BSU 04-16-20

N D DAILY NEWS

THE PARTNERSHIP PROJECT Pursuing progress.

Ma i n t a i n i n g s t a b i l i t y.

Embracing change.

Meet the new director of public education and CEO of MCS.

Free meals program continues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Student assistant coordinator ‘suits up’ to support students online.

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News

Looking at previous outbreaks

Here’s how the COVID-19 pandemic compares with other outbreaks and more.03

Online classrooms

Remote learning has brought with it both positives and negatives.04

EMILY WRIGHT, DN ILLUSTRATION

Proudly supporting the Muncie Community Schools initiative.

04.16.2020

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04.16.20

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Did you miss it? Catch up on the news from April 9 - 12 on ...

BallStateDailyNews.com Indianapolis police officer fatally shot

UNSPLASH, PHOTO COURTESY

April 9: Officer Breann Leath, 24, was shot at an apartment complex in the far east side of Indianapolis while responding to a domestic violence call and died at Eskenazi Hospital. A suspect was taken into custody. At a news conference outside the hospital, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said Leath “made the ultimate sacrifice for an ever-grateful city.”

Christians celebrate Easter amid pandemic

UNSPLASH, PHOTO COURTESY

April 12: Christians around the world celebrated Easter Sunday isolated in their homes by the coronavirus while pastors preached the faith’s joyous news of Christ’s resurrection to empty pews. In his address, usually delivered at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Pope Francis called for global solidarity to confront the “epochal challenge” of the pandemic.

VOL. 99 ISSUE: 30 CONTACT THE DN Newsroom: 765-285-8245 Editor: 765-285-8249, editor@bsudailynews.com

The Ball State Daily News (USPS144-360), the Ball State student newspaper, publishes Thursdays during the academic year, except during semester and summer breaks. The Daily News is supported in part by an allocation from the General Fund of the university and is available free to students at various campus locations.

EDITORIAL BOARD Brooke Kemp, Editor-in-chief Tier Morrow, Managing Editor Rohith Rao, News Editor Nicole Thomas, Features Editor Jack Williams, Sports Editor Jacob Musselman, Photo Editor Demi Lawrence, Opinion Editor Jake Helmen, Video Editor Alyssa Cooper, Social Media Editor Zach Piatt, Copy Director CREATIVE SERVICES Emily Wright, Creative Director Elliott DeRose, Design Editor Will English, Web Developer

Bookstore cancels cap and gown orders

April 9: Graduating students who placed orders for their caps and gowns to be collected at Ball State University Bookstore for the spring 2020 commencement will not receive them from the bookstore due to COVID-19 safety concerns.

Students who would still like a cap and gown may order it from Oak Hall Cap & Gown’s website and have it shipped directly to them.

Virus survivors asked to donate plasma

April 12: Indiana University Health is asking patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma to research a potential cure. The blood of those who have recovered from COVID-19 may contain antibodies that are able to fight and control the virus and can be transfused to patients who are struggling with the disease through convalescent plasma infusion.

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4-DAY WEATHER

FORECAST Ryan Crump, Weather forecaster, Benny Weather Group

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

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Hi: 47º Lo: 34º

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NEXT WEEK: Mild temperatures arrive for next week, and we’ll also see some more sunshine as highs return to the upper 50s.

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04.16.20

The facts about COVID-19 1918 pandemic:

KS REA TB OU

This influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. While there is no universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide between 1918-19.

In the United States, it was first identified in military personnel in the spring of 1918. It is estimated the virus infected about a third of the world’s population, and more U.S. soldiers died from the virus than in battle during World War I.

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HISTORY OF PA ND 1957-58 H2N2 pandemic: EM Worldwide deaths: 1.1 million IC U.S. deaths: 116,000 SA

1968 H3N2 pandemic: Worldwide deaths: 1 million U.S. deaths: 100,000

2009 H1N1 pandemic: Worldwide deaths: 284,000 U.S. Deaths: 12,469

2012-present MERS outbreak:

Worldwide deaths: 50 million U.S. deaths: 675,000

Worldwide deaths: 858 U.S. deaths: 0

2003 SARS outbreak: Worldwide deaths: 774 U.S. deaths: 0

2014-16 Ebola outbreak: Worldwide deaths: 11,325 U.S. deaths: 1

2019-20 COVID-19 pandemic: Worldwide deaths: 128,000+ U.S. deaths: 26,000+

COVID-19 symptoms:

The following symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure: • Fever • Cough • Shortness of breath

If you develop the following emergency warning signs, get medical attention immediately: • Trouble breathing • Persistent pain or pressure in the chest • New confusion or inability to arouse • Bluish lips or face

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What we know about the virus pandemic

Facts about coronaviruses: Coronavirus:

A large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people.

