Education Summit Focuses On Students' Futures
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
School prepares students for the future.
Thursday, presentations from five local school corporations at the Education Summit XII focused on ways schools are preparing their students for tomorrow.
Micah Lukens is a teacher at Tippecanoe Valley School Corp.'s Alternative Learning School at the former Burket Elementary School. Lukens said the Center was formed in 2003. It's designed to meet the needs of students who may not be successful in the traditional high school setting.
As of Nov. 1, 31 students currently attend. Of the 31 students, 13 are seniors, 11 are juniors and seven are sophomores. A few reasons students attend include pregnancy, have children already, are self-dependent or emancipated, socioeconomically inhibited to attend school full time, behind in their credits or they were victims of harassment or bullying.
The program functions on the Plato Learning System and independent study. It's self-paced with a family atmosphere. Students must take the same classes they would at the high school and earn the same credits. They have no homework and no late assignments as students work at their own pace. They must attend the center a minimum of three hours per day, Lukens said.
Since the center started, Lukens said, ISTEP scores consistently have gone up and 24 students finished high school.
The Job Shadowing and Career Placement program at Triton was highlighted by Jackie Alderfer. She said preparation begins in eighth grade when students take a career interest survey. As freshmen, students complete an interest inventory and update their "job list." They start to develop resumes.
In grade 10, she said, students again update their job list and continue to build their resume. As high school juniors, students take a values inventory and choose what conditions are important to them in a career. By the time they graduate, they have job shadowed, completed employment and college applications and developed cover letters.
The benefits of the program, Alderfer said, are that students are made aware of what careers really entail and it could lead to a job.
For the past two years, the Orientation to Life Skills and Career class at Warsaw Community High School was an elective. This year, the class is a requirement for all freshmen.
Teacher Sandy Carmichael said, "Our goal is to assist students so they have a plan to get through high school."
In the first week of the course, she said, students work on study skills. Interpersonal relationships are studied in the second week. The following weeks, students look at self-awareness, setting goals and completing assessments, career awareness, career research, developing a four-year course plan, employability skills, cover letters, resumes, money management and relationships.
Two freshmen students then spoke about the class. Lauren Hunter said, "This class has helped me set present and future goals."
Chase Byerly said it has helped him form a solid plan "for the rest of my life." He said he looks forward to the class the first thing every morning because he believes he's learning something new and valuable every day.
At Wawasee Community Schools, Tony Cassel said, the Mentoring Program started in 2004 with a Department of Education Safe and Drug Free Schools grant. The three-year grant provides the school corporation with $130,000 per year to help form supportive, positive partnerships between adults and adolescents. The strategic goals include increasing English and math proficiency in grades 6-8, decreasing discipline and incident referrals and decreasing the number of unexcused absences.
Mentors spend a half hour each week with a student at Wawasee Middle School. They commit to be a mentor for one year, attend at least two summer mentoring events with the student. They also agree to participate in an annual recognition event.
Matches are based on common interests and activities. Student criteria includes ISTEP scores, discipline referrals and attendance records.
Currently, there are 15 active matches at WMS and one at Milford School. Two students are waiting for matches and four mentors are waiting for mentees.
Whitko Community Schools' Gina Borton spoke briefly about Whitko's participation in the Indiana Student Achievement Institute. She said ISAI is a proven school improvement process. The school corporation helps lead students to believe a four-year degree is important. She said it helps them make sure students are prepared for the world market.
She said some of the beliefs formulated as part of the ISAI include all students deserve a safe environment, having a committed staff, and respect for all. [[In-content Ad]]
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School prepares students for the future.
Thursday, presentations from five local school corporations at the Education Summit XII focused on ways schools are preparing their students for tomorrow.
Micah Lukens is a teacher at Tippecanoe Valley School Corp.'s Alternative Learning School at the former Burket Elementary School. Lukens said the Center was formed in 2003. It's designed to meet the needs of students who may not be successful in the traditional high school setting.
As of Nov. 1, 31 students currently attend. Of the 31 students, 13 are seniors, 11 are juniors and seven are sophomores. A few reasons students attend include pregnancy, have children already, are self-dependent or emancipated, socioeconomically inhibited to attend school full time, behind in their credits or they were victims of harassment or bullying.
The program functions on the Plato Learning System and independent study. It's self-paced with a family atmosphere. Students must take the same classes they would at the high school and earn the same credits. They have no homework and no late assignments as students work at their own pace. They must attend the center a minimum of three hours per day, Lukens said.
Since the center started, Lukens said, ISTEP scores consistently have gone up and 24 students finished high school.
The Job Shadowing and Career Placement program at Triton was highlighted by Jackie Alderfer. She said preparation begins in eighth grade when students take a career interest survey. As freshmen, students complete an interest inventory and update their "job list." They start to develop resumes.
In grade 10, she said, students again update their job list and continue to build their resume. As high school juniors, students take a values inventory and choose what conditions are important to them in a career. By the time they graduate, they have job shadowed, completed employment and college applications and developed cover letters.
The benefits of the program, Alderfer said, are that students are made aware of what careers really entail and it could lead to a job.
For the past two years, the Orientation to Life Skills and Career class at Warsaw Community High School was an elective. This year, the class is a requirement for all freshmen.
Teacher Sandy Carmichael said, "Our goal is to assist students so they have a plan to get through high school."
In the first week of the course, she said, students work on study skills. Interpersonal relationships are studied in the second week. The following weeks, students look at self-awareness, setting goals and completing assessments, career awareness, career research, developing a four-year course plan, employability skills, cover letters, resumes, money management and relationships.
Two freshmen students then spoke about the class. Lauren Hunter said, "This class has helped me set present and future goals."
Chase Byerly said it has helped him form a solid plan "for the rest of my life." He said he looks forward to the class the first thing every morning because he believes he's learning something new and valuable every day.
At Wawasee Community Schools, Tony Cassel said, the Mentoring Program started in 2004 with a Department of Education Safe and Drug Free Schools grant. The three-year grant provides the school corporation with $130,000 per year to help form supportive, positive partnerships between adults and adolescents. The strategic goals include increasing English and math proficiency in grades 6-8, decreasing discipline and incident referrals and decreasing the number of unexcused absences.
Mentors spend a half hour each week with a student at Wawasee Middle School. They commit to be a mentor for one year, attend at least two summer mentoring events with the student. They also agree to participate in an annual recognition event.
Matches are based on common interests and activities. Student criteria includes ISTEP scores, discipline referrals and attendance records.
Currently, there are 15 active matches at WMS and one at Milford School. Two students are waiting for matches and four mentors are waiting for mentees.
Whitko Community Schools' Gina Borton spoke briefly about Whitko's participation in the Indiana Student Achievement Institute. She said ISAI is a proven school improvement process. The school corporation helps lead students to believe a four-year degree is important. She said it helps them make sure students are prepared for the world market.
She said some of the beliefs formulated as part of the ISAI include all students deserve a safe environment, having a committed staff, and respect for all. [[In-content Ad]]