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INDIANA DEPT.
OF EDUCATION

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NEWS RELEASES

BLUE RIBBON TASK FORCE PROPOSAL
BRINGS TWO OPTIONS TO MCS BOARD

Muncie - The Blue Ribbon Task Force, appointed by the Muncie Community Schools Board of School Trustees in October 2009, has completed its goal to ultimately prepare and report consensus-based platforms and has submitted a two-option proposal for the Board’s consideration.

As directed by the Board last fall, the Task Force’s “charge” was to study and recommend proposals related to demographic characteristics, capacities and utilization of facilities, grade level configurations, and future-oriented program innovations.

The Task Force commenced its endeavor after defining four main issues facing the school district:  

The proposal presented allows for two different options which seem to best satisfy the issues facing Muncie Community Schools, however, both options would

maintain nine neighborhood elementary schools (grades K-5),  repurpose, sell, or lease two MCS buildings, attempt to reverse the enrollment decline with innovative educational approaches, and involve parents, community, and area schools in committed, engaged partnerships. The Task Force believes its findings have resulted in “helpful, practical, innovative platforms” originated following extensive examination and discussion of data.

The two options are similar in goal – to reduce excess building capacity – yet take different routes to the same end result: 1) maintain right-sized facilities to match student enrollment and programs, 2) contain costs with a variety of broad-ranging strategies and also sell or lease or repurpose available buildings to become potential revenue-producing sources, 3) promote future-oriented programs, and 4) capitalize on partnerships.  

Two High School Option

One High School Option

In addition to the options outlined above, members of the Task Force determined strategies for cost containment, strategies for optimal, highly marketable, innovative educational approaches, and for more partnerships – all which apply to either option.

The group began its deliberations at a November 3, 2009, organizational meeting by beginning to examine critical data related to demographic characteristics of the district and the continued pattern of decline in enrollment, priorities for secondary education, facility utilization and operating costs, and innovative educational trends. Eleven formal task force work sessions were held and countless hours were spent face-to-face, on-line and in groups as they dealt with data. In addition, members were invited to tour all Muncie school facilities.

Enrollment statistics considered by the Task Force show that Muncie Community Schools has lost 2,600 students since 1988 (27% of its enrollment) and that number is estimated to grow to 3,400 (36%) by 2014. Loss of revenue will be approximately $12 million by December 2011.

The Task Force also considered the average annual non-instructional cost to maintain an MCS facility is $.5 million per elementary school, $1.4 million per middle school, and $2.8 million for our high schools. These figures reflect operating costs for buildings in the range of $4.93 to $2.90 per square foot depending on age, mechanical updates, and use.

Following its deliberations and hearing the report, the Task Force assumes that the Board of School Trustees will provide for a process for community engagement to solicit input from the general public after which the board can then determine specific steps for implementation. The report is only the first step in a community conversation about the proposals made to resolve some important issues facing the schools and community.

The Task Force also recognizes that in order to plan effectively and to allow for adequate community dialogue, the earliest that reconfiguration can be implemented is for the 2011-2012 school year. However, cost containment, program innovations, and partnership recruiting can begin much sooner.

Dr. Don Dyck, and Jerry Moore of Educational Services Company, Inc., led the 33-member school/community Task Force by stressing that there were no preconceived outcomes at the onset, leading data-driven discussions, extensive deliberations, and leading an interactive process that resulted in a consensus-based approach to its recommendations. (3-16-10)

KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UP OFFERED THREE DAYS 

Muncie - Muncie Community Schools will host its Fall 2010 Kindergarten Round-up on three dates this spring. Parents of kindergarteners who need to register their child for the 2010-2011 school year should visit the school site that the child will attend. Registration will take place Wednesday, March 17, and Thursday, March 18, between 12:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. and Thursday, April 1 between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

The child must be 5 years old by August 1, 2010. Parents should take their child to registration sessions on one of the above days where a packet of registration information will be provided by the school. Parents will be able to complete the contents on site or return them to the school office by April 16, 2010. If parents choose to complete the kindergarten forms on site, they should bring:

