K-12 Excellence Spotlight: The Cardinals Creation Lab Team
Recognized for making a meaningful difference at the School City of East Chicago
A custom Cardinals sweatshirt.
A festive holiday ornament.
A Friday morning smoothie.
These aren't just school projects. At the School City of East Chicago in northwest Indiana, students in the Cardinals Creation Lab don't just make products. They create things their entire school community uses.
Behind those opportunities is the Cardinals Creation Lab team. Educators Miriam Ortiz, Patricia Koulianos, Trinity Collins, and Ericka Eulloqui support the district’s applied skills program. Together, they help students build workplace skills by creating products that are used throughout the district.
"They're not going to see their work anywhere — they're going to see it everywhere," said Superintendent Dr. Stephen D. Bournés.
Students watch teachers, school board members, and even Dr. Bournés himself proudly wear apparel they designed and printed. They see the holiday ornaments they created on display. They also prepare smoothies to order during the district's Smoothie Fridays.
That visibility gives students something even more valuable than real-world experience: confidence.
Bournes said that confidence starts with the Cardinals Creation Lab team's willingness to try new ideas. It’s then fostered by their patience to help students keep going when things don't go as planned.
"The number one quality that sets that team apart is their willingness to try," Bournés said. "They have an enormous amount of patience."
Students embrace that same mindset. Bournés said students remade a T-shirt four or five times because they knew someone would be wearing it. “So here they have a very legitimate audience. As opposed to them saying, ‘Oh, I tried it once, we can't do it,’ they keep trying.”
Whether mastering new equipment, tackling custom projects, or working through mistakes, students learn the value of persistence alongside real-world skills.
"We're teaching our students how to be resilient," Bournés said. "If they can take those skills into the workplace post-secondary, they're going to be incredibly successful."
This team provides students meaningful projects, high expectations, and opportunities to succeed. More importantly, they help students discover they're capable of more than they imagined. This impact will last long after the shirts are worn and the smoothies are served. Students will carry their confidence into future classrooms, workplaces, and communities.
Watch the team’s recognition video.
Know someone making a difference in your district?
The Sourcewell K-12 Excellence Spotlight celebrates the people who uplift their school communities. These individuals strengthen schools and help students succeed in ways that don’t often make headlines but always make an impact.
From classrooms to cafeterias, buses to back offices, you can nominate anyone who helps your school thrive. Nominations are open year-round.
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