Young educators are becoming the focus of Muncie Community Schools.03
Community members share experiences about the Muncie Fieldhouse.07
United Way targets kindergarten-third grade students for the statewide iREAD-3 exam.18
The journey of an MCS student turned MCS educator.20
A new writing center at Muncie Central
Removing barriers to make opportunity real for Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American people. Learn more at luminafoundation.org/racialequity
Lee Ann Kwiatkowski is the Muncie Community Schools director of public education and
Dear Muncie,
In 2019, when I became the new director of public education and CEO for Muncie Community Schools, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting myself into. I don’t think anyone did. I knew the future was bright for MCS and was excited to begin the work.
Ball State University had already been granted the right to establish an appointed school board that would oversee the school district’s policies, and they selected me to help implement those policies. The goal was not to just get MCS back on track but to get it on an upward trajectory that would put it among the best public school systems in the state.
Five years later, I’m happy to report that MCS has achieved several of the goals we set out to accomplish, and we’re improving in the areas we knew would take longer to turn around. As we track MCS’ progress since the Ball State-MCS partnership began, we see that:
• MCS preschool has expanded to every elementary school in the district with enrollment up by more than 300 percent (approximately 220 total students).
• Overall, student enrollment has stabilized with an increase of nearly 100 students this school year.
• Starting teacher pay has gone from $36,500 to $51,500 per year, and all MCS teachers have received sizable pay increases each of the past five years.
• The teacher retention rate has jumped considerably, now around 84 percent.
• Project Lead The Way (STEM education) is taught to all students in grades 1-8 and offered at the high school to better prepare students for future success.
• District finances have flipped – going from $10 million in the red to a positive cash flow of $30 million with $10 million in our Rainy Day Fund.
• More than $42 million (federal ESSERS funds) in capital improvements have helped us renovate four of our elementary schools and provide a new multi-purpose stadium for Muncie Central High School student athletes (bond project).
• Our new Science of Reading curriculum has all of our elementary schools seeing high growth in English Language Arts for the first time ever based on the middle-of-the-year formative assessment.
• Student participation in after-school and summer programs has grown considerably.
• Community partnerships and family engagement are much higher than in previous years.
• MCS and the community are engaged in a cradle-to-career initiative to improve education attainment.
• MCHS’ outstanding Early College program continues to grow, this year awarding Associate’s degrees to 38 students, saving each thousands of dollars.
• From automotive service technology to welding, MCS’ career center offers 14 different career pathways that provide hands-on learning, professional credentials and real work experience.
All this wonderful progress is part of the reason that my pending retirement, announced last month, makes this a very bittersweet time
for me. I have absolutely loved working with this school board and getting to know all the wonderful, caring people in this community. I will miss being part of the continued progress on a day-to-day basis, but I look forward to it nonetheless.
At the same time, I’ve missed occasions with my growing family and feel now is the time to prioritize that. I’ve grown to love Muncie, and I’m still passionate about providing all students with a worldclass education, but I also know MCS is in great hands as it moves forward.
Dr. Chuck Reynolds, the CEO in waiting, is ready to lead the district through its next chapter.
As a Muncie native, and my right-hand person for the past five years, Chuck is perfectly suited to keep the district progressing. He has deep roots in the community and still has two boys going through Central High School, so he is fully invested.
I’m happy that I will continue as a consultant to assist Chuck during this leadership transition, and I want to express my deepest gratitude to Ball President Geoffrey Mearns, MCS Board President Jim Williams, the entire MCS Board of Trustees, Ball State Provost Anand Marri and many, many others for all their assistance and encouragement since I came onboard.
Muncie schools have come a long way in a short time, but there is still much to do. I can’t wait to see where things go from here, and a piece of my heart will always be Bearcat purple.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lee Ann Kwiatkowski
Public school systems like Muncie Community Schools are turning to young teachers.
Arizona’s Supreme Court passed a ruling April 4 to end access to virtually all abortions, according to the Associated Press. This ruling puts an 1864 law in effect that criminalizes abortion unless the mother’s life is at stake, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The battleground state is now considered to be at the forefront of the 2024 presidential election.
A study by QR Code Generator using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found Hoosiers to be the fourth-most overworked population in the nation. The state’s data has improved during the past decade, with Hoosiers working an average of 4.6 fewer hours, but they are still putting in nearly 77 more hours per year than other states.
The city of Muncie was engulfed in totality for approximately four minutes during the total solar eclipse April 8. Locals and people from surrounding Midwest states gathered across Muncie and the state of Indiana to experience the once-in-a-lifetime event. The next total solar eclipse in the United States will be in 2044.
Muncie Community Schools has improved its focus on the importance of young educators.Trinity Rea Associate News Editor
“The ship is sinking,” second-year teacher Zachary Houser said.
Houser is referring to a ‘ship’ full of veteran educators who are falling behind in today’s world of rapidly evolving education practices and standards. This can be solved, as these teachers are preparing to retire, yet, they have no one to replace them.
This issue is growing larger. According to a 2022 study released by the National Opinion Research Center, less than one in five Americans would encourage a young person to become a K-12 teacher.
Participants based their responses on issues like lack of pay and stressful work environments. The study parallels the actual lack of young educators currently in the workforce.
