TELL CITY – Sparking the community back to life over the last decade was the topic when Perry County leadership spoke at the annual statewide Ivy Tech One Summit in Indianapolis.

来自社区发展和行业的专业人士, who are involved with Tell City-Troy Township Schools’ Ivy Spark professional education program, 前往印第安纳波利斯参加2月11日的常春藤科技峰会. 5, where they presented the development of Tell City schools’ Ivy Sparks program. Four hundred Ivy Tech Community College administrators attended the conference.

TCJSHS Vice Principal Chris Hollinden gave an update about their presentation in Indianapolis to local board members this week.

霍林登说, it all started with a trip to Evansville late last year when they spoke to the Ivy Tech Board of Trustees. 在会上，他们给苏·埃尔斯佩曼留下了深刻的印象, 常青藤科技社区学院院长, who asked them to go to Indianapolis to share information with Ivy Tech administrators about how they integrated Ivy Spark into the school system and how it has improved the quality of education since then.

“这是一个很好的机会. 听起来很奇怪, but it was reflective for me to be able to do … because sometimes we roll (ahead) and don’t think about where we were,霍林登说.

Erin Emerson, vice president of the Perry County Development Corporation, spoke at the summit. Speaking to Tell City trustees, she explained some of the topics she shared in Indianapolis.

“我们解释说我们是一家小公司, 农村社区, 就像许多小社区一样, 我们应对人才流失, 人口下降趋势, 人口老龄化, 我们正试着积极应对,爱默生说.

爱默生将佩里县描述为一个以制造业为基础的县, 统计数据显示，36%的就业来自该行业. 第二是医疗保健. 这两家公司都是全国工资最高的供应商.

Going back to 2010, she said, “Naturally the focus of development (up until 2010) was big business. 然后在我们的常青藤理工学院，非常注重学术. Fast forward to 2013, we had around 300 unfilled positions in our community. 我们也面临着失去校园的可能. 作为一个社区，我们团结起来，找到了留住常春藤科技的办法. Without it, you have students who have to drive 50 miles to the nearest location.”

爱默生在同一时间说过, the development corporation shifted its focus from big business to workforce development, 吸引人才和社区发展.

来自常春藤理工学院, the development corporation wanted education programs available that encouraged community jobs. Attracting the right kind of instructors meant supporting long commutes with local grants, 在其他激励措施中. 

加里Greubel, 威尼斯注册送38元人力资源, 他也出席了印第安纳波利斯, 告诉受托人为什么沃帕卡会参与这些学校, “保持人才很重要,” he said.

“我们不希望学校成为带来工人的农民, 但这里有技术性的贸易工作,他透露道. 自动化和集成技术是沃帕卡的重要组成部分, and they want to “Provide students a career pathway within manufacturing. 一种是高学习要求技能.” Waupaca uses a mentorship program allowing students to safely learn the basics of electrical panels and the like.

“这是他们获得的经验. 对制造业的积极看法。.

他们是如何支持社区的, 沃帕卡支持当地的日托, 为WTE的STEM实验室做出了贡献, 支持VEX机器人, 提供初级成就，并有实习计划.

Greubel shared, sometimes student interns learn a career pathway isn’t for them. 其他时间, interns learn computer software and manufacturing practices that attract customer attention and interns are offered employment because of their experience.

格鲁贝尔说:“我们必须通过常春藤科技发展自己的产品。.

霍林登周二晚上对学校董事会成员说, “So much of what we are doing now in our schools is more relevant than it’s ever been. 我们教育孩子的方式发生了重大转变.” Speaking about Ivy Tech administrators who heard their presentation in Indianapolis, Hollinden说, “(这种转变)越来越倾向于他们能给我们提供什么. 我想他们中的一些人认为这是一个可以抓住的机会.”

至于佩里县现在的教育与10年前相比的情况, Hollinden说, “10年前，我们非常封闭. 这就是学校的典型情况. But we started having these conversations with PCDC about what can we do, 因为我们确实看到了长期问题, 不断减少的未受教育的劳动力. 我们如何把人才带回来，把最好的人才带回来? 我们如何维持目前的状况.”

他说，当他们讨论这些问题时，大家都感到泄气. “We had to start what was almost an awareness campaign to educate our kids and just as importantly to educate our parents. That if you want to come back here, there are jobs here, and good paying jobs.”

Hollinden pointed out that the Ivy Tech classes are more than just outside internships, 但在很多课堂上都有大学双学分. “常春藤理工学院在这方面帮了很大的忙，”他说.

“Having a career pathway when a kid goes through school is more relevant now than ever,霍林登说. “你需要找到有创造力的人，他们可以建立这些途径.”

科学的碗

William Tell Elementary boasts a fourth place win for the Science Bowl Team in the state big school competitive division out of 28 schools attending.

Sarah Peter, sixth grade science teacher, coached the team to their place. 该队参加了三场比赛.

Peter explained, The 2019-2020 Science Bowl competition consisted of three rounds. 实验赛，团体赛，个人赛.

所有问题都是通过在线测试进行的. The Science Bowl team was able to compete with other schools at a distance, 评委在哪里评估所有参赛作品并统计结果. 比赛的报名表格应于2019年10月提交, with information posted on experiment requirements and the online test posted in November 2019. 比赛本身于1月6日举行. 27-30号，所有参赛作品都在这里提交

11名学生中有4人参加了个人比赛. Students were, Aaron Hilgenhold, Rylyn Aubrey, Alexis Fulton and Kelton Aubrey. 所有参与者都参加了在线测试和实验.

The common theme among participants for this year’s competition was Life Science, Biology. Peter said, 该团队学会了如何从香蕉中提取DNA, 以及不同类型的细胞和它们的组成,他们的结果是他们的入口.

学生说, “我们每天都练习, 跳过课间休息只是为了练习所有的词汇和我们的项目.”

系统认证第二轮

“最初有34所学校寻求STEM认证, and now through the second round we had two weeks to provide more evidence in the grey areas that weren’t at the (required) level and 11 schools made it through. We are one of the 13,” declared Laura Noble, William Tell Elementary principal.

扩大学生对科学的学习, 技术, engineering and mathematics continues at WTE as school faculty and administration pursues certification as an Indiana Department of Education STEM school.

As reported last month the IDOE looks for schools whose faculty and administration who are interested in supporting a shift in teaching methods to develop students’ ability to think logically, 解决问题, 在学术和现实环境中进行创新, 参与调查, 与同事合作并自我激励.

来宝公司在第一轮之后报道, 他们发现自己有点不足, 但这是意料之中的，因为他们是IDOE STEM标准的新手. 他们并没有放弃满足要求, and after providing more evidence to get their initial scores to expected levels, 额外的努力和证据提高了他们的分数. They now have round two to look forward to, a visit from IDOE representatives.

改进是一个需要不同步骤和时间的过程, 正如Noble所描述的, “我们只剩下一个必要元素，那就是‘专业发展’,’ we need on utilizing STEM assessments in the classroom and providing feedback. So we turned to our Southern Indiana Education Center and they’re going to come and provide customized training.“而SIEC正在参观WTE, faculty and administrators hope to learn more of what they need to improve that specific area.