SARS-CoV-2: The coronavirus which causes COVID-19 Source of the virus: SARS-CoV-2 virus is a betacoronavirus, like MERSCoV and SARS-CoV. All three of these viruses have their possible origins in bats. The sequences from U.S. patients are similar to the one China initially posted, suggesting a likely single, recent emergence of this virus from an animal reservoir.

SARS:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome is a viral respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus called SARSassociated coronavirus (SARSCoV). It was first reported in Asia in 2003 and spread to more than two dozen countries before being contained by 2004.

Source of the virus: SARS-CoV is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yetuncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals, like civet cats, and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002.

MERS:

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is an illness caused by the coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

About three or four out of every 10 patients reported with MERS have died. Only two patients in the U.S. tested positive for the virus in 2014, and both were discharged after fully recovering.

Source of the virus: MERS-CoV likely came from an animal source in the Arabian Peninsula. Researchers have found MERS-CoV in camels from several countries. Studies have shown direct contact with camels is a risk factor for human infection with MERSCoV, but more information is needed to understand the interactions between humans and camels that are important for transmission.

Five tips about Facemasks:

People can spread COVID-19 to others even if they are not feeling sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following tips when it comes to facemasks.

1. Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example, to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.

2. Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious, incapacitated or unable to remove the mask without assistance.

3. The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.

4. Do not use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker.

5. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.

Continue to maintain about 6 feet between yourself and others.

More information: See COVID-19, 04

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: PROVOST PROVIDES UPDATES ON CREDIT/NO CREDIT OPTION

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04.16.20

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WEBEX WOES Ball State students, faculty reflect on switch to virtual meetings.

Rohith Rao News Editor Visitors observing, admiring and reflecting on a piece of art — evoking a sense of satisfaction in the artist — is one of many things that has to be done virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The exhibition showcasing the design projects of students in a Computer Science 120 course, historically held in the Atrium of the Art and Journalism Building, had to be moved entirely online this semester.

People could view the artwork created by the students on the art show’s website. If they wished to speak with the artist, they could do so through a WebEx video conference call. Judges, who would have offered their feedback in person, did so via Google Forms.

McKenna Kaczanowski, a student in the class, said she preferred an in-person show but was nevertheless grateful for having an exhibition at all.

“This is just the situation that we’re in, and I think it’s just really great that professors are trying to make the best of it and still give us this show even though we can’t be there in person,” the junior applied mathematics major said. “I think everyone is just trying to make it work as best as they can right now, and I think that’s great.”

Ball State’s students and faculty

are some of the many people worldwide who have transitioned to online platforms for work, education and other activities.

For Dave Largent, associate lecturer of computer science who teaches Kaczanowski’s class, while the logistics of setting up a video conference

It’s made me think in different ways about how I teach class, my assignments ... and also maybe push myself to learn a lot more technology.”

- PAMELA HARTMAN, Associate professor of English call has been easy, the biggest challenge his students face is having access to it.

Other challenges include adapting to classes that weren’t designed to be online classes, like the English education classes of Pamela Hartman, associate professor of English.

“As well as we’re functioning, if I hadn’t have gotten to the place I was in the semester, I think this could have been a potential disaster,” Hartman said. “But, as far as what I am doing, I think

COVID-19

Running errands during Continued from Page 3 Steps to protect COVID-19: Apart from practicing social yourself: • Clean your hands often.

• Avoid close contact.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.

• Cover coughs and sneezes.

• Clean and disinfect hightouch surfaces.

distancing guidelines, wearing facemasks, cleaning your hands with hand sanitizer and washing your hands with soap and water, here are some additional guidelines when it comes to performing everyday essential tasks.

Source: CDC, WHO

it’s going surprisingly well.”

Some things that are stressful for her include figuring out if her Wi-Fi connection is strong enough, if her house has a quiet enough environment for her class, if her cat might run across her screen and dealing with the constant distractions while working from home.

The bigger stress, she said, is figuring out how to manage being totally quarantined and keeping a routine at the same time.

While Hartman has simplified or changed her classes’ assignments, she said, her students feel overwhelmed because some of their classes don’t meet virtually, and many of them feel they lack the support they might have otherwise had.

While they don’t outweigh the stresses, Hartman said, positives have come out of virtual learning.

“It’s pushed me to kind of think outside the box,” she said. “In a certain way, that’s enjoyable. I mean, it was totally stressful at first, but once you get into the groove, it’s like, ‘Oh, this could work.’ It’s made me think in different ways about how I teach class, my assignments ... and also maybe push myself to learn a lot more technology.”

Documenting the lives of students amid the COVID-19 pandemic is something students in professor of sociology Melinda Messineo’s capstone course have undertaken.

