Approves Building Leaders for 2015-16

The Evansville Vanderburgh Board of School Trustees tonight (5-4-15) approved a new way of supporting schools – with Directors of School Support over each high school attendance district, consisting of a high school and the middle schools and elementary schools that are feeders to it.

Superintendent David Smith explained that through 1½ years of research and the example of success in the EVSC Transformation Zone, leadership has developed a plan to support all schools in a differentiated fashion, re-aligning people with needs and re-allocating resources to fund the changes.
Currently, 34 school principals report to the Chief Academic Officer. Through work with Mass Insight Education, “we have investigated strategies to take us to the next level,” Smith said.

Best practices identified from across the nation showed the greatest success in the clustering of schools, similar to the EVSC’s Transformation Zone model recently approved by the State Legislature as an option for school improvement strategies.

Now, five Directors of School Support will be embedded in the schools and will support one high school attendance district. The sixth Director will be over all high schools, as well as innovative model schools.

During the meeting, Smith read from a list of more than 30 individuals who have left the corporation for other pursuits in the last several years, whose positions were never filled. He said the new Directors of School Support will be funded through re-allocated monies — a combination of monies saved through not filling these positions, as well as grant monies. “We have consciously not filled many positions as this strategy has been developed,” he said. “We have looked at how to better support the needs of school leadership and revised positions throughout Central Office to more directly support their work.” The Directors of School Support will now be school-based positions.

Directors of School Support for 2015-16 are:
Bosse Attendance District: Tammy Dexter, currently assistant director of the Office of Transformational Support, formerly principal at McGary Middle School
Central Attendance District: Jackie Kuhn, currently director of language arts literacy
Harrison Attendance District: Bryan Perry, currently principal of Thompkins Middle School
North Attendance District: Audra Offutt, currently principal at Vogel Elementary School
Reitz Attendance District: Todd Slagle, currently principal at Cedar Hall Community School
High Schools: Darla Hoover, currently principal at Central High School

New building leaders for 2015-16 are:
Elementary K-5 and K-6 Schools
• Caze Elementary School: Jared Turney, principal
• Cynthia Heights Elementary School: Chastity Nisbeth, principal
• Vogel Elementary School: Travis Howard, principal
• Scott Elementary School: Kimber Scarlett, principal
• Scott Elementary School: Kim Fillingham, school administrative manager

Middle and K-8 Schools
• Cedar Hall Community School: Joe Schlosser, principal
• Cedar Hall Community School: Josh Allen, assistant principal
• Thompkins Middle School: Nicole Alcorn, principal
• Thompkins Middle School: Kara Hartz, assistant principal
• AIS-Diamond Middle School: Darrin Carnahan, principal
• Perry Heights Middle School: Jeanette Lindauer, assistant principal

High Schools
• Bosse High School: Kristie Burroughs, assistant principal
• Central High School: Andrea Campbell, principal
• Central High School: Regina St. Clair, assistant principal

Re-allocation of Personnel to Support Schools More Effectively:
• Assistant Director of Student Support Services: Cyndie Carneal
• Coordinator of Family and Community Engagement: Carrie Terry
• Director of Curriculum and Response to Intervention: Emily Smith-McCormick
• Director of Educator Effectiveness: Jane Bartley
• Director of School Transformation: Kelsey Wright
• Director of Teacher Effectiveness: Shannon Strieter
• Student Data Analyst: Debra Harrington
• Chief of Staff: Paul Neidig
• Senior Chief of District Operations: Rick Cameron
• Chief Transformation Officer: Carrie Hillyard

Friday, May 8
8:05 a.m.

Meeting at AIS Diamond, 2319 Stringtown Rd. 

Evans School is celebrating National Walk to School Day tomorrow with an organized walk to Evans from neighboring AIS Diamond. Students are asked to meet at the Academy of Innovative Studies, Diamond Avenue Campus’ football field around 8:05 tomorrow morning. Around 8:15, the group will walk together to Evans. The school also will use this time as an opportunity to reflect on this school year with a balloon release.

National Walk to School Day serves as a way to encourage healthy habits among students. It also helps students learn how to walk safely among traffic and, since families also are invited to walk with their students, it encourages families to be active together.

Ivy Tech Community College estimates that nearly 21,100 credentials will be awarded at commencement ceremonies throughout the state taking place from May 7 to May 15. This is an increase of 26 percent over the last two years, and an increase of nearly 70 percent over the last five years.  In addition to earning credentials Ivy Tech students have earned thousands of credits to transfer to four-year institutions throughout the state, saving those students more than $34.8 million dollars in tuition costs.

Ivy Tech Community College Southwest will recognize a record number of graduates and award a record number of credentials at its 2015 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 8. Over 957 students will graduate, up 20% from the last academic year, and almost 400 students are expected to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. A record 1,360 degrees, certificates, and technical certificates will be awarded, the largest number in 10 years, up nearly 30% from the last academic year.

Where:                                The Ford Center, Evansville, IN

When:                                  Friday, May 8, 2015 at 7 p.m. (CST)

Featured Speaker:          Bob Jones, Ivy Tech State Trustee, and President and CEO of Old National Bank

Special Guests:                 Dr. Russ Baker, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ivy Tech Community College

Calvin Thomas IV, Vice President for the Health Division, Ivy Tech Community College

The Commencement Ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. at the Ford Center in downtown Evansville. The public is encouraged to attend the free event and no tickets are required. Ivy Tech’s first graduates from its new Associate Accelerated Program, known as ASAP, will be recognized at the ceremony. In addition, seven graduates from Ivy Tech’s EVSC Early College program will be receiving a credential during the ceremony and then graduating from high school later this month.

Bob Jones, State Trustee and President and CEO of Old National Bank will give the Commencement Address and will also be awarded an honorary degree. Nick Barton, Class of 2006, will be presented with the Ivy Tech Outstanding Alumnus Award.

Friday, May 8, 9 a.m.

North Junior High School, 15325 Highway 41 N.

For the past couple of months, eighth grade students at North Junior High School have been busy working on a service learning project that has them collecting books for Little Husky World and the Jacob Andrew Schriber Ball Wish Fund. Tomorrow, students will host a ceremony where they will explain the project and display the large amount of books collected.

The project, “HUSKIES: Behind the Books,” was for eighth grade students at North Junior High and challenged them to collect as many books as possible to give to the early childhood program and the Jacob Ball Wish Fund. In addition to collecting books, students created resources such as lesson plans, bookmarks, games, CDs with book recordings, videos and much more to help the younger students.

Background:

The Jacob Andrew Schriber Ball Wish Fund was established in spring of 2013, when Jacob Ball passed away at the young age of 12. This EVSC Foundation fund was established to grant wishes of EVSC special education teachers to give their students experiences that give them joy while they learn useful life skills.