Muncie Community Schools (MCS) recognizes this and has begun to implement steps and programs to allow college graduates to find their footing in teaching — fast.
Director of Elementary Education at MCS Heidi White acknowledged the stigma surrounding young teachers, while also highlighting their benefits.
“There is value in a veteran teacher for sure, but there’s also value [in] having somebody come in with a fresh perspective,” she said.
In her current role, White oversees the curriculum for grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and MCS’ preschool programs. Additionally, she said her role also comes with an overall focus on school improvement.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its 2023 Education at a Glance report, it reported within OECD countries, 18 percent of teachers at preprimary levels are under the age of 30.
The report also stated that in 45 percent of countries with available data, teachers aged 50 and older are at least double those under 30. This statistic can prove costly when teachers have to retire, as recently, educators are more frequently leaving the profession.
According to the National Education Association, 86 percent of its members noted they saw more educators leave the profession since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is something that can be fixed by young teachers. White acknowledged this and said in her 18 years at MCS, she’s seen the importance of young educators firsthand.
“I do feel like, a lot of times, people [who] are coming in younger have a renewed sense of hope for our kids, which is what we need,” White said. “That’s not to say veteran teachers don’t, but … [young teachers] come in, and they are ready and feel empowered and take ownership of [the] kids in our community.”
First-grade teacher Savannah Oliphant at East Washington Academy is one such young educator. In her second year at MCS, Oliphant said she has
With the way that education is working in America right now, people are leaving in mass, kind of unprecedented numbers, so you have to focus on young teachers.”
taken on a lot of responsibility with her co-teacher. Last year, she helped create a new curriculum which is now being implemented in her current classroom, something she feels she “nailed.”
Living in Muncie until she was about eight, Oliphant attended the school she now teaches at when it was open as Washington-Carver Elementary School. Additionally, she attended Ball State University for her last two years of earning her undergraduate degree.
She said this lived experience with MCS has bettered her as a teacher.
“I know what it’s like to be in a lower socioeconomic school district and status … I know what these kids go through,” she said. “I always have the same structure, I always have the same routine because [students] don’t get that anywhere else.”
In terms of being a young teacher, she said it’s an important initiative to have in schools and a title she values. Oliphant said being a young teacher
equates to being more adventurous, something encouraged by her administration.
Additionally, she said working in a school full of young teachers is “awesome” as she feels there is more possibility to collaborate and bounce ideas off of one another to make sure students succeed.
However, while her reality is something she loves, it is still something she is getting used to.
“It’s really weird that the parents are older than me or my age,” Oliphant said. “I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, how do I talk to these people?’”
Houser echoed Oliphant and said being a young teacher gives him an advantage over his older coworkers. Even though it’s still something he’s adjusting to, he said being able to consume media in the same ways his students do helps.
“I didn’t think my students would make me feel old at 25, but they definitely do,” he said.
Houser teaches Latin at Muncie Central High School and said MCS’ “forward-thinking vision” with young teachers makes sense. He believes
MCS’ continued partnership with Ball State is “wonderful” and easily allows graduating Cardinals and community members to contribute to the school system.
“I think MCS’ mission to make the school a safe place for these kids and to be a stable factor [in their life] is really positive,” he said. “[MCS is] willing to take a more holistic picture than a lot of educators and people in education are willing to do.
“Without that support, that extra help that MCS is trying to provide to new teachers, I don’t know how many people could really swing it,” he added. “I think that they’re doing exactly what they have to do, you know, keep the ship afloat.”
Houser recognized and has experienced the “boom or bust” cycle in the education system where veteran teachers retire and new, young teachers have to take their place.
He said young teachers are bridging the gap between student and school, something desperately needed today.
“The situation is bad everywhere, and the kids are missing some major developmental milestones, whether that be through COVID[-19] or other systemic things,” Houser said. “With the way that education is working in America right now, people are leaving in unprecedented numbers, so you have to focus on young teachers.”
Contact Trinity Rea via email at trinity.rea@bsu. edu or on X @thetrinityrea.
New writing center at Muncie Central High School helps students cultivate writing abilities.
Muncie Central High School is now home to the district’s first writing center, a fully functional space that mimics writing centers at the collegiate level, including those found on Ball State’s own campus.
Morgan Leckie, an 11th-grade English teacher at Muncie Central, has lived in the Muncie community for nearly a decade and has two children who attend Muncie Community Schools. Due to this close connection, she wanted to do something to help support Muncie Community Schools (MCS) outside of her current position.
“I came to Muncie Central eager to work for our public schools here in Muncie,” she said. “I noticed that our public schools don’t have enough support.”
Leckie is now the director of the school’s writing center. She is also a former Ball State University English professor. Last year was her first time teaching 11th grade. During the transition from teaching collegiate-level to high school students, “I didn’t see that we had struggling writers. [Students] were just unpracticed and reluctant,” Leckie said.
Andy Klotz, MCS Chief Communications Officer, said this attitude is called scriptophobia, “the fear of writing something that will be read by others or graded by a teacher.”