Shopping for essentials: • Stay home if sick.

• Order online, or use curbside pickup.

• Go during hours when fewer people will be there.

• Find out if the store has special hours for people at higher risk.

• Disinfect the shopping cart, using disinfecting wipes if available.

• Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth.

• If possible, use touchless payment.

Pamela Hartman, associate professor of English, works on her laptop April 10, 2020, in her home. While there are some positives to online instruction, Hartman said, it doesn’t outweigh the stress it has caused both her and her students. PAMELA

HARTMAN, PHOTO PROVIDED

As part of the class, Messineo said, students are doing personal reflections about their lives — auto ethnographies — and doing interviews with two people in the Muncie community about their experiences during the pandemic.

Messineo said a lot of the seniors in her capstone class talk about the grief they’ve experienced and the process of going through that grief as they deal with the abrupt end of their college experiences.

She also acknowledged the scale of the transition students have made and the disruption it might have caused due to different professors conducting class

Deliveries and take-home orders: • Pay online when you order, if possible.

• Accept deliveries without in-person contact whenever possible.

Banking: • Bank online whenever possible.

• Use drive-thru ATMs if available.

• Before using, clean the ATM keyboard with a disinfecting wipe.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM

Read more about faculty thoughts on online classes and how one student organization holds its weekly virtual meetings. differently and the shift to online.

Through it all, however, she said her students “have overwhelmingly been positive.”

Messineo said, “It’s really a gift in a lot of ways that we can still stay in touch” and added that this could be an opportunity for people to try and explore new things while at home.

“In our isolation, I can just imagine really creative moments and opportunities for

people when we’re thinking thoughtfully and reflectively ourselves that there’s going to be personal growth that comes from this as well and appreciation for things that I think in our really fast-paced world that we may have lost sight of,” Messineo said. “There could be a tiny silver lining in all this.”

Contact Rohith Rao with comments at rprao@bsu.edu or on Twitter @RaoReports.

Getting gasoline: Use gloves or disinfecting wipes on handles or buttons before you touch them.

• Plan to order and pick up all your prescriptions at the same time.

• Call prescription orders in ahead of time.

• Use drive-thru windows, curbside services, mail-order or other delivery services.

• Check with your doctor and pharmacist to see if you can get a larger supply of your medicines.

Medical visits: • Talk to your doctor by phone, email or online.

• If you must visit in person, protect yourself and others by practicing social distancing and cleanliness guidelines.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM Read more about COVID-19, and see live updates online.

DNPartnershipProject

04.16.20

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CAN DO, WE’LL DO – TOGETHER

Lee Ann Kwiatkowski’s mission to serve Muncie Community Schools is centered around students, teachers and communication.

H

“

elp me understand that more.”

Five simple words that reveal the character of the person making the request.

Genuine vulnerability, leadership, humility and confidence are conveyed to those on the receiving end.

It’s a request for insight Lee Ann Kwiatkowski makes of almost every individual she meets — community members, administrators, teachers and students alike.

With a warm smile and a handshake, she invites visitors to take a seat at a large table in her office. She places herself directly across from them to hear their ideas, concerns and perspectives — talking to them from behind her desk is too impersonal for her.

She often expresses her desire to do more to help Muncie Community Schools (MCS), and before a visitor leaves, she makes sure to check on them — “How are you doing? Is everything going OK?” Throughout her life, and especially as the new director of public education and CEO of MCS, Kwiatkowski said, she has always believed in kindness, honesty and excellence, and those values resonate with her team.

“Dr. K brings that wealth of experience to the Muncie community, but also a genuine, caring personality,” said Associate Superintendent Charles Reynolds. “She has just been a blessing to Muncie.”

Student-centered servant leadership Whenever her mother shares stories about her childhood, Kwiatkowski said, she is always reminded of the times she would line up her dolls and teach them as if they were in her classroom.

She was born to teach.

In high school, Kwiatkowski

Brooke Kemp | Editor-in-chief bus, she would remind them to take the final step when rushing to see her.

She delights in every “lightbulb moment” and loves hearing updates from previous students because it means the world to her “just seeing that I impacted them and that they still want to keep me connected in their lives.”

“One reason I wanted to come back from a state level to a district level is because I am able to see the impact on a daily basis with students,” Kwiatkowski said. “I may not have a class of 30 students all day long, but I’m in and out of our schools, and I’m still able to get that fulfillment of knowing that we’re making a difference and changing lives.”

Joining the push for progress Three years ago, however, Kwiatkowski’s current position was not one MCS and Muncie community members could have imagined.

MCS was declared a distressed unit and placed under emergency management by the state in December 2017 due to years of enrollment decline and financial uncertainty.