•  the child’s birth certificate

•  verification of address

•  the child’s shot records  

•  the child’s Social Security Number

Tours of the schools will take place at a later date. Parents unsure of what school their child will attend may call the office of elementary education at 747-5203. Muncie Community Schools has offered full-day Kindergarten since the 2007-2008 school year. (3-8-10)

KINDERGARTEN G/T SELECTION PROCESS ANNOUNCED

Muncie – The process for parents to apply for their child’s inclusion in the 2010-2011 Kindergarten Expanded Learning Program (ELP) at Muncie Community Schools has been announced by Ermalene Faulkner, Director of Elementary Education and the Gifted and Talented Program.

Parents who wish to have their child considered for inclusion in the self-contained kindergarten ELP program for the 2010-2011 school year will need to follow this process:

• Obtain, complete, and return a permission/application for testing.  (Parents will be contacted regarding the date, time, and place of the screening. This screening will take place during June and July.)

• Complete and return a parent inventory.

• Compile three to four of your child’s work samples for a portfolio.  Samples of quality work written by your child might include stories, reports, scientific observations, poems, etc.  Written products may demonstrate advanced language, thinking, organization, etc. Art or technology projects that would demonstrate your child’s academic ability are also encouraged.

• If your child attends any organized day care activities or programs, encourage those teachers to contribute to your child’s portfolio by sending clearly labeled materials to our attention.

The required forms may be obtained by visiting or calling the office of Gifted and Talented Programs, 747-5203. Submitted materials must be sent to Anthony Administration Building, Room 11, 2501 N. Oakwood Avenue, Muncie, IN. 47304, by Friday, April 9, 2010.

Muncie Community Schools offers an extensive Gifted and Talented Program for grades K-12. At the elementary level, the program is referred to as the Expanded Learning Program consisting of six self-contained classrooms for grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. This program involves students who are high ability learners in classes where curriculum is designed to meet their academic needs.  The Program is located at the East Washington Academy, 100 E. Washington Street, Muncie. Students attend the Academy on a full-time basis. Transportation is provided each day from the child’s home school to the Academy.  (3-8-10)

TWO MCS TEACHERS RECEIVE $8,000
LILLY GRANT FOR SUMMER ENRICHMENT

Indianapolis – Muncie Community Schools’ teachers Ana Delk and Danny Thornburg are among 120 Indiana educators who will this month each receive an $8,000 Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship for the summer of 2010. Funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., the program enables teachers, principals, guidance counselors, and school media specialists to take time to pursue their personal interests, explore subjects that intrigue them, and experience renewal during their summer break.

The projects chosen by the 120 educators cover a myriad of subjects from assisting with a sea turtle nesting program in Florida to studying drumming in Ghana to exploring mosaic art in Italy. However, Mrs. Delk, a veteran art teacher at Central High School, and Danny Thornburg, alternative education teacher at Wilson Middle School, will take different global routes as they both explore the art of photography. She will research and use photography to portray the role of women in the Dominican Republic and he will photograph and paint the Great Smoky Mountains.

Mrs. Delk, who was born in the Dominican Republic to parents of Dominican Republic and German/Spanish descent, will return to her home country to research, record and document the everyday life of the native female through photographs, video, and journaling the cultural heritage of the Latino women who have been a great influence in her life.  In her grant proposal, she states, “It is my desire to share the history told by my ancestors in a photographic documentation of the contribution of women in their habitat that are part of my history, beginning in the area of Puerto Plata where I took my first steps.” Mrs. Delk graduated from high school, married, and had children in her home country of the Dominican Republic.

She has scheduled a photographic art show exhibit from her summer travel project during the October Art Walk at “The Artist Within” in Muncie.

