A look inside … Indian Hill Elementary

Address: 1920 N. Lotus Drive, Round Lake Heights

Phone: (847) 270-9978

District's name and school's Web site: Round Lake Area School District 116, www.rlas-116.org/chiefs/

Number of students/grade levels offered: 755 in first through sixth grade

Number of staff: 61

School mascot: The Chiefs

An interesting tidbit: "It's a little known fact that we share our playground equipment with the park district. The Round Lake Area Park District owns it and they let us reap the benefits of having it," said Principal Kenneth Hyllberg.

Principal: Kenneth Hyllberg

• He has been at the school for two years.

• What is your favorite memory from Indian Hill Elementary? "One of them from my selfish side is when I completed my doctorate, they did a surprise assembly for me. The gym teacher ran in to where I was and said there was a fight in the gym, so I was going down there to see what was going on. On my way down there, I didn't realize there were no kids in the classrooms or in the hallways, so I ran into the gym and saw 700 kids and the staff members cheering for me."

• What do you think is an unique aspect of your school? "I think a unique aspect of the school are the kids themselves. There is such a great mix of racial diversity at Indian Hill that it helps the students learn from each other and their diverse backgrounds."

• What are you most proud of? "I am most proud of the atmosphere at our school. The kids enjoy coming here, they are happy and engaged in learning. But, the staff does a tremendous job helping the kids enjoy school. They show the kids they are part of something special and to build positive relationships with their teachers."

• If all school enrollments were determined by choice, what would you say to potential parents to convince them to choose Indian Hill for their children? "How great the staff and kids are. I have always believed that it is not the facilities that make a school, but the people in it. And this is the kind of place where the kids are great and special. And, the staff is tremendous."

• How has technology changed the way students learn over the past five years? Has that been a good change? "It's been great. It's a tremendous teaching tool. It's an additional resource the staff can use to help enrich lessons. It has helped the staff with assessments and gathering and analyzing data. It has helped in a way where it's instantaneous where as, in the past, we had to crunch numbers with calculators to get results."