Then, in January 2018, House Bill 1315 was introduced, which proposed Ball State University take responsibility Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, director of public education and CEO of Muncie Community Schools (MCS), speaks with the Student Advisory Board Jan. 22, 2020, at Muncie for the school corporation.

Central High School. Kwiatkowski said she makes a point to speak with a variety of stakeholders throughout MCS and the Muncie community to make sure she is serving This responsibility involved the schools in every way she can. JAKE HELMEN, DN a number of changes, including the appointment of a school working alongside policy makers, board without a vote from volunteered at a special building relationships and sharing Muncie community members, education learning center and “what education looks like from as well as the eventual hiring of taught Sunday school and my perspective,” she always a new superintendent. summer Bible study.

I may not have a class of 30 students all day long, HB 1315 was met with missed being around students.

She began her career as a After all, when thinking about questions and confusion by some teacher, and it wasn’t until she but I’m in and out of our schools, and I’m still able to her favorite part of each position Muncie community members was tapped on the shoulder get that fulfillment of knowing that we’re making a government officials, she has held, “it all goes back to and by an administrator that she difference and changing lives.” including Rep. Sue Errington, student interaction.” considered taking her skills to Kwiatkowski remembers who said the general assembly an administrative and ultimately - LEE ANN KWIATKOWSKI, teaching elementary school was taking away citizens’ right state level.

Director of public education and CEO of Muncie children the importance of to vote for a school board.

While Kwiatkowski said Community Schools safety. As students leapt off the she enjoyed the time she spent 4See MCS, 10

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MEALS ON WHEELS MCS distributes free meals for students during COVID-19 pandemic.

Rohith Rao News Editor

Eileen Jones waits with meal packets in hand for the next family in line March 30, 2020, outside East Washington Academy. Jones encouraged all families picking up meals to spread the word in the community that Muncie Community Schools distribute meals at 22 locations via school buses every Monday. BAILEY CLINE, DN four locations where meals are distributed every day and 22 locations where school buses distribute every Monday.

Stephanie Fegan, resident district manager of Chartwells, the food service provider for

I just want everyone to know that we’re super grateful, we are here on the front lines and we’re going to be here.”

- STEPHANIE FEGAN, Chartwells resident district manager MCS, said a month ago, her team prepared 40,000 meals and served 32,000 meals. She said more food has been distributed after the

closure than what is served during the regular school year.

The meals that aren’t distributed are given to the local YMCA, churches, shelters and different communities that have children, Fegan said.

“It’s been amazing just knowing that we’re able to give back, and we’re able to make sure that our students that we see every day have the opportunity to have food,” she said.

Chartwells’ employees aren’t required to come to work if they need to be with their families. Fegan said they take all the necessary precautions — wash their hands, wear gloves, have wipes on every bus and maintain social distancing when prepping meals.

“I just want everyone to know that we’re super grateful, we are here on the front lines and we’re going to be here,” she said. “It does take a village — all of us coming together. It’s just been super humbling to see everyone come

together and to see what everyone can do when a crisis happens.”

Logistically, she said it’s a little different from what Chartwells does during the regular school year — condensing what its team distributes over a week into a single Monday.

Iry Hogan, a local pastor and a bus driver for Auxilio, which runs MCS buses, said helping the community is a “privilege” and “a great opportunity for us to come together and show unity.”

“Sometimes, we get to doing our daily activities, and we forget about each other,” Hogan said. “It’s a time when we get to come together and show that we care for one another.”

Hogan, who was born and raised in Muncie, said he has seen the Muncie community come together before but never with such magnitude as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just want to thank the

community for coming together and being a support to each other at a time like this. It’s much needed,” he said. “I’m just glad to be a part of that help, and glad to see that everybody that can [is helping] and the willingness to help.”

Lucio said she used to live in East Chicago, where people were hesitant to help one another. In Muncie, she said, a majority of the community

TH E

While she doesn’t mind having her kids at home, Angelica Lucio said, having to feed them extra meals because they’re not in school due to the statewide K-12 school closure “is a lot.”

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to limit its effects, the Muncie Community Schools (MCS) free meals distribution program is something Lucio finds helpful.

Although making sure her family has enough food hasn’t necessarily been hard, Lucio said, the food banks she usually goes to have been packed with people due to the ongoing pandemic.

“That has been kind of rough for us,” she said. “This kind of covers some of the stuff we would have to try to get from a food bank if we needed to. It’s just nice to not have to worry about it.”

Lucio said she is grateful there are many people who are helping out when they don’t have to be at school — making sure students get education through learning packets and e-learning and helping parents out when things are chaotic.

“It’s a great thing,” she said.

“It’s very humbling, and it’s good to know that we have people who still care about making sure everyone is OK.” Throughout the school closure, which lasts through the remainder of the school year, MCS will distribute 10 free meals — five lunches and five breakfast meals — to its students each week. It has

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welcomes her family and helps them “with open arms.”

