At the January 8, 2025 Regular Meeting of the Board of Education the following individuals were recognized for helping to make Washington Township a Superior School District.
Congratulations to the following Northview Middle School Students who participated in the Luke’s Leaders 8th grade program, Youth and Government which is delivered by the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis each fall. Vaniya Clark, Preston Peterson, Brea Gipson-Ford, Gloria Bahati and Joshua Thompson who is not a NV student but we wanted to recognize as part of the team. This year Luke’s Leaders had 12 students who participated. Over 10 weeks, the students learned about local government and how legislation gets proposed, created, and passed into law. These students identified issues that they care deeply about and then wrote legislation. All of this under the expert leadership of Anders Kleiman of the YMCA. We would also like to thank and recognize some other key supporters and volunteers Laney Marshall, Gary Chambers, Nelsen Lenze and Thomas Lange who played key roles in making this all happen. We are looking forward to the Leadership Summit on January 18 where they will bring all five of their active Luke’s Leaders groups together. Again, congratulations to all!
Congratulations to Ms. Jocelyn Sisson, NC faculty, who was recognized by the Awards Committee at the Indiana Association for the Gifted as the 2024 Friend of the Gifted Award winner. Ms. Sisson was nominated for this award by a colleague. The Indiana Association for the Gifted takes great pride in honoring those who have significantly, contributed to the field of gifted education. Individuals recognized for this award show exemplary contributions to the support and or nurturing of Indiana’s gifted students. In addition to her teaching duties, Ms. Sisson has been instrumental in developing the Panther Exploration Project as a graduation pathway at North Central High School. She is one of three lead team members overseeing the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support at NCHS and Culturally Responsive Teaching for the English and Special Education departments, and she developed and administered the New Teacher Academy for new staff to North Central for over a decade. Jocelyn has served as a consultant for College Board as they develop reading and writing sections for the SAT exam and has many years of experience as an AP exam reader. As the North Central International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program Director, Jocelyn has helped all students reach for more challenging academic goals. There is no doubt in my mind that Ms. Sisson likely reads thousands of essays each school year, and we can only imagine the sum of those essays after a 25+ year career in the teaching of English. Congratulations again to our 2024 Friend of the Gifted, Ms. Jocelyn Sisson.
Congratulations to Alex Lantz, a NC teacher, for being honored by a first-generation college student from DePauw University. Former WT student of yours, Juana Burgara-Partida, has been selected by DePauw University as its Realizing the Dream recipient. You were named as the educator who was most influential in their decision to attend college. Please accept the congratulations of all those associated with this program. It is a distinction in which you can take justifiable pride, knowing you made a difference in a student’s life. Since 1989 Independent Colleges of Indiana has sponsored Realizing the Dream, a program funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. The program is designed to recognize the achievements of first-generation college students. A first-generation college student is one whose parents did not have the opportunity to pursue and complete formal education beyond high school. We hope, as a result of this recognition, your student will serve as an inspiration and role model for other potential first-generation college students. In addition to your student’s gratitude, you will receive a grant check for $1,000 at the banquet on March 1, 2025 to use towards professional development. Congratulations again Alex, we love seeing how our educators have and will continue making an impact on our students!
Congratulations to Mr. Steve Auslander, Allisonville Elementary Teacher, for being recognized as the Ambassador of the Kahoot! Cup. What began in 2017 as a small classroom experiment has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon: the Kahoot! Cup. This year’s event, held on November 21-22, brought together 4,400 students from 53 countries, united by their curiosity, creativity, and a shared mission to build bridges through learning. Spearheaded by Kahoot! Ambassador Steve Auslander, the Kahoot! Cup is a shining example of how educational tools can foster global empathy and understanding. In its eighth year of gameplay, the Kahoot! Cup remains a celebrated event. Each year, students and teachers come together for a live, virtual, pop culture quiz tournament! Students from around the world represent their countries with flags, trophies, posters, and banners, engaging in a 30-question kahoot recapping trends, stories, and news from the year prior. Waving across the live Zoom video screen, students across all ages, grades, and ability levels corral for a collaborative, competitive, and all-around awesome live event. In the years since the inaugural event, Steve has themed the Kahoot! Cup with a mantra of “more alike than we are different” driving group success while offering trivia that transcends language and culture, including topics like global events, pop culture, and shared traditions. Congratulations again Mr. Auslander and we are honored to have you as part of the WT staff.
We would like to thank and congratulate Moody’s Butcher Shop and their collaboration with WT’s PACES program/partnership. NC has three young men as part of their Transition program that work at Moody’s two days a week. Both these days are the days when Moody’s get their shipments in for the store. The student’s jobs are to help restock the refrigerated cases, clean the glass fronts, clean the countertops, clean the front windows, vacuum, organize the refrigerated cases (making sure things are where they’re supposed to go and making sure the closest dates are towards the front), and help label things. Once the students are done for the day, the staff make a snack for them to bring back as a thank you. The young men enjoy working over there as they have learned very important restaurant skills, customer service, stocking skills, and cleaning skills. These young men have also gained more confidence in their skills while working there. The young men have a great relationship with the manager and workers who are extremely patient with them. Mr. Plumber, NC staff member, has worked very closely with Stormy Kramer, Moody’s Manager, to communicate the needs of the business and the students. Together this has fostered a great and meaningful experience. We are very thankful to have Moody’s as a community partner for our transition program. We would also like to acknowledge Moody’s CEO – Bowman Elder and Lance Shade. Thank you again for all your support of Washington Township Schools!
At the January Board of Education meeting, Westlane Middle School was spotlighted in the Spotlight on Education. Please review the slides below to see the information and recognitions that were shared.