“This kind of reluctance to write goes well beyond not knowing where to start a paper or being unsure of how best to structure ideas,” Klotz said in a press release. “It’s a visceral reaction, much like the more common fear of public speaking.” In a world of scripted social media posts and photo captions, writing is not as avoidable as public speaking.
“Writing is something a lot of us are doing anyway,” Leckie said.
An assistant teaching professor at Ball State, Kat Greene, emphasized in her first-year writing classes that being able to give and receive feedback on writing is a necessary skill for any career path.
The education curriculum at the collegiate and K-12 levels underwent significant changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. No face-to-face exchange between teachers and students meant completion of an assignment was valued more than accuracy across the board.
“COVID was absolutely detrimental because [teachers and students] started to commoditize the exchanges of education,” Leckie said.
The so-called “jumping through hoops” to complete a task or assignment created a breeding ground for technology advancements like ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, to thrive.
Leckie was an educator during the pandemic, so she made it clear not to criticize teachers.
“I think the literacy skills for the students I meet don’t have the same foundations as students who didn’t go through something like a global pandemic,” she said.
The work from her students carries an organic quality AI cannot replicate, something she reminds students of to increase their literary competence. She argued ChatGPT could fit into the education system but with parameters. She said such technology advancements should be used to assist one’s knowledge, rather than be relied heavily upon as a crutch.
Greene admitted that certain technology advancements are fun to use, but academically, there are no shortcuts to critical thinking. Academic writing has its own set of constraints, which she
said she knows can be difficult to hone.
“One of the goals of the writing center is to promote writing,” Greene said.
She said she found that her students like to write — and often do so prolifically — but the specifics of academic writing present them with challenges.
Leckie understood this when stepping into the role of writing center director. She said her priority is to help kids grow with writing in a way that “actually serves them” and to be better at understanding the world around them.”
through the Indiana Department of Education’s Learning Recovery Grant, a grant heavily written by her predecessor, Jackie Grutsch McKinney.
“The grant, in total, is about $3 Million … The collaboration between Ball State and local writing centers is only a small part of that,” Greene said.
There are five school renovation projects across Muncie that the grant has funded since the fall of 2022. The writing center project at Muncie Central began in the fall of 2023 after Burris Laboratory School acted as a successful “pilot program.”
“It’s early for [MCS], but we’re excited,” she said. “A lot of things really helped us create this partnership that I don’t know other schools or communities have as readily available to them as we did.”
“Writing well and literacy are some things I always want other people to be empowered through because they changed my life.”
- MORGAN LECKIE, Muncie Central High School 11th grade English teacher and writing center director
Those at the center cannot provide these opportunities without significant financial planning to ensure its stability.
Greene, who is the project director for the collaboration that saw Muncie Central’s writing center come to fruition, said the center is funded
Leckie said a supportive, involved administration is “key” to the success of any time-intensive, costly undertaking. Lasting success from the writing center is something Leckie and Greene both are looking for in the years to come.
“My hope is that in the next five years, we can continue to do work in such a way that impacts this community by sending a lot of [Muncie] Central kids to college,” Leckie said.
The abilities to read comprehensively and write effectively enable one to communicate efficiently. Leckie, who taught her older brother how to read when she graduated college, knows firsthand that having adequate education resources available breaks generational poverty.
“Writing well and literacy are some things I always want other people to be empowered through because they changed my life,”she said.
Contact Katherine Hill with comments at katherine.hill@bsu.edu.
Past and present Bearcats speak about their memories of the historic Muncie Fieldhouse.
Freshman Keegan Johnson was named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Pitcher of the Week, his second time this season. He was awarded Co-Pitcher of the Week March 25. This is the third straight conference honor for Ball State with Merritt Beeker being awarded last week. Johnson has 47 strikeouts on the season, ranked fourth in NCAA Division I.
The Cardinals will host other schools in Muncie for the We Fly Track and Field Challenge. The meet will start at 11 a.m. April 12 and will start at 10:45 a.m. April 13, kicking off with honoring the senior class. The events will be held outside at the Briner Sports Complex next to the Scheumann Stadium.
Ball State will head to Plum Creek Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, to play in the IUPUI Jaguar Classic. This will be the last event of the regular season for the Cardinals before they travel for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship. Last year, Ball State placed seventh out of 11 teams in the tournament.
Standing at 96 years old, the Muncie Fieldhouse has made a lasting impact on the entire state of Indiana.Kyle Smedley Co-Sports Editor and Print Managing Editor
Once the wooden doors open to reveal nine state championship banners hanging above the purple Bearcat at center court, the Muncie Fieldhouse looks just as it did during its inaugural season in 1928.
With a capacity of 7,000+, it was, for a time, the largest high school gym in the world before that title was first taken by the New Castle Fieldhouse just 21 minutes away. Nearing its 100th birthday, the Muncie Fieldhouse continues to be celebrated by community members, alumni, and current players or staff.
Bonzi Wells
“I remember when I fell in love with basketball,” Wells said.
It was 1988. The Muncie native was in elementary school, and his dad, Gawen, wanted to take him to a basketball game.
“I remember walking in there and seeing the sea of Purple and White wall to wall,” Wells said. “The school spirit, the mascot, the cheerleaders dancing, the band playing.