“We’ve hit some rough patches in some situations, [but] the people in the community have really showed out for us and really helped a lot,” she said.

“I’m very, very grateful. It’s why we’re still here. I can’t see myself being anywhere else.”

Contact Rohith Rao with comments at rprao@bsu.edu or on Twitter @RaoReports.

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04.16.20

DNPartnershipProject

LOOKING PAST THE LABEL Sean White fills multiple roles at South View Elementary, continues work with at-risk students.

Tier Morrow Managing Editor Every morning, Sean White sips his third cup of coffee while greeting students with encouragement as they file into the halls of South View Elementary in Muncie.

As the student assistant coordinator, White’s job revolves around tracking attendance and creating attendance incentives, so he often utilizes his small corner office as a safe place for students and parents alike to share their concerns.

“I have a passion for working with youth who are often labeled as at-risk or troubled,” said White, who celebrated his one-year anniversary with South View in October. “When you see a kid every day, you kind of start to see, ‘OK, this kid obviously had a rough morning at home,’ so I can bring them in here, and we can read books or even just come, sit and talk about what’s going on at home. I get to take a new approach on the type of relationships I have with students.”

Anthony Williams, principal of South View, said while White’s role “is rooted in student and

family support, he daily finds ways to help administrators, teachers, support lunch time and be a visible presence in the building.”

With schools closed due to COVID-19 concerns, White said he now focuses more on parent phone calls and has a list of students to check in with daily.

“Many of the phone calls I make every day now are to students I worked with on a regular basis in school,” White said. “It is important that we keep in contact and let the families know we are still here to help and encourage their students.”

Finding South View Before coming to South View, White taught history in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and then was offered the opportunity to be the first teacher of the alternative education program for at-risk kids at Central High School in Muncie.

Although both of White’s older sisters are teachers, he said he didn’t know if it was something he wanted to pursue until college.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching,” White said, “but there were a few people who were negative about it, and that kind of influenced me away from it. But, once I got to

White poses as the “i” in a “Be Kind” bulletin board Sept. 24, 2019, at South View Elementary School. He said starting at Muncie Central High School made his transition to South View easier because he already had knowledge of the student demographics. SAM WHITE, PHOTO PROVIDED

Sean White, student assistant coordinator, poses with his wife, Heidi, and his husky, Nanuk, May 14, 2019, at the “Bark in the Park” event for the Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs game. White said he calls Nanuk “Nana,” and she is enjoying the extra attention she is getting because he is home due to COVID-19 concerns. SAM WHITE, PHOTO PROVIDED college, I decided it was probably the best thing for me.”

Justin Cope, special education teacher who works with students who have individual education plans involving emotional disabilities at South View, said gaining White as an addition to the team last year has only been a positive for the school. “[White taught] an older brother of one of the students I was working with at Central, and here at South View, we were having difficulty reaching the family and stuff — getting on the same page and making contact,” Cope said. “Once the parent knew Mr. White was here, we had a rapport, we were able to get in contact and she responded really well.”

Now, White works with and disciplines more of Cope’s students, and Cope said White respects them and treats them like every other student.

“He has a great balance of what I like to call firm but fair,” Cope said. “I think he reaches the kids well, and I think he’s kind of a morale booster. It can get kind of difficult here, but he’s always trying to make people laugh and having fun with the situation.”

Spreading his passion Aside from his position at South View, White is also the assistant boys’ tennis coach at Central and a member of the Brothers to Brothers program, a nationwide youth mentoring

like, ‘What did you just say?’”

White said. “I’ve also learned how to break things down more.

For the guys who may be new to tennis, they may not know all of the terms I’m using, so I’ll think, ‘How would I break this down for a third-grader?’”

When you see a kid every day, you kind of start to see, ‘OK, this kid obviously had a rough morning at home,’ so I can bring them in [my office], and we can read books or even just come, sit and talk about what’s going on at home.”

- SEAN WHITE, Student assistant coordinator at South View Elementary program designed to aid in the growth and development of kids.

White said he often uses his coaching strategies in the halls of South View as well as his teaching techniques while coaching.

“I’ve really learned to recognize who I’m speaking with. I catch myself here using bigger words that I would with high school students, and sometimes I’ll just have a third-grader look at me

White will graduate in May with his master’s degree from Ball State in education administration and supervision, and he said he wants to continue advancing his administrative career in Muncie Community Schools. Even though he was unsure if he would like elementary school, White said, he feels he has made an impact just by being a male resource.

“I think there are over 30 staff members in the building, but only five of them are men,” White said. “This is a place in their life when they are more-easily shaped. A lot of the students here, even when they are struggling, they want to be more. They want to do more. So, seeing successful men and women can really drive a student in a better direction.”

