Elkhart High School awarded $500,000 during awards gala
The Indiana Department of Education awarded over $4 million to schools across the state at the first Educational Excellence Awards Gala. Elkhart High School received a $500,000 award at the event.
Elkhart High School was awarded $500,000 for Excellence in Crossing the Finish Line. This award recognized the high school with the greatest access and credential completion rates for students in the Crossing the Finish Line initiative with Ivy Tech Community College. Crossing the Finish Line provides free tuition, fees, books and other expenses.
The Hammond Area Career Center was also awarded $500,000 in this category.
“Indiana’s educators bring passion and energy to classrooms across the state – and it’s important that we celebrate them with that same passion and energy,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “Indiana’s first-ever Educational Excellence Awards Gala brought together some of our most impactful educators and school leaders, whose daily work is helping countless students to ignite their own purpose, know their value and understand the possibilities for their life’s path. We know that real impact for students happens at the educator-level, and our team remains dedicated to supporting educators and amplifying their good work.”
In addition, North Liberty Elementary School teacher Emily Batton was granted $5,000 for the Excellence in Leading and Learning Award. This award honors teachers who earned the most professional growth points through the Indiana Learning Lab.
Additional awards granted at the gala:
Excellence in STEM Award
West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School, West Lafayette School Corporation - $250,000
This award recognizes a high school that had a student selected for the 2022 Governor's STEM Team and that had the highest percentage of STEM course completions during the 2021-2022 school year.
Excellence in Leading and Learning Award (Corporation)
Randolph Eastern School Corporation - $425,000
This award recognizes a school corporation that provides support for educators through instructional resources, professional development opportunities and other best practices and that had the most professional growth points earned per teacher through the Indiana Learning Lab since its launch last year.
Excellence in Early Literacy Award
Tri-Township Consolidated School Corporation - $160,000
Eman Schools - $170,000
Pleasant View Elementary School, Zionsville Community Schools - $410,000
This award focuses on ensuring all students demonstrate proficiency in foundational reading skills by recognizing a school corporation (Tri-Township) that has achieved a 100% district-wide passing rate on the 2022 IREAD-3 assessment. It also recognizes a large (Pleasant View) and small (Eman) elementary school that have achieved the highest school-wide IREAD-3 pass rate percentage, along with the highest pass rate across all student populations.
Excellence in Crossing the Finish Line
Elkhart High School, Elkhart Community Schools - $500,000
Hammond Area Career Center, School City of Hammond - $500,000
This award recognizes the high school with the greatest access and credential completion rates for students through the Crossing the Finish Line initiative through Ivy Tech Community College (Elkhart) and Vincennes University (Hammond). Crossing the Finish Line prioritizes the completion of high-value postsecondary credentials for graduating seniors by providing free tuition, fees, books and certain other expenses.
Excellence in Work-Based Learning
Heritage Jr./Sr. High School, East Allen County Schools - $310,000
This award recognizes a school that is providing students a leg up in their futures and in their chosen careers by providing access to high-quality work-based learning experiences. Specifically, the award recognizes a school with enrollment of at least 500 students that had the highest percentage of student work-based learning course completions in the 2020-2021 school year.
Excellence in Academic Gains
Charles A. Beard Memorial School Corporation - $500,000
East Gibson School Corporation - $375,000
Paramount Englewood - $105,000
Western School Corporation - $500,000
While student learning was impacted across the board as a result of the pandemic, Indiana’s most at-risk students had persistent learning and educational attainment gaps even prior to the global pandemic. This award recognizes four school corporations or charter schools across Indiana that have made the most progress in improving achievement among these student populations. This is measured by ILEARN English/language arts assessment results among Hispanic (C.A. Beard) and special education (East Gibson) students, and by ILEARN math assessment results among Black (Paramount Englewood) and English learner (Western) students.