“I looked around and thought, ‘This is what I want to do.’”
It was two years before Wells suited up for the Bearcats’ varsity squad, but making the freshman ‘B’ team after being cut from his eighth grade team was a landmark moment in the future NBA player’s life.
“I went home, I put the whole uniform on my bed, and I stood and stared at it for hours,” Wells said. “I told myself from that moment on, ‘I’m going to do my best in this uniform.’”
Wells eventually made an impact for the Bearcats, helping lead Muncie Central to a 24-2 record in his senior season.
“It was a great time to be alive and be a Muncie Central basketball player,” Wells said. “When you get that type of support, you don’t want to let the community down because it seemed like when a Muncie Central game was going on, all of Muncie was shut down.”
Wells said when he was last in Muncie in December 2023, he wanted to take his sons to the Fieldhouse with no one else around. Calling the venue his “safe haven,” the Muncie native Bonzi
said he never feels more at home than when he’s at the Fieldhouse.
“It’s the symbol of the city,” Wells said. “It’s therapeutic in there … If it wasn’t for Muncie Central and that Fieldhouse, I don’t know where I would be.”
Just two numbers in the history of Ball State basketball are hanging in the rafters of Worthen Arena, retired from further use. One is Wells, the other is McCallum, both of whom attended Muncie Central and spent their youth putting on a show in the Fieldhouse.
Their high school journeys even started similarly when McCallum didn’t make the varsity squad until his junior season. Unlike Wells, McCallum had prior experience playing in the Fieldhouse before m aking it to high school as the historic venue played host to many middle school and recreational games during his youth.
“That’s probably why I shot the ball so well in the Fieldhouse,” McCallum said.
In his two seasons as a varsity starter, McCallum led the Bearcats to two consecutive State Championships in 1978 and 1979. Recalling the community support that came with the historic seasons, McCallum called the Muncie Fieldhouse “the place to be” in the late 1970s.
“It was built for basketball,” McCallum said. “It’s a great floor, a great shooting background, you had on-court seating, you had the balcony, but it was still close where the fans were right there by the action.”
Jeff Holloway
When Muncie Central’s current athletic director and 1994 Muncie Central graduate thinks of his time playing at the Fieldhouse, he doesn’t remember many individual games.
“I remember running out of the locker room, and it was electric,” Holloway said. “You smelled the popcorn, the band was rocking and then you saw the purple.”
When Holloway played at Arkansas State in college and then overseas professionally, he said when he showed his teammates photos of the Fieldhouse, they couldn’t believe a venue of its size was home to high school sports.
Holloway has had the chance to occupy the Fieldhouse in three different roles: player, coach and administrator. When he was head coach of the Bearcats for three seasons from 2014-17, he said he was finally able to appreciate the historic venue in a way he didn’t as a player.
“It’s a sacred place,” Holloway said.
The current Muncie Central boys’ basketball head coach never played a sanctioned game at the Fieldhouse despite graduating from Delta High School in 1996. The only time he was able to get shots up in the landmark was during an annual preseason ‘jamboree’ hosted by Muncie Central with local schools like Yorktown and Delta invited and at a local All-Star Game during his senior season.
Unlike Ullom, Jones has not always called Delaware County home. Born in Alexandria, Indiana, before moving to Redkey, Indiana, Jones didn’t enroll at Muncie Central until ninth grade.
Three years later, in the 1962-63 season, Jones won the Indiana Mr. Basketball Award, the third and most recent Bearcat to earn the honor.
Jones remembered one of his keys to success while playing at the Fieldhouse, claiming one of the corners of the court sagged and provided him with an extra boost whenever he took a jump shot.
“I loved to go over to that corner and shoot because I felt like I was jumpin’ higher,” Jones said. Perhaps more important to Jones, he led the Bearcats to their fifth state championship in program history that same season. Calling Muncie Central boys’ basketball “the top of the hill” during his tenure in the Purple and White, Jones remembers local fire marshals having to turn away excess fans at most home games as the Fieldhouse was filled to capacity with local fans.
“It should always be there,” Jones said. “It was the heart of Muncie Central.
Now, he spends numerous hours every week in the hallowed grounds.
“Muncie Central is, and always has been, the program,” Ullom said. “To be one of the stewards of the program, [we’re] trying to honor the past players and coaches that have come before us and see if we can do it the right way.”
Ullom’s main objective with the current and future crop of Bearcats he leads is to help them not take their home court for granted.
“We’d like to get them in there while they’re young to start that desire and fascination with the fieldhouse and one day be able to wear the Purple and White,” Ullom said.
To most Ball State followers, the moment that put Thompson on the map was his putback dunk against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) in the Sweet 16 of the 1990 NCAA Tournament. However, his love for basketball began in the Muncie Fieldhouse.
The Muncie Fieldhouse, with a capacity of more than 7,000 people, sits empty April 7. Some fans wanting to see a game at the Fieldhouse in the mid-1900s were turned away by local fire marshals because there was no space left. A jersey formerly worn by Muncie Central boys’ basketball alumni Ray McCallum is framed in the memorabilia room at the Muncie Fieldhouse March 25. McCallum was a starter for Muncie Central’s 1978 and 1979 state championship teams. KYLE SMEDLEY, DNContinued from Page 09
He made his biggest impact leading the Bearcats to their most recent State Championship in 1988.