Similar to his experience at Central High School, White said he has seen many kids who “make 180-degree transformations” either by attending class more often and getting 100 percent on the attendance assignments they would have ripped up before or by changing their attitudes.

“That is one of the best things about this job, and it is something I miss now that we can’t go to school,” White said. “Before, I might have had a bad day, pretty rotten, but then, at the end of the day, I’d have a kid come up and [show me a high-scoring assignment]. That makes you happy because they’re excited.

They see how they can finally do it; they can succeed.”

Contact Tier Morrow with comments at tkmorrow@bsu. edu or on Twitter @tiermorrow.

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Peers become Pals Local program helps students with disabilities gain confidence, achieve goals.

Tier Morrow | Managing Editor

T

ammy Greenwell, special education teacher at Muncie’s Southside Middle School, spends most of her days helping students learn core subjects. But this school year, she started dedicating Fridays to combat the lack of confidence she saw in her students through the Panther Paw Pals program.

“I noticed that my students are always the ones who are asking for help, and this causes their self-esteem to be really low. Some of them would just stop doing their schoolwork,” said Greenwell, who co-teaches with math and English teachers to help students with mild learning disabilities. “I wanted to create a program that helped increase the confidence of my

students by giving them the opportunity to help others.”

The program pairs a student with a mild disability with a student who has a moderate disability, which requires them to be in self-contained classrooms.

Typically, the severity of a learning disability is often determined by how many skill areas are affected (academic, life and social) and how much the disability affects the student’s ability to function, according to the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO).

Greenwell works with Angela Pickering and Sara Coggins, who are both special education teachers for students with moderate disabilities. For two hours every Friday, Greenwell takes her students from different class

periods to meet with their Pals in Pickering and Coggins’ classes.

“Students [that] Mrs. Greenwell works with often have few opportunities to be leaders in their community and in the school,” Coggins said.

“Working with my students gives them the opportunity to be ‘experts’... It allows them to develop empathy.”

At the beginning of the year, students in both Pickering and Coggins’ classes set goals for themselves, ranging from learning to send emails and understand sight words to learning how to ride a bike.

“I think this program has really helped Mrs. Greenwell’s students be more accepting of peers that may seem different than themselves,” Pickering

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Tammy Greenwell, special education teacher at Muncie’s Southside Middle School (back left), stands with her students and their Panther Paw Pals in their new T-shirts. Craig Standish, principal of Southside, said one of the primary focuses at the school this year is character education, and Greenwell’s program fuels that goal because it helps students build character and an overall sense of volunteerism. TAMMY GREENWELL, PHOTO PROVIDED said. “It also helps both groups engage in more conversations, which will help them interact better socially in the future.”

Some Fridays, instead of continuing to work on their goals, the two classes volunteer with the Panther Pantry group to help fill bags of food that are sent home with students each weekend.

Coggins said one of the biggest benefits, beyond gaining

Special education in U.S. schools

I wanted to create a program that helped increase the confidence of my students by giving them the opportunity to help others.”

Disabilities affecting students (based on the total 7 million):

There are currently 437,200 special education teachers in the U.S. That number is projected to grow 3 percent from 2018-28 to 450,800.

There are 7 million students who receive special education services. That is 14 percent of the total public school enrollment.

- TAMMY GREENWELL, Special education teacher at Southside Middle School confidence, for Greenwell’s students is they learn to interact with people who do not socially interact in the same way as everyone else.

“For example, one of my students absolutely loves being with his Partner Paw Pal, but he doesn’t necessarily show it.

He often interacts with them for a few minutes and then walks away,” Coggins said. “Last week, when he walked away, his Pal followed him and started passing a mini football with him.

The Pal did a great job of giving him space but also gave him a way to interact and be social.

34%: specific learning disability 19%: speech or language impairment 14%: another type of health impairment (this includes limited strength, vitality or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems) 10%: autism 7%: developmental delay 5%: emotional disturbance 2%: multiple disabilities 1%: hearing impairment 1%: orthopedic impairment 7%: other Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics

Plus, the Pal figured this out completely on his own, without the help of an adult.”

Since the Panther Paw Pals program started, Greenwell said, she and the other teachers have seen improvements in both groups of students. Many partners have become friends as well.

One day, Greenwell wasn’t able to attend school, so the three teachers decided to cancel the program for the day. When Greenwell returned, Pickering and Coggins told her how upset the students were because they missed their Pals.

“My students love having a Pal,” Pickering said. “Since they are in a self-contained classroom most of the day, it’s fun for them to see new people and new faces. They light up when they see their Pals in the hallway or the lunchroom, and they hug or high five.”

