Education

By: The PhyXTGears Media Team— Muncie, IN— Delaware County’s own PhyXTGears robotics team 1720 finished runner-up at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) Perry Meridian district robotics tournament  in Indianapolis, earning the team a spot in the FIRST Indiana State Championship competition in Huntington, Indiana, April 7-8 while competing with their robot, Spitfire. PhyXTGears is a team of 29 students and 14 mentors who built a robot in six weeks to compete with and against other robots in a steampunk-themed game created by FIRST, called STEAMworks. After their second district event at Perry Meridian High School, the team…

By: BSU News— MUNCIE, Ind. — Students soon could have two new degrees to consider with today’s approval by the Ball State University Board of Trustees — a bachelor of architecture and a master of social work. The degrees were created in response to a defined need and student demand, said Interim President Terry King, and are pending approval by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.The five-year, 154-credit-hour bachelor of architecture provides a professionally oriented undergraduate education resulting in an accredited professional degree, a necessary requirement for licensure, King said. What’s more, this bachelor of architecture degree program also provides…

By: Krystal M. Geyer— The Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center is celebrating 33 years of rich entrepreneurial history, over 500 alumni, and the future of entrepreneurship in Indiana and beyond on April 21. The program, the first of its kind and one of the oldest collegiate entrepreneurship programs in the country, has a tradition of excellence and has aided in the establishment of dozens of local businesses and has a strong economic impact. The Senior Banquet honoring Dr. Kuratko will be held April 21st at the Horizon Convention Center. The event will honor the founder of the Ball State Entrepreneurship Program,…

By: Holly Ford— Muncie, IN —Muncie Central junior Casey Myers earned a Silver Key in the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. According to the organization’s website, “the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has grown to be the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition initiative for creative teens, and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers.” Myers’ artwork was chosen from over 2,800 submissions in the Central and Southern Indiana region. Only 105 Gold Keys and 182 Silver Keys were awarded. Those earning Silver or Gold Keys have the opportunity…

By: Holly Ford— Muncie, IN—Members of the Southside Middle School student council are learning firsthand what it means to be philanthropists and leaders in the community. So far this school year, they have donated just over $600 to local organizations. The students raised these funds themselves, and voted on which organizations to support. Most recently, they donated $375 to Muncie’s Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) after holding their most successful fundraiser yet—a dance where they sold concessions. ARF’s executive director Jody Leddy visited Southside on Monday, March 13, to accept the check from the student council. “I was so pleasantly surprised…

By: Ashlee Bane—  Altrusa International of Muncie, Indiana, Inc. recently celebrated 30 years of their annual 4th Grade Essay Contest. Each year, 4th grade classes throughout Delaware County are invited to participate in the contest by having students answer the question ”What would my world be like without books?” The six finalists of the 30th anniversary contest include Charles Isaacs, Burris Laboratory; Gavin Case, East Washington Academy; Lenox York, Grissom Elementary; Quentin McNeill, Mitchell Elementary; Gaia Townsend, West View Elementary; and Jakob Bowden, Yorktown Elementary. Each finalist, accompanied by their family, teacher, and principal, read their essay aloud at the…

By: Stacy Wheeler— Muncie, IN— The Kids In Need Foundation, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing free school supplies to economically disadvantaged school children and under-funded teachers, announced it has added the local Muncie non-profit, the Back To School Teachers Store, to its national network of free teacher stores. Now networked with 40 independently operated free teacher stores in the U.S.A., The Back To School Teachers Store will be able to provide greater resources to Muncie and East Central Indiana. Inclusion in the national network is by application evaluation only and is based on sustainability, capacity, and overall economic need. “We are very grateful to have local…

By: Michelle Kinsey— Muncie, IN – Students from more than 50 area elementary and middle schools will compete in the second WIPB Spelling Bee, set for 9 a.m. Saturday, March 11, in Sursa Performance Hall, on the campus of Ball State University. WIPB will be broadcasting the regional bee LIVE as well as streaming the event on the station’s website, www.wipb.org. The Youth Opportunity Center Foundation generously contributed the funds to cover the Scripps fees for schools to participate from Delaware, Jay, Blackford, and Randolph counties. The YOC has been supporting the regional bee for more than a decade. The champion of…

By: Kallie Sulanke, The Community Foundation— Muncie, IN—Local teachers will receive $1,984 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 ideas or programs designed to stimulate learning in students. All Delaware County teachers are invited to apply during any of the four grant cycles. This past summer, The Community Foundation established the Robert P. Bell Teacher Grants Fund to permanently endow the program to…