“Every home game was pretty much sold out; It was standing room only,” Thompson said. Thompson credited Muncie Central’s state title to tough competition during the regular season, matching up against North Central Conference (NCC) rivals Kokomo, Anderson, Marion, Richmond and, formerly, New Castle. Each of those squads had an iconic home gym at the time, adding to fanfare surrounding the games.
It was always the Fieldhouse that stood out to Thompson for one reason: he was a Bearcat.
“I bleed purple,” he said. “I don’t bleed blue and red, I bleed purple.”
The Muncie Fieldhouse and Isom’s family are synonymous with one another. First, it was Taj’s father, Duran Isom Sr. Then, it was her cousin, Jayla Scaife. After that, it was Taj’s older brother, Duran ‘BJ’ Isom Jr.
Before she took the court regularly as a key member of the Muncie Central girls’ basketball program, Taj often journeyed to the top of the Fieldhouse to get what she felt was the best view of the action.
“It felt like going to a Pacer game,” Taj said.
After four years of action on the heralded hardwood, Taj often puts herself in the headspace of a former fan.
“It feels nostalgic,” Taj said. “Every time I’m playing, I think about when I was sitting up there and saying, ‘Man, I wish I could be down there.’” With countless hours in the Fieldhouse, Taj said her favorite moment was one of her last. It was a January evening, senior night against Muncie-Burris.
A blueprint of the Muncie Fieldhouse’s interior is showcased in the memorabilia room at the Muncie Fieldhouse March 25. The Muncie Fieldhouse has a capacity of more than 7,000. KYLE SMEDLEY, DN
“After every basket everybody was going crazy,
Forty-four years after graduating from Muncie Central, Avila stood in the middle of the Fieldhouse’s Memorabilia Room and traded stories with 1969 graduate and president of Muncie Central’s Alumni Association David Wilson, discussing Muncie Central vs. Muncie Southside rivalry games and making snowballs in the bleachers due to one of the upper windows being broken during the winter in the late ’60s.
Weller’s first trip to the Muncie Fieldhouse was as a student manager for Richmond. He didn’t realize then that he would eventually call the press box at the top of the historic venue a second home. Weller even remembers the first time he made his
“I looked through that glass window, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t see the [jersey] numbers,’” he said. “I got used to it, in fact, I loved it up there, but I can remember almost swallowing
“It was always an adventure at the Fieldhouse.”
During his 20-year tenure calling high school games on WLBC with Mannies, Weller not only narrated much of the Bearcats’ most recent State Championship in 1988, but he became a historian of the program’s history. All of this came down to a love for Muncie Central’s home court; A sanctuary Weller feared he may lose after the 2017 tornado.
“That’s like tearing down Wrigley Field or Fenway Park,” Weller said. “Thank God it’s
Although seeing boundless support from her family in the stands made it so Taj couldn’t wipe the smile off her face, the moment that sticks out the most came during gametime. the season prior.
“We wanted to play all the best teams in the
that’s what you played for: the banners and the rings,” Avila said.
Although he is a graduate of Wapahani High School, Dytmire has spent more than double his time as a Raider working at Muncie Community Schools (MCS). The current facilities director for the corporation said he started mowing lawns for MCS properties three days after graduating high school in 1990.
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Muncie Southside’s robotics team has grown during the past half-decade.
The free event will be at Betty’s Cabin from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is a take-home planting activity to learn about pollination. For the event, participants will select a wildflower bingo card and explore Oakhurst Gardens and the Nature Area. Also available are forest connectagons, leaf rubbing supplies and plant ID books.
Ball State University Theatre and Dance is putting on a production of “Cabaret” April 19-21 and April 23-27. Tickets are available to the general public and cost $18 in advance or $20 at the door. Faculty, staff and student tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door. The show is expected to last about an hour and a half. Showtimes may vary.
The free event will be held at Westminster Village in the Legacy Commons Event Hall April 15 from 2-3 p.m. Presenter Tom Schwartz will share his perspective as an exchange student in Germany during the Berlin Wall era. With his academic background in the German language and literature, he will provide an understanding of the cultural and political context of the Wall. Robotics club students set up blocks to test their robots March 19 at Muncie Southside Middle School. The aim of the game is for the robots to collect the blocks and place them in baskets.
After a school day ends at Muncie Southside Middle School, most students return home, but a select few enter Brian DeRome’s classroom to learn about robotics.
They wander in to the white-covered brick classroom, with chatty conversation about homework assignments and the upcoming practice.
They get to work, busy hands sifting through tubs of gears and miscellaneous wheels that sit across the marble-floored classroom, busy minds locked in on coding sequences on their laptops. The soft humming of 200 RPM motors brings a project to life — a student-made robot, all done after the final school bell rings.
Two of the five teams representing Southside’s robotics program were given the opportunity to compete at the Indiana VEX IQ Robotics Middle School Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Students spent the majority of the school year building robots from snap-around pieces, refining their setup and construction. Following changes, these robots carry on with their task: collecting blocks and putting them in a basket.
