School News – September 18

McDowell offers classes, certifications in program

The McDowell Education Center is offering high school equivalency and English language classes and work certifications through a state-run program.

The WorkIndiana program through the state’s Department of Workforce Development allows individuals to earn high school equivalency certificates or a certificate in a particular field.

To enroll in high school equivalency or English language classes at McDowell, 2700 McKinley Ave., students must attend an orientation to assess their academic levels and decide the best educational plan for them, said Meg Nolting, test coordinator at McDowell.

Students under the age of 18 must have an exit interview from their previous high school or homeschool in order to attend. The ELL program is designed for students who plan on residing in the United States, Nolting said.

For more information, call the McDowell Education Center at 812-376-4451 or visit mcdowelledu.org.

Columbus robotics group to compete statewide

A group of high school students from Columbus are among nearly 50 teams that will compete in a statewide robotics competition at different locations next spring.

Four Indiana cities and their local high schools were recently selected as tournament host sites for the IndianaFIRST 2018 statewide robotics competition, a tournament that matches high school teams against each other for a chance to eventually represent Indiana in national and international competitions. The Columbus’ team is named GalacTech.

District-level competitions in March will be in Mishawaka, Plainfield and West Lafayette, while the state championship event will be held in Kokomo at the Kokomo Memorial Gymnasium on April 13 and 14.

Southside Elementary receives literacy grant

Southside Elementary School received a grant distributed to Indiana schools and nonprofit organizations for youth literacy.

The school received a $1,500 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and is among more than $116,000 in youth literacy grants given to Indiana schools and nonprofit organizations.

Clifty Creek teachers awarded grant

Three Clifty Creek Elementary School teachers have received a $2,000 grant from a financial services company as part of an awards competition.

Kaila Lifferth, Vanessa Gutierrez and Amanda Harmeson will receive a $2,000 grant from Voya Financial Inc., which provides workplace retirement services, as part of the company’s 2017 Voya Unsung Heroes awards competition. The program awards grants to kindergarten through 12th grade educators across the country to honor their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects and ability to positively influence their students, according to a news release.

The group, which was selected from more than 1,200 applicants, is among only 100 winners across the country receiving the award. The trio of educators will now compete with other finalists for one of the three top prizes from Voya Financial, possibly earning an additional $5,000 for third place, $10,000 for second or $25,000 for earning first place.

Trinity Lutheran to conduct open house

SEYMOUR — Trinity Lutheran High School will have an open house Saturday.

Trinity Discover Day will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the school, 7120 N. County Road 875E, Seymour.

Teachers, coaches and students will be available during the event to answer questions.

For more information, call Gail Harweger, recruitment and development assistant at Trinity Lutheran, at 812-524-8547.

Old National Bank to offer grant money

Old National Bank plans to offer up to $21,000 to schools within communities it serves as part of a grant promotion program.

The bank plans to launch the second phase of its Tools for Schools grant promotion, allowing the community to vote for its favorite school to win a $1,000 Tools for Schools grant. Sixteen grants will be awarded in each of Old National Bank’s regions.

Voting, which continues through Sept. 30, can be conducted at oldnational.com/specials/community/tools-for-schools-vote. Individuals can select their state and city and then pick their favorite school.

If the bank receives 20,000 Facebook likes by Sept. 30, the school that receives the most votes will get a $5,000 grant.

Arts commission offering grants

The Indiana Arts Commission is offering grants that will be used to assist lower performing schools with at-risk students through arts residency activities.

Applicants seeking funding through the IAC’s Partnering Arts, Community and Education grant program have until Nov. 1 to complete an application. The organization is seeking up to five new partnerships for the program.

Proposed programs should be appropriate for Grades 2 to 5, should occur regularly throughout the entire school year and should use arts integration techniques to connect arts learning with literacy learning, the release said.

Applicants, which must be a non-profit arts organization or eligible school, may request a maximum of $10,000. Those interested in applying must review their eligibility by calling IAC arts education manager Stephanie Haines at 317-232-1274.

Eligibility requirements for the program can be found at in.gov/arts/PACE.htm.

Columbus East holding college fair

More than 80 colleges and universities will be featured at a college fair at Columbus East High School.

The fair will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the main level gallery of the school and is open to all area high school juniors and seniors and their parents. Students are encouraged to register in advance at gotocollegefairs.com, while sign-ups will also take place at schools in counseling departments.

For more information, contact Allison Clark, Columbus East college and scholarship coordinator, at 812-376-4399 or by email at [email protected].