Killinger
By SHANE KILLINGER, guest columnist
Matching its beautiful scenery, Sprunica Elementary rests in the northern rolling hills of Brown County.
Sprunica serves 288 amazing students, from preschool through fifth grade. As one of three elementary schools in Brown County, Sprunica Elementary is home. We are a family of loving and supportive staff who, just like in a real home, take on whatever comes our way with unwavering perseverance.
Included in our family are our amazing support staff of paraprofessionals, office personnel, custodians, cafeteria staff and many more who consistently do their personal best every day to serve and support our students.
Within the halls of Sprunica, you will find a preschool program that is operating every day of the school week. Fifth grade joined us this year, completing the Sprunica family.
The building contains a state of the art STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lab and the classrooms are inviting and perfect for learning. We also have an incredible nature trail with breathtaking scenery overlooking a small lake that our students enjoy visiting and utilizing to enrich their learning.
If you walk into a kindergarten class as readers’ workshop begins, you will discover super readers singing along to their “Super Readers” anthem, flexing their super reading muscles, absolutely ecstatic to begin reading. These super readers have gained lots of superpower reading strategies that have developed them into outstanding readers. Now that they have their reading powers, they are working on becoming “Avid Readers.” Ask any kindergartener what it means to be avid and they will let you know. Kindergarten is a joyful place where the students are so excited to come in each day and learn. Students work hard and they play hard!
A few of our students wanted to share their thoughts about what it is like to be at Sprunica Elementary. First graders collectively said that they like Sprunica because of the, “good teachers, good principal, nice people, pretty school, nice kids, fun getting taught and the nachos at lunch!”
Wrenn Drake in second grade said “I like Sprunica because everyone is nice here.”
Second grader Ethan Cornelius said “I like this school because I can make a lot of good friends.”
Fellow second grader Avery Kakavecos said “I like this school because I have a lot of friends here.”
“I like Sprunica because I like learning and I really like helping others learn too,” said second grader Bell Still.
Third grader Ashley Hansen said, “I like Sprunica because there are lots of kids, I have fun, I have lots of friends and I can play.”
Makynna Harper in third grade said “I like Sprunica because I get to learn more, get to hang out with my friends, and all the adults are nice to me.”
Third grader Gage St. Clair said “I like Sprunica because it really helped me open my mind and get creative.”
Fellow third grader Ben Webb said “I like Sprunica because we have good teachers, it has good basketball courts and a good lunch.”
Fourth grader Colin Dusenury said “I think Math Bowl is awesome because we get to play games and learn.”
Dalton Griffith in fourth grade said “I think the teachers are special here because not all people take care of us like this.”
Fourth grader Cash Jones said “Everyone, no matter what their characteristics or traits are, are accepted here.”
Adalynn Lambert in fourth grade said “People make you feel like you fit in.”
Fellow fourth grader Jaclyn Salinas said “I like our school because I like being at a school that I know my parents went to. My parents remember how kind and sweet everybody was to everyone, and it’s still like that.”
Fifth grader Ava Arrington said “Sprunica Elementary teaches in all grades to be respectful and that’s important to have in a school.”
Rilan Purlee in fifth grade said “What I like about Sprunica is that the teachers are very thoughtful and caring.”
Fellow fifth grader Savannah Watson said “The teachers here try their best to help you and help us learn our best.”
Fifth grader Savannah Wentworth said “I like how nice the teachers and subs are. I know some other schools aren’t as lucky.”
A welcoming learning environment and community can be felt throughout the building. Sprunica has highly qualified, hardworking, positive and caring teachers who serve children in all academic areas. During instructional time, teachers work hard to meet every student’s academic learning needs, in addition to providing rigorous and attainable academic learning challenges. Teachers spend countless hours incorporating multiple resources into their classrooms in order to engage student learning.
One of these incorporated resources is technology. Every student has an individual device to use in every classroom. By embedding technology into our curriculum and daily instruction, students have the opportunity to participate in individualized academic lessons provided by applications such as iReady, IXL and Mindplay. These programs offer individual academic support that help close the learning gaps that students may acquire over the years.
A portion of the week is also dedicated to teaching Second Steps, which is a research-based program that teaches social-emotional development, safety and overall well-being of children. Sprunica students are encouraged daily to always pursue their personal best.
In 2014, Sprunica was honored with the distinction of a National Blue Ribbon School, as well as designated by the Department of Education as an Indiana Four Star School for three years in a row from 2012 to 2015. In addition, our amazing Science Bowl Team won state for two years in a row in 2021 and 2022. Sprunica Elementary School also offers other team-building and extra curricular activities, such as cross-country, Math Bowl and Spell Bowl.
In addition to our extracurricular activities, Sprunica Elementary offers a variety of school day and after-school events that support family involvement. We have an amazing Parent Teacher Organization that offers numerous opportunities for students and families to come together in community. Our last PTO event was an after-school movie night, which was a huge success. PTO also supports Sprunica Elementary by operating Santa Shop, book fair, staff appreciation week and our Summer Blast Off.
Sprunica Elementary School is a home away from home. It is filled with incredible students and staff that create a family, which fills our school with encouragement and support to build successful learners and active citizens in our community.
Shane Killinger is the principal of Sprunica Elementary School. He can be reached at [email protected].