Because of COVID-19 concerns, Greenwell, Pickering and Coggins are working to continue the friendships created through the program with WebEx calls at least once a week.

Greenwell also said the three teachers plan to continue the program next year and create new partnerships among the students.

“It was hard for my students [when school was moved solely online] because they are all eighthgraders, so they no longer get to be with their friends, their Panther Paw Pals or have a graduation,” Greenwell said. “But, I hope they have gained more confidence than they had before and that they cherish the connections they were able to make.”

Contact Tier Morrow with comments at tkmorrow@bsu. edu or on Twitter @tiermorrow.

09

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DNPartnershipProject

PANTHER PAW PALS Classrooms at home

Every Friday, Tammy Greenwell, special education teacher at Southside Middle School, and her eight-grade students work with their designated Panther Paw Pals to achieve goals set at the beginning of the year. The students received T-shirts for the program and modeled them in class Nov. 7, 2019. TAMMY GREENWELL, PHOTOS PROVIDED

Muncie Central High School staff reflects on experiences with COVID-19 learning.

Charles Melton Assistant News Editor

Drew Shermeta, a social studies teacher at Muncie Central High School (MCHS), said he is impressed the seniors have found time to balance work and school.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Shermeta said. “I know that this is difficult, especially for the seniors that I work with. This is an incredibly difficult time for a number of reasons.”

Ever since the closure of Indiana schools for the remainder of the semester due to COVID-19 concerns, MCHS teachers have been using Schoology, an online learning management system, to continue giving instruction to students, Shermeta said.

“My very first thought was, ‘Yeah, we could do this.’ I would say that [the] very first thought, though, didn’t really grasp [what] doing this for multiple months would really mean,” he said. “You can’t really appreciate the size and scope of it when it’s first coming down the pike.”

Going into online learning, he said, he felt optimistic because MCHS had mostly gone “virtually paperless” already, and there was some experimentation with online learning at the high school.

Shermeta said he starts his day at 11 a.m., preparing classes and lectures for the day until noon. Then, he participates in an hour-long video call with his advanced placement students where they do practice questions and discuss them.

After grading papers for around an hour, he has another optional conference call at 2 p.m. with his standard placement students. From 2:30 p.m. until he goes to bed, Shermeta said, he sends messages to students intermittently throughout the day, grades assignments and prepares for the next day.

Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, superintendent of Muncie Community Schools, said

Drew Shermeta, social studies teacher at Muncie Central High School, now gives his students instructions over Schoology. UNSPLASH, PHOTO COURTESY teachers like Shermeta have already been using a “blended” approach — meaning they did both in-person work and online work prior to in-person classes being canceled.

Kwiatkowski said while the blended approach did help make the transition easier for students from grades six to 12, there are some students that don’t have access to the internet.

But, in a perfect world, I’d like to wave a magic wand and [have] everyone just come back because we miss them.

We miss them a lot.”

- CHRISTOPHER WALKER, Principal of Muncie Central High School “That is a hardship for those students. There have been companies like Comcast [that] came out, [and] they’re offering free internet for up to 60 days,” she said.

Internet access is also available at each MCS school site, Kwiatkowski said.

“We’ve made sure that in the parking lot, you could be in a car … and have access to our technology,” she said.

Christopher Walker, principal of MCHS, said the way staff and

faculty have moved to online learning has been “nothing short of phenomenal.”

Teachers are having more indepth conversations with their students over class content than they did when they were in the classrooms, Walker said.

“As weird as it may sound, there’s a level of comfort in some of our students being able to communicate with their teachers, knowing that [the] communication is between the teacher and the student, as opposed to maybe raising my hand and asking a question in front of my classmates,” he said.

However, MCHS will not consider moving to a more online-learning platform once in-person learning is back in session, Walker said.

With students struggling to get reliable internet access and learning not being the same as it was in the classroom, he said, there are still some “logistical barriers” before the school would move to an online platform permanently.

“Obviously, we can tweak where we feel like improvements can be made if we were to stay with an online platform for longer than the remainder of this whole year,” Walker said. “But, in a perfect world, I’d like to wave a magic wand and [have] everyone just come back because we miss them. We miss them a lot.”

Contact Charles Melton with comments at cwmelton@bsu. edu or on Twitter @Cmelton144.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM Read more responses from teachers on remote learning.

DNPartnershipProject

04.16.20

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Director of Public Education and CEO of Muncie Community Schools (MCS) Lee Ann Kwiatkowski sits at her desk Jan. 22, 2020, in the MCS Administration Office and Area Career Center. She has worked at the schools for almost 10 months and has previously worked in teaching, administrative and state-level positions. JAKE HELMEN, DN

MCS

Continued from Page 5 Pat Kennedy, president of the Muncie Teachers Association, said the bill left community members feeling uneasy because it was “very vague as to what it actually meant” and added it suspended some union representation that is required for teachers at other Indiana public schools.