Mr. Thornburg, whose mother was an oil painter, has some experience in oil painting, yet will for the first time learn the art of watercolor painting before he travels to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. He will take a camera, laptop computer, watercolors, an easel and sketch pads, but no canvases.  The transfer of art work originally created on sketch pads and recorded on camera will be captured on canvas at home after his return. He also will make the frames for the paintings he creates after the summer trip.

This is the second Lilly Endowment grant for Mr. Thornburg who received $7,500 in 1999 to explore hands-on the Iditarod Sled Dog Race in Alaska.  As a result, he wrote curriculum surrounding the Iditarod race, purchased sled dog equipment to create a replica dog sled, created a mini sled dog museum for his classroom, and actually raised Siberian Huskies.

The chance to gain funding for their inspirational “wish list” is “not a professional development program,” according to Sara B. Cobb, Endowment vice president for education. “We regularly hear that these renewal experiences have helped hard-working Indiana educators regain their enthusiasm for their profession.”  Renewal experiences will take the educators to at least 30 states and 40 different countries. Over 550 educators applied for the 2010 award of $8,000.

The Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program began in 1987 and the class of 2010 brings the total Indiana recipients to 2,187. (3-4-10)

ROBERT P. BELL TEACHER GRANTS
AWARDED TO MCS EDUCATORS

Muncie - The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. has announced that Robert P. Bell grants have been awarded to seven Muncie Community Schools teachers and a student teacher for the third grant cycle of the 2009-2010 academic year. 

Deborah Brown, East Washington Academy, was awarded $200 for second grade students to study Ancient Egypt.  The students will create their own Ancient Egyptian artifacts, clothing, jewelry, crafts, and educational display.  The unit will culminate in an “Evening in Ancient Egypt” event where students will share their projects with friends and family.  Mrs. Brown also was awarded $75 for students to study tall tales from around the country and retell a tale of their choice.  The students’ writing and illustrations will be mounted on cardboard folded in accordion fashion.  The students will unfold their display and hold up their “tall tales” to figuratively and literally demonstrate how their tall tales grew.

Barb Crawford, Wilson Middle School, was awarded $258 for eighth grade essential skills students to put the “Pay It Forward” concept into practice and do a good deed for others while learning about story problems.  Students will create fleece blankets while learning how to solve multi-step story problems relating to the project.  Blankets will then be donated to oncology patients at Ball Memorial Hospital and others in need.

Sara Jarvis, Northside Middle School, was awarded $350 for sixth grade science students to use creativity, research, and trial-and-error to design a marshmallow launcher and track the data for distances the marshmallows travel.  From the project, students will learn about energy and mass, trajectories, and the basic functions and operations of mechanical devices.

Jennifer Kyle and Emily Collins, Wilson Middle School, were awarded $289 for sixth grade math students to identify angles from nature and the architecture of Muncie and then create a display of their findings.  Displays will include a photograph of the angle, a definition of the angle, a measurement of the angle, and more. 

Ashley McConnell (student teacher for Lisa Marsh), Southside High School, was awarded $231 for high school family and consumer science students to participate in an international foods unit.  Students will work in groups to learn about the countries of Thailand, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico and France and prepare a dish from each of these regions.

Sondra Siebold, Southside High School, was awarded $89 for ninth grade language arts students to participate in a unit titled, “McDonalds at the Louvre? Scare blue!”  Students will research a famous painting and write a first-person narrative from the point of view of the subject of the portrait who, through the marvels of pretend time travel, will visit the twenty-first century and experience a specific technological advancement.

Holly Summers, Central High School, was awarded $115 for algebra students to create 3-D posters using linear and absolute value inequalities.  Each student will then choose someone else’s project, write down the inequalities, graph them on paper, and see if they get the same design.

