CEDAR LAKE | Hanover Central High School is the only Lake County high school to be named a Four Star School recently by the state.

At the same time, Lincoln Elementary School, also in the Hanover Community School Corporation, claimed the Four Star School distinction from the Indiana Department of Education for the second year running.

The distinction is cause for celebration, Supt. Michael Livovich said.

"Congratulations to the Lincoln and Hanover Central staff! Congratulations to all of us," he said. "Lincoln has upheld a proud tradition of exemplary performance."

Livovich said he was particularly proud of Hanover being the only Lake County high school to claim such status. "I know that Jane Ball (Elementary School) and Hanover Central Middle School are close, so we should be seeing a full corporation designation in a few years."

The Indiana Department of Education recently released to school officials the names of the latest recipients of the Four Star School Award, which are designated as 2005 awards.

To earn the Four Star distinction, schools must have met adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act and be in the top 25 percent of all Indiana public schools in four categories pertaining to ISTEP standardized tests.

Other Lake County schools earning Four Star distinction are Kolling Elementary School in the Lake Central School Corp. and Benjamin Banneker Elementary in the Gary Community Schools Corp.