She said issues within the district went beyond loss of funding — there were “massive fundamental issues of relationships within the corporation between the superintendent and teachers.”

However, after seeking legal action, Kennedy said, teachers felt they had “won,” and relationships were moving in the right direction.

“We finally thought we were going to get somewhere,” she said. “The superintendent was basically set aside, and someone else came in to serve as the superintendent … so, we thought we were back on the right track — understanding we still didn’t have enough money

as a corporation … then, all of a sudden, 1315 was introduced.”

Throughout discussions surrounding the bill, as well as current work on creating an innovation plan for the schools, Kennedy has felt unsatisfied with the involvement of the teachers union in making decisions.

“From a union perspective,

there’s so much institutional knowledge that we have that we are not able to pass on.”

While Kennedy also feels the year it took to hire Kwiatkowski was too long, Kwiatkowski has been “very well accepted into this community as a whole.”

“She appears to be making this her community. She is a

I put a lot of pressure on myself because I want to make sure that I deliver. I want to make sure that we make Muncie Community Schools the very best we possibly can. I’m committed to do that, and I’m here for the long haul.”

- LEE ANN KWIATKOWSKI, Director of public education and CEO of Muncie Community Schools

it really came down to we didn’t have anything in writing that laid out the provisions for the school corporation or teachers,” Kennedy said.

“What I see missing, by the union not being recognized as a representative for all teachers,

very personable person. Of course, she was well known among many of the Muncie teachers because of her

long tenure at the [Indiana Department of Education], and she’s very teacher-oriented,” Kennedy said. “She is very teacher friendly. I think she is very committed to children and committed to helping this community and its charge of educating K-12 kids.”

In a position she has often described as one of the most exciting in the state — if not the nation — Kwiatkowski said she is able to use her previous experiences to inform her decisions and help work toward the improvement of MCS. “I feel just extremely honored to be able to be in this position,” Kwiatkowski said. “I also know I have a great responsibility, so that’s why I put a lot of pressure on myself because I want to make sure that I deliver. I want to make sure that we make Muncie Community Schools the very best we possibly can.

“I’m committed to do that, and I’m here for the long haul.”

Contact Brooke Kemp with comments at bmkemp@bsu.edu or on Twitter @brookemkemp.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM Read more about Kwiatkowski’s work and future plans.

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Crossword & Sudoku

CROSSWORD EDITED BY RICH NORRIS AND JOYCE LEWIS; SUDOKU BY MICHAEL MEPHAM ACROSS 1 “Get outta here!”

5 Snatch 9 Give up 13 Sweater outlet?

14 Concerning kidneys 16 Annapolis sch.

17 “Roots” author Haley 18 Actress Graff 19 Ain’t fixed?

20 Never heard of a 1996 Robin Williams movie?

23 Wipes away 24 Juegos Olímpicos prize 25 Road crew’s supply 28 Have a sudden inspiration?

31 Sexually attractive 33 Magical phrase starter 37 “You grabbed the wrong Stephen King movie”?

39 The Parthenon, e.g.

41 Cry from a card holder 42 Roof worker 43 Essay about a 2015 Christina Applegate movie?

46 Fallon’s predecessor 47 __ symbol 48 Ancient queen, familiarly 50 Immigrant’s subj.

51 Rap name contraction 53 Like some numerals 58 Start a 2001 Keanu Reeves movie?

61 Rattle 64 Flower girl, perhaps 65 Paella pot 66 “Rhyme Pays” rapper 67 Unsettled states 68 __ fee 69 Sainted historian 70 Backbone or spine 71 Weight allowance DOWN 1 Garden tool 2 Rainbow flag component 3 Fan belt?

4 Messages sent from cells 5 Is amused by 6 Move, in Realtor-speak 7 From the top 8 Scruggs’ strings 9 Nestlé product suffix 10 Initials before a state’s name, sometimes 11 Imaret, say 12 Bit of ink 15 Profits (from) 21 Brew holder

22 Matter 25 Words on a spine 26 1979 sci-fi classic with three sequels and two prequels 27 In style again 29 Close 30 Go to pieces 32 Bubble, in a way 33 Emanated (from) 34 Diamond strategies 35 Same-state opponent, often 36 Future doc’s subj.

38 Plane, e.g.

40 Racing craft 44 Chinese and Indians 45 Most closely related 49 Chicago airport code 52 Not true 54 Give or take 55 Modeling wood 56 Better, to a rapper 57 Shannon’s county 58 Townshend of The Who 59 Son or daughter, often 60 When Juliet says, “Go ask his name” 61 Little lie 62 Frequent winner 63 British jazz element?

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