By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist
What a year! The school year 2017-2018 was a great one and was officially ended with our commencement exercises held on June 8. This was a senior class for which our school community can be very proud. We are so excited to see their accomplishments as they begin post-secondary opportunities in the military, workforce and college.
As we transition to school year 2018-2019, I thought it would be fun to reflect on the past year and offer a “top 10” set of moments from school year 17-18 that were truly extraordinary. These moments are presented in no rank order; therefore the No. 1 moment has no more relevance or significance than moment No. 10. Also, this list is not exhaustive. When I sat down to think about the great successes that this district realized during the past school year, it was really fun to see a very long list that far surpassed the number 10!
1. The Brown County Health and Wellness Center
Our district was thrilled to offer the Brown County Health and Wellness Center to our school employees and their dependents who participate in the school health benefit trust as well as any community members who have an interest in participation. Our maintenance team, led by Tim Thomas, renovated a pretty beat up storage space into a world-class health care facility that offers the highest quality direct primary care. The BCH&WC has transformed quality of life for our members! Community members can join at any time. Call 812-870-9737 to learn more.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]2. Regional Opportunity Initiative Inc. Ready Schools Initiative
At about this time last year, our district was applying for a significant grant through the Regional Opportunity Initiative and we were honored to be awarded this grant. The mission was to engage in a design-thinking framework to support the alignment of our pre-K-to-12 curricular and programmatic offerings to the educational and workforce needs of southwest-central Indiana. This process has proven to be transformational. Christy Wrightsman has led our district through each step of the design thinking process and she is currently leading the preparation of our report to ROI regarding our proposed next steps with funding availability of up to $500,000! This is very exciting work that will have significant application for our entire community. More to come!
3. Brown County Junior High School Receives IDOE STEM certification
Mr. Garman and his team of BCJHS educators worked tirelessly for the past two years to overhaul their curriculum and instructional model to one that is based on the STEM educational model. STEM education is an interdisciplinary literacy that seeks to integrate the four areas of science, technology, engineering and math into a comprehensive and coherent curriculum across the content areas. This past year, students at BCJHS engaged in two semester-long showcase projects where they worked with industry partners in a collaborative model. The work that is being done at BCJHS is leading the way for the rest of our school district. We are thrilled with their achievement!
4. The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the ultimate sacrifice of Brown County’s son, Larry C. Banks
I had the distinct opportunity to work with Michael O’Hara and the Brown County High School History Club in preparing a commemoration that would appropriately honor the 50th anniversary of the ultimate sacrifice of Brown County’s hero, Larry C. Banks. We held this commemoration during the annual Veterans Day program in the Larry C. Banks Memorial Gymnasium. Our History Club students and their sponsors, Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Lewellen, developed a documentary that tells the story of Larry’s life and sacrifice. We erected signage on the southern wall of the gymnasium so all who drive by on State Road 46 are reminded of his name. Finally, we were honored to have Larry’s sisters join us for the event which made the occasion extraordinarily special. The Veterans Day program is always one of my most favorite days of the year and this day was one I will never forget.
5. Technology advancements
This school year, we were pleased to provide access for all students in Grades 5 to 12 to a personal Chromebook device for their use. Additionally, at the beginning of next school year, all students in grades K to 12 will have 1:1 access to their own electronic device. By being able to offer this access, our students have instantly become more competitive in the global market. Last year, we had two exciting initiatives advancing computer science in the districtwide Week of Code event where students learned coding skills. Additionally, we had a new after-school club that engaged a ton of young women called Girls Who Code. By increasing opportunities for student access in computer science, we are preparing them for success in both college and career applications. This is very exciting work!
6. New principal at Van Buren Elementary School
When we received the Ready Schools Grant described above, Mrs. Wrightsman was asked to lead that work, which meant we had an occasion for a change in leadership at Van Buren Elementary School. Since recommending principals is one of the most significant responsibilities of the superintendent, this is one recommendation for which I couldn’t be prouder. Mr. Steele has led Van Buren Elementary School with a significant level of enthusiasm and a profound commitment to the Van Buren School community. Mr. Steele’s leadership is so appreciated!
7. The eclipse
Remember this one? Ha! I pick this event as one of my top 10 for school year 17-18 not because of the actual eclipse, but because it ended up being such a special experience for the students and staff. There was something magical when we all took a break from our normal routines and went outside with crazy glasses to watch the wonder of science before our eyes. While the hype may not have matched the actuality of the event, the experience of sharing the event with entire school community was one for which I will never forget. I have a great photo of a sea of BCHS and BCJHS students and staff sitting with their eclipse glasses on in the backyard of the White House and it looks like a photo from Life magazine!
8. Grant awards to assist with social-emotional learning
With much appreciation to our Director of Student Learning, Debbie Harman, our district realized a significant amount of grant dollars this year to address social-emotional learning. All grants were competitive and being selected for each was a sincere honor. From these grant dollars we are able to offer evidence-based social-emotional learning curriculum from kindergarten through high school, increase access to counseling services, offer an evidence-based mentoring program called Check and Connect, and implement a new online college and career readiness program for students called Naviance. We are excited about the positive impact that these programs will make on the social and emotional wellness of our boys and girls.
9. Budget update
During school year 2016-2017, we recognized that because of a pattern of declining enrollment over the previous 10 years, our district had to make some difficult decisions regarding the district’s general fund. The district engaged in over $1 million of general fund cuts at the end of school year 16-17 for deployment in school year 17-18. I am happy to report that the cuts are making their intended impact. For the first time in many years, the cash balance in the district’s general fund did not lose any dollars for calendar year 2017. We have implemented additional cuts over the past school year and expect to realize continued strengthening of the general fund. The referendum fund continues to be used for the purposes it was intended, which include 1 cent toward the Brown County Career Resource Center and 7 cents toward providing raises for support staff and teaching staff in Brown County Schools. We continue to closely monitor student attendance and hope to realize a stabilization of enrollment for school year 18-19. We are committed to realizing financial stability and will continue to make decisions to that end.
10. Student success
We would fill an entire issue of The Democrat if we listed all of the student accomplishments from school year 2017-18. From athletic achievements at the state level to academic achievements of the same, students across Brown County Schools soared this past school year. Special highlights included competitive performances from the BCHS show choir Rhapsody, where they made it to evening judging for the first time ever. The Addams Family musical was absolute perfection. We have a very strong group of competitors headed off to the National History Day national competition in Washington, D.C., in just a few days. Our BCJHS We the People team came in second place in the state competition. BCHS Class of 2018 graduate Abe Oliver was indicated as the “T” in the Governor’s STEM team and he also participated in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. We are thrilled that Abe will be representing Brown County at an Ivy League college. The senior awards night highlighted the successes of a significant number of Class of 2018 graduates with grant funding that totaled in hundreds of thousands of dollars. The BCIS Science Bowl team won state for two years in a row. The list goes on and on.
As you can see, school year 17-18 was packed with some pretty extraordinary success stories. We are already mobilizing to make 18-19 a school year where it will be difficult to pick just 10 highlights. I look forward to sharing our student successes with our community. We wish our graduates all the best in their future endeavors and also want to remind them that they will always be an Eagle and we are Brown County!
Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].
