A Four-Star rating

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Students and staff cheer and dance during a celebration at Kyle Elementary School in Portage, Ind. The school was recently awarded four-star status by the Indiana Department of Education. | Andy Lavalley~Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 28, 2012 8:09AM

The walls of the Kyle Elementary School gymnasium reverberated with the strains of the Chicago Bulls’ theme song as fourth-grade teacher Jennifer Cannon had each grade level at the Portage school stand and be recognized.

Each group received an enthusiastic round of applause. This was the beginning of Kyle’s celebration for being named a Four-Star school by the State of Indiana.

Kyle’s staff and students had good reason to celebrate. In order to be designated a Four-Star school, an elementary school must rank in the top 25th percentile for its combined math and English passing percentage on the annual ISTEP+ exam. The school must also have made Adequate Yearly Progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

This was the second time Kyle achieved this honor. The first time was two years ago.

After recognizing all the grades, Cannon introduced “the man who holds us all together: your principal, Mr. Psimos!”

Aris Psimos congratulated the school family for its achievement. “Today we are celebrating learning. You come to school every day and you work hard. ...What we accomplished is a team effort. Every time you do your assignments well, you add points to the team.”

First-grade teacher Bev Mundt built on the teamwork analogy as she addressed students.

“Teamwork requires three things: you must know your job and get it done; your must know your goal and work to achieve it; and you have to practice, practice, practice. We received the fFour-Star rating because we have a great team — all of us in this room and all the parents. ... We practiced hard and it paid off!”

A student from each grade level shared opinions of why Kyle achieved the Four-Star rating.

Kindergartner Diego Gomez said, “I like our school ‘cause it’s fun to learn.’ ”

Fourth-grader Madison Kilgore said, “I think Kyle has outstanding teachers who encourage us to do our personal best.”

Fifth-grader Stacy Johnson said, “Kyle is a really great school, and we have one of the best principals in the whole world.”

The students and staff danced to the strains of James Brown’s “I Feel Good” led by fifth-grade teacher William Chappo. Chappo is in his 38th year of teaching, all at Kyle.

“The biggest benefit of this award is that it establishes a tradition we want to keep up for years to come,” Chappo explained. “The kids’ cooperation, effort and energy in their daily work is what makes all this possible.”