Few stories tug at the heart strings like the one that played out at Breidablik Elementary School last week. Eduardo Labandelo — that’s Mr. Eddie to you — is the school’s night janitor who was a celebrated hero as he earned his U.S. citizenship. The school threw him a grand-old bash, a high-flying bash to honor his accomplishment.

While the greatest feat was certainly Mr. Eddie’s for earning his citizenship, what the school itself pulled off was nothing short of a miracle.

The janitors, after all, hear all and see all.

They … know … everything.

To keep a secret — especially one as ginormous as an all-school surprise party — that administration must have moved the Cascades.

Sure, there was some finagling and some white lies floating through the school, as Mr. Eddie was kept busy with graffiti in the bathroom while the children made their way to the gym, then lured to the gymnasium by a fake stomach-sickness episode when the coast was clear.

He walked in to the gym expecting something unpleasant. Instead, he was treated to an all-American rock star welcome. Children dressed in red, white and blue, waving American flags, cheering for their night janitor. Mr. Eddie, a Phillipines native turned rock star for a day.

Phenomenal.

The modest Mr. Eddie was quite overwhelmed.

“Thank you very much that you guys have accepted me being an American citizen,” Mr. Eddie said.

The staff and students of Breidablik also should be congratulated. Everyone in the North Kitsap School District — even the students — has a role to play, but janitors truly are the one of the hardest-working groups out there.

The school deserves kudos for recognizing that Mr. Eddie had a goal in mind and took the steps necessary to achieve it. He didn’t stop thinking about tomorrow.

Celebrating a new U.S. citizenship is a fine example of using a real-life scenario to bring book learning to life. In other words, it makes what the students are learning in the classroom relevant.

When these more than 350 students start to learn about the U.S. Constitution, they will look back on their experience of May 2 with a new appreciation. And when Mr. Eddie looks back on May 2, he’ll remember it fondly as the day Breidablik stopped for a moment to recognize him, and the world was his oyster.

Congratulations, Mr. Eddie.

And welcome to the melting pot.