By GAVIN STEELE
Guest Columnist
It’s Wednesday after school, and the hallways at Brown County Middle School have students going door to door notifying teachers of pizza in the Makerspace.
The “Mod” club was celebrating together with a pizza party. This club was dreamed up by a student who loves game modding. He worked to get a sponsor and to locate computers which would work for this purpose.
It was all smiles as teachers and students mingled over pizza.
The week before, a group of 24 students enjoyed an evening in downtown Indianapolis in preparation for a We The People competition the following day.
During lunch times at the middle school, excited conversation and laughter can be heard from classrooms as students eat their lunches with friends and teachers who share their various interests.
This is just a small glimpse into life at BCMS.
Brown County Middle School’s “focus word” this year is “community.”
Staff are working to answer the question: What can BCMS do to allow students to feel more connected to their school community?
One way they are meeting this goal is by providing students with connection opportunities through student inspired clubs. The number of clubs offered is growing, but as of this moment the following are offered: radio club, book club, robotics, literature club, spoken word poetry, anime and game modding.
Of course these clubs are in addition to school-sponsored classes and extracurriculars such as spell bowl, math bowl, science bowl, National Junior Honors Society, student council, Eaglet Manufacturing, ceramics, We the People, volleyball, football, cross country, basketball, cheerleading, wrestling, track and tennis.
Back in September, Principal Gavin Steele announced to students that every class would be “going to camp.”
The following week, students were put on buses and taken to Happy Hollow Camp where camp staff led small groups of students through team-building exercises, archery and climbing walls, ziplining and games.
Students who may not otherwise associate with one another were cheering each other on and supporting one another through challenges.
Teachers and school staff were able to take part in the fun as well, providing the space to forge new and different connections.
Through all of these offerings and opportunities within the middle school, staff are answering the question they asked at the start of the year: What can BCMS do to allow students to feel more connected to their school community?
Now, as the school moves into the second half of the school year, they are going above and beyond to expand beyond the school community into the corporate community as students engage in the annual corporate problems project. Eighth-graders are grouped and paired with various corporations such as Cummins, Faurecia, Columbus Regional Hospital, Purdue Polytechnic, and LHp Engineering Solutions to solve real world problems cooperatively.
Students will work together with mentors for a few weeks before presenting to the corporations. This deepens not only their connections with one another, it also creates opportunities for them to make connections with these corporate sponsors and learn skills which will be priceless as they seek jobs one day.
BCMS is providing world class opportunities and small school relationships with lifelong impacts.
If no one has told you yet today that they love you, this is the middle school saying “we love you” and have an amazing holiday season!
Gavin Steele is the principal at Brown County Middle School.