Bell Grants of up to $350 are awarded to teachers with innovative ideas, programs or projects designed to stimulate learning in their students.  The deadline for the next round of grants in the 2009-2010 academic year is April 1, 2010.  (2-26-10)

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC TRANSFER RESOLVED

Indianapolis - The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) has determined that the Central High School boys’ basketball program has incurred a minor infraction involving a transfer student who returned to the high school athletic program and participated in a varsity boys’ basketball game without the required Athletic Transfer Report being filed with the IHSAA.  Phil Gardner, IHSAA Assistant Commissioner, indicated to MCS administrators that the lack of filing was a very unusual situation and one that was of no fault of the athlete.

The infraction results from an issue involving a returning basketball player who participated in the boys’ basketball contest Saturday, November 28, 2009, at Yorktown High School. Consequences of the violation bring with it a warning, the mandatory submission of the IHSAA Athletic Transfer Report, notification to the opposing team (Yorktown High School) – both of which have been fulfilled - and forfeiture of the November 28 game.

According to Chris Smith, Central High School Principal, “Once we became aware of the situation on December 1, we gathered information and reported it to the IHSAA on December 10 and immediately notified Yorktown High School that we may have committed a violation with the IHSAA.”

Blake Ress, commissioner of the IHSAA, commended the administration of Muncie Central High School for its reporting of the matter as soon as it learned that a transfer report had not been submitted.(3-1-10)

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI GIVES BACK TO TEACHERS

Muncie - The Alumni Association of Central High School annually funds up to $1,500 to CHS teachers who submit grant proposals showing the need for materials for student learning. Priority is given to teachers who request items not scheduled to be funded, materials, equipment, or services, and items that directly aid student learning and student development.

For Spring Semester 2010, six teachers received funds to enhance classroom instruction. They are Charity Coffman, $250 to purchase materials to expand student knowledge of French,  Ana Delk, $250 to purchase materials to develop instruction in the ancient style of wax painting, Brenda Skoczelas, $250 for laboratory equipment for physics courses, Laura Spotts, $238.26 to purchase materials to expand hands-on student knowledge in Spanish, Holly Summers, $250 to purchase graphing calculators for Algebra I and II classes, and Helen Zacek, $270 to purchase clay needed to design and create ceramic masks of different cultures in her 3D art class.(3-4-10)

MCS SELLS GARFIELD PROPERTY TO MUNCIE HOUSING AUTHORITY

Muncie – In the only action item on the agenda of the Muncie Community Schools Board of School Trustees Work Session for February 23, board members voted unanimously to accept the most recent offer of $133,500 from the Muncie Housing Authority for the Garfield property located at 1600 South Madison Street, Muncie.

The accepted price reflects the full-appraised value of the property according to a June 19, 2009 appraisal. Closing is set for April 30, 2010.  Board member Michael Gorin, who has advocated the sale of the property to a “community-based entity,” said the transaction is “the best thing for that community.”

The Muncie Housing Authority originally offered $80,000 for the property and later raised its bid to $120,150 and subsequently submitted an offer dated February 23, 2010, for $133,500 to purchase the former elementary school, which the board agreed to accept. (2-23-10)

NEW GRANT WILL ALLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO
WORK WITH STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND SCHOOLS
TO ELIMINATE TRUANCY

Muncie - Muncie Community Schools is the recipient of a School Resource Officer grant from the Youth Division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute’s Safe Haven Program.  The Grant will be implemented March 1, 2010.  Local law enforcement officers providing security services to Muncie Community Schools will implement the program in our schools. 

The School Resource Officers’ focus will be to eliminate student truancy and absenteeism by working with students, parents, school officials, and community support services. Officers will meet with parents at school; or if necessary, they will visit the home.

Muncie Community Schools continues its efforts to positively impact student achievement and improve student behavior by increasing communications with students and parents about the importance of regular student attendance.
(2-24-10)

Storer Elementary is one of 188 Indiana public schools to be named “Indiana Four Star School by the Indiana Department of Education in January.  Indiana’s Four Star School Award for the 2008-2009 school year is the state’s highest distinction and is derived from attendance rates, student achievement, and performance on the I-STEP+. This is the 11^th time Storer Elementary has earned the title. (2-24-10)

GOLD AND SILVER NOT LIMITED TO OLYMPIANS, MCS VOCAL CONTESTANTS TAKE HONORS AT DISTRICT, STATE

Muncie - Muncie Community Schools’ high school students participated in the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) State Solo and Ensemble Contest February 20. Students who performed at the state level had each received first place Gold ratings in Division I at district level contests February 13.

