin Tobias, Principal, said.

The Indiana Department of Education (DOE) compiles various statistics when determining the Four Star School list. They key high school factors are End-of-Course Assessment (ECA) passing rates for Algebra I and English 10, college readiness based on dual credit and AP courses, and graduation rates. The top 25 percent of schools are then considered for Four Star acknowledgment.

“This is really a demonstration of the dedication our staff has of working with students, as well as the seriousness our students take their studies and being a member of this school,” Mr. Tobias said.

In addition to improving the status of Lake Central, the honor of being a Four Star School helps boost the morale of Dyer, Schererville and St. John.

“It markets the school to people who want to move to the area. They’ll see that it’s a Four Star School, and that’s important to people. It’s a positive reflection on the community,” Mr. Sean Begley, Freshmen Center Principal, said.

This honor is not an uncommon award to the region. Rivals Crown Point and Munster have also been ranked as Four Star Schools for the 2011-2012 school year, in addition to Valparaiso, Chesterton, Highland, Bishop Noll and Andrean High Schools. To some, this award can be viewed from a socioeconomic standpoint.

“We’re very comparable to Munster and Crown Point. They’re both very good schools, but all three of these schools districts are very lucky because we have very good students that walk into our doors that are very capable of doing great things and that have loving parents at home that are concerned about their education, which is a huge thing. They have a good standard of living where they’re not worried about being fed and not worried about having a roof over their head. Our students come to us and they’re not blank slates—they’ve got a lot of stuff in their head already, and that makes it a lot easier as a school to work with these types of students,” Mr. Begley said.

Although there were other schools in the region to receive this recognition, it is still an honor to be taken seriously.

“It shows a great achievement amongst the students in this community and we’re very lucky for the students we have. They come here from great families; they’re great kids. They’re very hard-working, they’re very dedicated, they take their studies seriously [and] they take the standardized tests very seriously. I would look at this award as an award to the students, the parents, the teachers and the entire staff at Lake Central that works together and makes this a great place to live,” Mr. Begley said.

The complete list of 2011-2012 Indiana Four Star Schools can be viewed here.