Southern Indiana Schools, Part 4

On Friday, September 19, 2014, I visited eight schools in three southern Indiana counties.  Traveling with me was Andy Bosk, Director of Career Connections for the Indiana University School of Education.  This is the fourth and final in a series of posts about those visits.

The American public high school.  It is the star of both stage and screen, but few dramatic depictions capture what is really going on in our 21st century secondary schools.  On a day of touring schools in southern Indiana, we managed to see three that show some of the best of what high school can be.

Gary Moenter was the longtime librarian at Scottsburg High School in Scott County, and I knew him as my grandma's across-the-street neighbor.  They named the media center for him after his passing, but I have no doubt he would barely recognize what is going on if he were here today.  Shawna Slayton (above, left), showed me the platform the students use in this 1-to-1 school where laptops rule the day and textbooks do not exist.  Principal Richard Manns told me that with 85% of the community having Internet access in the home, this seemed like the right way to prepare these students for the future.  Even for those who do not have Internet access outside the school, all needed work can be downloaded during the school day.  I know I would have loved this kind of learning, especially as seen in Mr. Routt's American Studies class (above right), where I couldn't help stirring up a bit of debate regarding Marvel and DC comic characters, inspired by posters in the room.

If Thomas Kinkade was known as the painter of light, then surely Floyd Central High School in the rolling hills of Floyd County is the school of light.  The motto of those who designed its renovation must have been fiat lux, let there be light, for the natural beauty of the surrounding area flows through every hall.  It is appropriate to use a Latin phrase here, for one of my stops was to see my friend Tim Harbison, the Highlander Latin teacher.  His class (above, right) was carrying on the tradition of Classical excellence that Tim had learned from the teacher he and I both had when were in high school, Alice Ranck Hettle, a finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year and a Fulbright Scholar in Rome. 

At New Albany High School, home of the Bulldogs and oldest public high school in Indiana, I was returning to my alma mater.  There I visited another Latin colleague, Steve Prince, whose students were re-enacting the Battle of Cannae (above, left).  We had as our guide a senior named Ethan, whose plans for the future may include the United States Army.  He pointed out Edwin Hubble in the Hall of Fame, for Hubble had taught Spanish and coached boys' basketball before going on to a career in astronomy.  This young man was an outstanding representative of the Bulldogs and just what we would hope to see defending our nation.

What links these three high schools in my mind is tradition.  All three have a long history, yet each has chosen different ways to build on its heritage to continue the work of education in the 21st century.  Good work is being done in all these institutions to respond to the needs of their communities and to prepare all students for the future.

Southern Indiana Schools, Part 3

On Friday, September 19, 2014, I visited eight schools in three southern Indiana counties.  Traveling with me was Andy Bosk, Director of Career Connections for the Indiana University School of Education.  This is the third in a series of posts about those visits.

Three middle schools in Scott and Floyd counties all share one goal...high student achievement.  They approach their goal in different ways, but the effect is the same.  Students are learning, and I saw evidence of it when I visited their schools.

At Scottsburg Middle School, the students all use district-issued iPads.  There are no textbooks.  Having made the move to a 1-to-1 model, Scottsburg schools rely on technology not just to deliver instruction, but as the very environment in which students work.  I know this because Mark, an 8th grade student, led me through a demonstration on his iPad of what school looks like for him.  While I was certainly impressed with the content of what he showed me, I was more taken by the mature, capable manner of this young man, proof that what Scottsburg is doing is working.

Highland Hills Middle School in Floyd County, Indiana, has an unofficial slogan.  They call themselves the GMS on the P.  I asked Dawn Boling, top 10 finalist for 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year, what that meant, and she said, "Greatest middle school on the planet."

This was not the usual educational hype and spin.  In Elizabeth Murphy's room (above left) and in Doug Elmore's class (above right), I saw students actively engaged in learning life.  Liz, a 2009 top 10 finalist for INTOY, has an English classroom bursting with interest.  At first I thought it was a music class, but then I learned she had brought in music as a way of setting up that day's reading.  As for Doug's orchestra, well, let's just take a listen.

My visit to Hazelwood Middle School held some nostalgia for me.  When I attended, it was Hazelwood Junior High, grades 7-9.  Now it is a middle school of grades 5-8.  Much had changed thanks to physical renovations, and we were fortunate to have Jessica Waters, the Bullpup principal, to guide us.

What I noticed in classes like Ms. Thurston's ELA/Social Studies room (above, left) was light and enthusiasm.  Our visit was late on a Friday, shortly before dismissal, yet whether they were in the classroom or in the gym, these students kept their focus on where their teachers were leading them.

Three different middle schools, one goal.  More than any data chart could show, these schools contain life, and that life is flourishing in Scott and Floyd counties.

Southern Indiana Schools, Part 2

On Friday, September 19, 2014, I visited eight schools in three southern Indiana counties.  Traveling with me was Andy Bosk, Director of Career Connections for the Indiana University School of Education.  This is the second in a series of posts about those visits.

From 1975-1981 I was a student at Slate Run Elementary School in New Albany, Indiana.  It is now holds 333 students in grades K-4, but it still has the same orange and blue colors, and seeing the rooms and hallways took me back.

My 2nd grade classroom

My 1st-3rd grade hallway

We had arrived after an event in which Kindergarten parents had been invited to spend part of the day with their children, and it was clear the students were excited.  Yet for all the enthusiasm of little ones, the Slate Run Gators were focused on the business of school, whether that involved lining up to go somewhere or exploring books in the library.

Cafeteria

Library

 I wish we had been able to spend a bit more time and take a few more pictures, for what I saw at this school was life.  As you can see even in the few pictures here, this is a school full of color, light, and life, one that celebrates student achievement in an environment designed for success.

New Albany residents may find that last sentence a bit odd, for Slate Run is an older school, dating back to 1963.  Its architecture reflects the time of its construction, and indeed there are modern school plans that perhaps serve the needs of 21st century education better.  It is not, however, the architectural blueprint to which I refer when I say this school is designed for success.  The design I am talking about is the human design.  Mrs. Niemeier and her staff have created an atmosphere in which children love to learn.  I imagine I would see the same ear-to-ear smiles and would hear the same musical "Hi, Mrs. Niemeier!" exclamations if this school existed in a cave.

Assistant Principal Sarah Pierce and Principal Amy Niemeier