The two teams — known as “Duck Tape and a Prayer” and “Whackadoodles” — communicate strategy to get points.
These teams, made up of students working together on the robot from conception to competition, usually consist of a driver who operates the team’s robot, a designer who designs the robot, a builder who helps assemble the robot, and a programmer who plugs in scripts and commands for robot. Some of these roles can be shared between multiple team members.
The robots, uniquely different but built from the same competition kit, play “Full Volume” attempting to pick up and drop cubes in baskets. When both teams competed at the state championship March 23, “Duck Tape and a Prayer”
excited about engineering.
When DeRome graduated from Purdue University with a major in engineering/technology teacher education in 2020, he saw an opening at Southside for an industrial technology teacher. He applied, wanting to set up a robotics program for the middle schoolers.
When he arrived at Southside, DeRome modeled his curriculum off the VEX robotics kits.
“I wanted [a] structure where kids can learn some of the competition-based ideas we do in our robotics competitions in the classroom itself,” DeRome said.
When we roll up our sleeves, and we really get after it, we’re as capable as anybody else. Our team goes out and proves that.”
- MICHAEL RATERS, Muncie Southside Middle School principal
finished 35th and narrowly missed advancing to the final. “Whackadoodles” finished 107th out of
Just four years into the program’s existence, Southside is garnering a reputation as a high-
DeRome discovered his love of robotics when he joined Jay County’s robotics program in eighth grade and wanted to implement it into his career. He wanted to coach his own robotics team, yearning to teach and inspire students to become
DeRome recruited students who were performing well in his classes. In the rebooted team’s first year, the group consisted of three.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team faced challenges and were forced to meet virtually. Southside qualified for the state competition during an in-person competition and advanced to the world championships. Held virtually, the Southside team finished seventh in its division in Southside’s first appearance.
in five attempts in high school,” DeRome said. “They were able to do it the very first time they ever did it.”
In the past decade, robotics’ popularity has grown in Indiana. Through the TechPoint Foundation for Youth, Indiana elementary and middle schools have VEX robotics kits. Andrew Fulton, program manager for TechPoint Foundation for Youth, said more than half of schools in Indiana have a robotics team.
“We’re blessed to be able not only to give schools our robotics kit but also showcasing to the teachers and school districts why it’s important that students are engaged in robotics,” Fulton said. By the 2021-22 school year, the team grew to five teammates, with two making it to the world championships, held in Dallas. The highest placing team in its division placed 46th, and more than 3,000 teams from 36 nations competed at the event. DeRome said the trip to Dallas was an opportunity for the students to open their eyes and see the world around them.
As robotics has grown, Fulton said Indiana has sent an increasing number of teams to the world championships. In 2023, Indiana sent almost 200 teams to the world championship; the most from any one area.
“I was never able to [reach the division finals]
A robot built by Brian DeRome’s students sits ready to go March 19 at Muncie Southside Middle School. Once built, the robots are used to collect blocks and put them in a basket. ANDREW BERGER, DN Robotics club students compete in a game called “Full Volume” March 19 at Muncie Southside Middle School. Both teams involved in the club competed in the state championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. ANDREW BERGER, DN Robotics club organizer Brian DeRome watches his students test their robots March 19 at Muncie Southside Middle School. DeRome was a robotics club member when he was a student in high school. ANDREW BERGER, DN
Stepping inside any elementary school classroom during independent reading time, it’s not uncommon to look out amidst a sea of wandering eyes flickering from line to line, discovering what happens when you give a mouse a cookie and how hungry a caterpillar can be.
However, amongst these children there is a child who grows frustrated as they read alongside their peers. Their mind may bounce back and forth from the words on the page to that day’s recess activities, or perhaps the letters move on the page, the child unable to distinguish “dog” from “bog” in their story. They grow defeated as they ultimately fall behind their peers, struggling to comprehend their book at a state-sanctioned level.
Reading doesn’t come easily to every child.
Consistent biennial testing through 2019 from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) concluded that two-thirds of U.S. children are unable to read with at-level proficiency.
By 2022, the NAEP revealed the proficiency level among fourth graders to be nationally lower than in 2019 but higher than in 1998.
are conducive to their learning and academic success, which is why the 20-year partnership is in constant search of ways to improve its impact.
The ultimate goal of the Cradle to Career initiative is to increase a child’s literacy skills between kindergarten and third grade, ensuring that no child faces a resource deficit before it is time to take the statewide iRead-3 exam, creating a need for the organization’s Third Grade Level Reading campaign.
“Third grade is [a] pivotal moment in a child’s education. At that point, the child should have foundational literacy skills that allow them to transition into reading new content and information to synthesize and make connections with,” Breedlove said.
She distinguished that from infancy to kindergarten, a child is learning how to read. Breedlove said from kindergarten through third grade, a child should be learning while reading, a delicate but vital transition that will shape the rest of a child’s life.
“Our third grade program was hand-picked because of our high need to prepare our students for the iRead-3 assessment. United Way’s support during this crucial year was a blessing,” said MCS’s Longfellow Elementary School Master Teacher and Instructional Coach Faith Serf.
