Education

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 cycles. Awards for the first cycle of this school year include: Lance Brand, Delta High School, was awarded $449.90 for…

By: Susan Fisher— Muncie, Indiana—A collaboration between Muncie Public Library (MPL) and Muncie Community Schools (MCS) was featured in the September 1, 2018 issue of Library Journal magazine. The articled details how these two Muncie organizations worked together to create a Union Catalog (UCAT). The UCAT makes the collections of both, the library and schools, more accessible for students and library customers alike. In addition, all MCS students are issued a special “READ” card that allows check outs at their school and at any MPL branch. MOMs, an afterschool tutoring center, joined the UCAT last fall and is also mentioned…

By: Kallie Sulanke, Community Engagement Officer— Muncie, Indiana– The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. has announced that John Marsh has been awarded the inaugural Robert P. Bell Creative Teaching Award to recognize his innovation in the classroom. Marsh, a history teacher at the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities, was nominated by Indiana Academy’s Director of Academic Affairs, Dr. Jeff Smith, for his execution of three recent Robert P. Bell Education Grants. This past May, for example, Marsh led his students to recreate three important historical caves along with art to establish an exhibit called the…

By: Jennifer S. Gasiorek, Executive Director of Strategic Communications— Muncie, IN—Ivy Tech Community College’s State Board of Trustees has approved the following individuals to serve as Ivy Tech Muncie/Henry County Campus board members: Rob Kitchell, General Manager of Locomotive Operations for Progress Rail. Kitchell joined Progress Rail in March of this year. Prior to moving to Muncie, he was the Sr. Operations Manager for General Electric’s Transportation and Power division. He has a vast array of experience in the global manufacturing and served in the US Air Force. Kitchell has a Bachelor of Science in Operations Management from Troy University….

By: Madison Smalstig— Yorktown, IN—To most, swimming is a pastime, something that they do to cool off and escape a hot summer’s day. To Emily Weiss, swimming is a passion. While others may be spending their summer weekends at a lake in Indiana, Weiss will be spending a long weekend in Fiji competing for Team USA in the Junior Pan Pacific Games later this month as a result of her passionate pursuits. Although Weiss is a high school student with other obligations, outside of school most of her time is dedicated to swimming and training. Weiss began swimming competitively at…

By: Stacy Wheeler, Executive Director, Back To School Teachers Store— Muncie, IN—Local educators took center stage at the Back To School Teachers Store’s 2nd Annual Teacher Appreciation Gala on August 9th at MadJax in Muncie. “We are about inspiring and celebrating teachers,” said BTSTS President Megan Quirk. “We aim to support teachers who do extraordinary things in the classroom every day.” The Back To School Teachers Store, a local non-profit, provides quality classroom supplies, at no cost, to kids in need through teachers and schools in Delaware County year round. Last year the local non-profit donated $850,000 worth of school…

By: Scott Metzler, President Kiwanis Club of Muncie— Muncie, IN—The Kiwanis Club knows the importance of investing in the community’s teachers and children. On August 9th, the local Muncie chapter will help honor Muncie Community School teachers at the 2nd Annual Teachers Gala from 6-9pm at MadJax, hosted by the local non-profit The Back To School Teachers Store and Muncie Community Schools (MCS). “The Kiwanis Club of Muncie is excited to be honoring our community’s teachers,” said local chapter president Scott Metzler. “We want to make a lasting difference and help provide the necessary support for children to thrive, prosper…

By: Commissioner, Dennis Lee Tyler, The John Frank Football League— Muncie, IN—John Frank League honors Mr. John Frank, a long-time Muncie educator and coach.  John Frank lost his battle with cancer July 17th, 2005. He began teaching for Muncie Community Schools in 1972 at Mckinley Junior High School.  During his time as an educator, John was an inspiration to all who knew him. This memorial embodies his passion for developing our youth. He is survived by his wife of thirty-six years, Margery, and daughter Jennifer. Through this league, his memory and his leadership continue on. The John Frank football league was established…

By: Jennifer S. Gasiorek, Executive Director of Strategic Communications— Muncie, IN—Ivy Tech Community College is holding a special event to celebrate the new exciting transformation that downtown Muncie will begin to see over the next few months.  On Aug. 2, the community can come say goodbye to the Old Star Press Building at the corner of Main and High streets.  The building is set to be demolished the week of Aug. 6. “We are really excited about Demo Day. We want the community to come out and share this exciting time with us,” Ivy Tech Chancellor Jeffrey Scott said. “Anyone who…