Central High School had two Gold rating award winners at the state level at Perry Meridian High School. They were Danielle Cunningham and Chelsie Brooks, both in voice competition.     

Vocal soloists from Southside High School at the Southside High School site receiving Gold ratings were Ashley Taylor and Chelsie Taylor. Students receiving Silver ratings were Tomi Barnhouse, Troy Burton, and Kayla Byers. In Ensemble competition, the sextet of Payton Conley-Davis, Chelsie Taylor, Shelby Davis, Elizabeth McFall, Megan Cummins, and Hannah Kirts received a Gold rating. Also receiving a Gold rating was the trio of Samantha Fletcher, Ashley Taylor, and Shelby Kirby.

In the District ISSMA Solo and Ensemble Contest February 13, Wilson Middle School entered two vocal ensembles.  The Sixth Grade Ensemble received a Gold rating and the Eighth Grade Ensemble received a Silver rating.  Soloists who obtained a Gold rating in Division 3 were Christah Brantley, Britiny Godby, Gabriella Jacox, and Bryce Watson.  Soloists earning Silver ratings were Selma Garrett, Anna Gray, and Megan Roach.  In Division 4, soloist Sara Delk earned a Gold rating.

Northside Middle School students receiving Gold ratings in the District Contest February 13 were Brielle Fowlkes, Andrew Klein, Sam Politinsky, Jennifer Rheaume, Shiane Riley, Caytlin Terrill, Breyanna Turner, and Allyson Young,

Silver ratings were awarded to Chris Alexander, Amanda Brothers, Megan Brown, Jessica Griffin, Tori Mitchell, and Jakelyn Niebel, (2-24-10)

WANTED: MUNCIE BOYS’ BASKETBALL CHAMPS!

Indianapolis - The Indiana High School Athletic Association has announced its “100 Years in 100 Days” Celebration,” a 100-day promotion designed to honor a century of “Hoosier Hysteria.”  March 2010 represents the 100^th anniversary of the Indiana high school boys’ basketball state championship tournament by recognizing all state winning teams since 1911. The celebration will culminate in an “Anniversary Celebration Parade” for all former boys’ basketball state championship teams and coaches.

The parade will take place Saturday, March 27 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Indianapolis. The IHSAA’s goal is to have a parade unit or float representing each year’s state boys’ basketball championship and to have former players and coaches from these teams in the parade. The parade will begin on Pennsylvania Avenue, travel around Monument Circle, and end at Conseco Fieldhouse where former state champs will walk the red carpet and arrive at an IHSAA “Legends Reception.”

Muncie Community Schools Athletic Directors Tom Jarvis (Central High School) and  (Tom Lyon) are calling out all players and coaches from Central High School’s eight championship teams (1928, 1931, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1978, 1979 and 1988) and the Southside High School 2001 state champs for participation in the parade. A family member of a coach or player of a state championship team may also participate.

If you are or know of a team member or coach of any of these nine teams, please let them know about the parade on March 27 – the Boys’ Basketball State Finals - and to call Tom Jarvis at 747-5270 or Tom Lyon at 747-5328.

The IHSAA is also celebrating 100 years of Hoosier Hysteria by sponsoring a traveling display of boy’s high school basketball memorabilia on loan from the Indiana Basketball of Fame in the 100 days prior to the state championship game. The mini-museum was on display at the Muncie Fieldhouse January 22 at the Central/Southside game. Additional information on the 100 Years in 100 Days Celebration may be obtained by visiting www.100Yearsin100Days.net.

Note: In 1928, Muncie Central High School won its first boys’ basketball state championship over Martinsville, 13-12.

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