Third grade is [a] pivotal moment in a child’s education. At that point, the child should have foundational literacy skills that allow them to transition into reading new content and information to synthesize and make connections with.”
- ASHLEY BREEDLOVE, Director of Learning Supports for Heart of Indiana United WayTo mitigate this, the nonprofit organization, Heart of Indiana United Way, prioritizes the health, education and income rates of a community to improve its overall quality of life, according to its website.
While the organization is national, the mission of its Indiana branch extends to Muncie Community elementary schools, which have been partnered with United Way for about 20 years, said Ashley Breedlove, director of learning supports for United Way.
During the past year, the organization launched its ‘Cradle to Career’ initiative, which has been implemented across the district’s elementary schools in a variety of programs to assist children of different grade levels.
The organization began its ‘Blast Off to Kindergarten’ program last spring. The program was designed to bring incoming kindergarteners into Muncie Community School (MCS) buildings and be comfortable in their classrooms early on, providing families with reading packets to extend learning through the summer months.
“We believe if students are encouraged to read at home, the likelihood of them being more successful in school is greater,” said Alison Quirk, MCS volunteer coordinator. However, both MCS and United Way recognize not all children may have the support and resources at home that
The launch of United Way’s ‘Cradle to Career’ initiative was largely fueled by the success of the organization’s already-existing Read United program, which pairs community volunteers with struggling readers in second and third grade, becoming “Den Mentors” of the classroom.
“During the program, our volunteers will read, discuss and write about the different books that they bring in to share with our students,” said Serf.
Quirk has volunteered for ‘Read United’ throughout her two years at MCS. Her favorite book to read to students is “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy.
“There’s a quote in the book [where] the boy asks the horse, ‘What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?’ The horse says, ‘I asked for help.’ Teaching our students that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness [is important]. It’s a sign that you want to do better,” Quirk said.
The message from the book is applicable to people across all stages of life. She even gave a copy to her teenage daughter.
Quirk works to recruit other community volunteers across the district’s six schools, calling the experience and partnership with United Way “very rewarding.” Those interested in contributing can fill out an application through the MCS website, under the “volunteer and donation” page.
Longfellow Elementary School Master Teacher and Instructional Coach Faith Serf poses for a photo April 9 at Longfellow Elementary School in Muncie, Indiana. The Heart of Indiana United Way and Muncie Community Schools have partnered through several different programs to increase a child’s literacy skills. MYA CATALINE, DN
The game being played is called “Full Volume”. ANDREW BERGER,
ways, a once in a lifetime experience,” Raters said. “The idea is to make sure it’s not once in a lifetime because they’re able to connect and get more interested in their education.”
An important aspect of the VEX IQ competitions is strategy. DeRome said his experience in high school helped him understand the structure of the meets.
“I was extremely fortunate to grow up in a very successful robotics team from the start,” he said. “Being able to find the right resources and know the right things to be able to help teams along helped springboard our program past other schools around us.”
Robotics has also been used as a gateway into the world of STEM for students. Fulton said being on a robotics team allows students to learn both soft and hard skills.
“You’re teaching the students how to become members of a team and how to communicate effectively,” Fulton said. “The soft skills that come out in robotics are just as important as those STEM skills.”
One crucial piece of the puzzle is communication. DeRome said students come out of their shell and talk with their teammates to formulate competition strategies.
“Most of the kids [are] introverted, but they have
We’ve found a way to be able to go toe-to-toe with some of these more successful or larger schools and teams.”
- BRIAN DEROME, Muncie Southside Middle School robotics coach
of the students when building the robots and developing strategies. He described students as “owning the operation.”
Raters, a former coach himself, also praised how DeRome leads the students, saying DeRome sets the framework and often helps facilitate the students’ actions.
This season, the Southside teams placed a series of strong finishes in competitions. There are now 17 students on five teams representing Southside; teams representing the school took victory in four meets and combined for seven awards, the most in Southside robotics history.
“We’ve found a way to be able to go toe-totoe with some of these more successful or larger schools and teams,” DeRome said.
DeRome believes the students on Southside’s robotics team have potential and put Southside robotics “on the map.” Raters said the successes of all the robotics teams shows other students they’re capable of success.
“When we roll up our sleeves, and we really get after it, we’re as capable as anybody else,” Raters said “Our [whole Southside] team goes out and proves that.”
Contact Grayson Joslin with comments at Grayson.joslin@bsu.edu or on X @ GraysonMJoslin.
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“What I love most about United Way is they offer wrap-around resources or connections to support our families needs. Their belief that it takes a village is evident,” said Serf.
Breedlove prides herself on being a member of an organization that values uniqueness and individuality within society and coming together for the greater good. Those values are evidently equally important to members of the Muncie community.
“People do want to help. There’s a very strong emphasis in [Muncie’s] community on cultural wealth and appreciating and valuing who we are as individuals, our history, our present situation, and our future goals and aspirations,” she said.
When Breedlove, her team, and members of MCS and its surrounding community meet, United Way hosts listening sessions asking locals about their aspirations for future generations.
“Those conversations always lead to, ‘We want our children to be able to read and be successful later in life,’” Breedlove said.
