Articles by Mike Rhodes

Ivy Tech Community College Names Vice President of K-12 Initiatives and Statewide Partnerships

By: Kelsey Batten— Indianapolis, Ind. – Ivy Tech Community College has named Dr. Katie Jenner as vice president of K-12 initiatives and statewide partnerships, effective November 1, 2018. Jenner will proactively lead Ivy Tech’s efforts for the continued and expanded development of K-14 talent development pipeline partnerships between K-12, Career Centers and Ivy Tech Community College. She currently serves as the assistant superintendent for the Madison Consolidated Schools (MCS). Jenner started in K-12 education as a Career and Technical Education…

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Inaugural ‘ArtsWalk Pumpkin Trail and Glow’ Contest Launches This Year

By: Muncie Downtown Development Partnership— Muncie, Indiana—A new ArtsWalk tradition will take place this year: The inaugural Artswalk Pumpkin Trail and Glow. Here’s what it’s all about including details on how to enter. ArtsWalk Pumpkin Trail and Glow October 4th from 5pm-8pm Follow the Pumpkin Trail throughout the streets of downtown Muncie during ArtsWalk.  The pumpkin trail will end at Canan Commons, with a community Pumpkin Glow and contest. Cash prizes will be awarded! Community Pumpkin Glow Prizes Winners will…


Muncie OUTreach, A Youth Group for LGBTQ+ Kids

By: Muncie OUTreach Board Members: Brett Ellison, Board President; Amanda Latz, Board Vice-President; Mary Bradley, Board Secretary; Carol Bradshaw; Greg Durbin; Sue Errington; Dave Franklin; Joe Mook; Steve Sneed; and Emily Wornell— Muncie, Indiana—At Muncie OUTreach, we exist to keep kids alive. We mean this literally—many of the kids who attend our weekly meetings have attempted suicide.  Their feelings of self-hatred, resentment, and despair are the natural consequence of being bullied at school, as the targets of cruel homophobia and transphobia, with no one to turn to. We exist to show…


Edward Gorey’s Art Coming to the Owsley Museum at Ball State

By: Rachel Buckmaster— Muncie, Indiana — The David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA) presents a unique exhibition of art by Edward Gorey along with the art he consumed and collected. “Gorey’s Worlds” is on view from September 27 through December 21, 2018. “Gorey’s Worlds,” an exhibition organized by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, is the first to contextualize the work of celebrated American author and illustrator Edward Gorey (1925-2000) by uniting artworks from his personal collection…


Ted Baker Details The 2018 ‘Excellence in Innovation Awards’ Banquet

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, Indiana—Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Ted Baker, executive director of the Innovation Connector, to discuss the upcoming Excellence in Innovation Awards banquet to be held at the Horizon Convention Center on November 14th. My interview with Ted is below. Question: Ted, You seem very excited and animated about these awards. I see all sorts of printed materials about the event spread around your office. What is the Excellence in Innovation Awards banquet all…


Teachers Awarded $2,481 for Creative and Innovative Classroom Projects

By: Kallie Sulanke— Muncie, Indiana—Five local teachers will receive $2,481 for six projects in Robert P. Bell Education Grants from The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. Across the county, 1,000s of students benefit from Bell Education Grants each year. Awards of up to $450 are available through the Bell Grants program. Funded projects are creative or innovative classroom projects designed to stimulate learning in students. All Delaware County teachers are invited to apply during any of the four grant…


John Carlson: Spare The Rod and Spoil…

By: John Carlson— The other day I saw a national news story about a school system down South that is initiating an innovative method of controlling unruly students’ classroom behavior. It’s called “swatting them on the butt with a paddle.” That’s right, it’s good old corporal punishment, something that used to be fairly common in schools back in my day. I know this from personal experience, having been swatted a couple times during my own stellar public-school career. Maybe it’s…


‘The Christians’ Opens This Weekend At Muncie Civic’s Studio Theatre

By: Michelle Kinsey— Editor’s Note: The Christians has been extended and will now play through October 6th. Muncie, Indiana– Why do we believe what we believe? That question, said director Nathan Hart, is at the center of a production opening this weekend at Muncie Civic’s Studio Theatre. The Christians takes theatregoers into a modern megachurch, where a pastor delivers a sermon that shakes the very foundation of his church and his marriage. Hart said he was drawn to the script because…


BY5’s Diaper Bank Network To Aid Families Struggling With Diaper Need 

By: Melissa Jones— Muncie, Indiana — BY5 research estimates that, in Delaware County, between 1,610 and 2,440 0–3-year-olds in lower-income families suffer from diaper need. In an effort to reduce this number, BY5 Early Childhood Initiative is launching a diaper drive during National Diaper Need Awareness Week, which runs from Sept. 24–30, to support all the diaper banks in the Diaper Bank Network, which will open later this fall.  The Diaper Bank Network will provide families in need the opportunity…


‘Twilight On The Boulevard’ Debuts At Minnetrista On September 21st

By: Stephen Mortland— Muncie, Indiana—Twilight on the Boulevard is a new benefit event to support Minnetrista’s enduring vision. Enjoy food and beverages provided by local restaurants such as Vera Mae’s, Amazing Joe’s Grill, The Neely House, Minnetrista catering, and more. Walk Minnetrista’s beautiful lamp lit Boulevard, and take in live music by Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra, Clay & the Chameleons, Paul Reilly, and others. While you listen to the music and enjoy the delicious food, try your hand at one of…