Cradle to Career is a “relatively new” initiative that aims to accomplish this desire among the Muncie community. Breedlove cautioned that although change of such magnitude is attainable, it’s a never-ending goal.
“The community is going to continue to evolve, the needs will continue to change. There will be other things that need to be addressed or supported or celebrated,” Breedlove said.
She added this kind of powerful, impactful, generation-lasting change starts with a collaboration between people who have one common goal in mind, the kind of collaboration that exists today between United Way and MCS.
“Working with Muncie Community Schools is phenomenal … The work that is happening in MCS, and their commitment to being partners with the community families, is truly remarkable,” Breedlove said.
The commitment comes from a shared belief among Muncie locals.
“Our community believes in lifting as we climb and I am thankful that the United Way is willing to be a part of our path. Together, we will be better,” Serf said.
Contact Katherine Hill with comments at katherine.hill@bsu.edu.
Our community believes in lifting as we climb, and I am thankful that the United Way is willing to be a part of our path. Together, we will be better.”
- FAITH SERF, Longfellow Elementary School master teacher and instructional coach
I became a teacher in the classrooms I was in as a student.
Ball State built my foundation, and MCS has helped me build on being a strong teacher.
Savannah Oliphant is a teacher at East Washington Academy in the Muncie Community School system and a graduate of Ball State University. She is writing as a guest writer for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
I have been teaching in the Muncie School District for two years now at East Washington Academy (EWA). I student taught first grade here with my mentor teacher Michelle Bergren. It was such a joy after student teaching to be selected as a first-grade teacher.
Muncie Community Schools (MCS) holds a special place in my heart, and I actually started my own education at EWA (when it was known as WashingtonCarver), where I attended kindergarten. With that being said, as I grew up, Washington-Carver always held a little piece of me.
When I finished school and decided what I wanted to be as an adult, I knew I wanted to help children.
I started my higher education at Ivy Tech Indianapolis where I got hands-on experience with Indianapolis Public School systems with the help of my directors Barbra Sanders and Andrew Buckle. They helped me realize that I was on the right track to be a teacher and that it was truly my calling.
Going to Ivy Tech Indianapolis also helped me realize that I wanted to work with students in lower socioeconomic-status communities. I wanted to work in these communities specifically so they could get the education opportunities that they deserve. I wanted to show them that you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to as long as you have a strong foundation, someone who believes in you and the confidence to believe in yourself.
While at Ivy Tech, as I did clinical experiences, every teacher I talked to told me Ball State is the place that I should go to finish my four years. My mentors let me know that it would be the best decision I would ever make with all the opportunities available.
When it came time to apply, Ball State was the first on my list, and I did the biggest happy dance when I got accepted. Ball State was truly an experience I won’t forget, especially because I commuted daily and got to enjoy COVID-19 during my two years there!
I had so many professors who still remember me and so many professors who made such a huge impact on my career. I made so many teacher friends in the program as well who I still talk to.
Actually, Makenzie Parkinson and I went through the
same program together, and we are both teachers here at East Washington Academy! Most of the people who I student taught with are still at EWA, like Tiara Taylor and Makenzie Parkinson.
MCS has made a huge impact on my life as a student and as a teacher. I feel like I can finally repay those who have helped me find myself and figure myself out through the years.
I realized that I have always wanted to help children, and what better way than to help prepare them for their future and help make them successful? I feel like this is the best school corporation that I could have been accepted into. There is so much support, and everyone gives so much for the students and so much for their teachers.
My principals and administrators who have been around since I have been here have challenged me but also encouraged me. They have guided me and assisted me and, overall, they have helped me grow and continue to grow into the teacher that I have always wanted to be. Ball State built my foundation, and MCS has helped me
When I finished school and decided what I wanted to be as an adult, I knew I wanted to help children.
Indiana experienced a total solar eclipse on April 8 for the first time in 1,200 years.
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The Fieldhouse has a different meaning for Dytmire; His fondest memories of the landmark came during his childhood when Christmas trees were sold there.
The reason for his connection to the Fieldhouse was irrelevant when a tornado damaged the structure in November 2017 because he was determined to help the Fieldhouse return to use as a member of the crew that helped repair the damages. The Fieldhouse was back to usable shape by December 2019.
“When you say, ‘Muncie,’ you usually know two things: Ball State University and the Muncie Fieldhouse,” Dytmire said.
Despite the man simply known as “Wafe” being so ingrained in the culture of Muncie Central, he didn’t spend meaningful time in the Muncie Fieldhouse until his early 30s, growing up in Fort Wayne. However, after beginning his current role as bookkeeper for the Bearcats during the 1987-88 season, his perception of the area soon changed. Wafer reminisced about “sensational” dunks from Thompson and the 50th anniversary game between Milan and Muncie Central at the Fieldhouse broadcast on ESPN. What made moments like these even more special for Wafer is that he has “the best seat in the house.”
“There’s so much history there,” Wafer said. “It’s not just about Muncie Central, but it’s for the community and the county.”
People want a fair shot college degree or other credential that allows them to learn, grow, and thrive. But opportunity isn’t equal: It still depends on who you are and where you come from. We must all do more to make opportunity real for Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American people.
Lumina’s commitment to equity: luminafoundation.org/racialequity
