Indy Parks Breaks Ground on New Broad Ripple Park Family Center

Superhero trainings, moonlight egg hunts, gingerbread house building. For the past two decades, the Broad Ripple Park Family Center has been a place for families to make memories that will last a

lifetime. The space has served as a popular destination since it was built: first as a library, and then as a family center. Ever since opening its doors, the facility has welcomed and encouraged everyone to discover fitness, recreation, and activities with their family and friends.

But it’s a bittersweet summer at Broad Ripple Park. If you’ve stopped by recently, you’ve seen people coming to the park for painting classes, dance classes, and the Summer Concert and Movie Series. You’ve also noticed the construction crews. The family center has been torn down to make room for something new.

Back in 2019, after an exhaustive public input process, we shared plans for the park’s new family center, and we are thrilled that construction has started. The new facility will include a gymnasium and upgraded fitness areas. There will be an indoor walking track, group meeting space, multipurpose rooms, and a children’s play area. Construction is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2022, and our park staff is already dreaming up programs that make the most of this unique space.

Part of our mission at Indy Parks is to connect communities by providing places and experiences that inspire healthy living. That emphasis on wellness is why we have partnered with Community Health Network to include a clinic within the new center, which will allow us to serve our neighbors in even bigger ways.

The family center is only a piece of the Broad Ripple Park Master Plan, which sets aside dedicated space within the park for athletics, environmental education, and open areas to gather with friends. Read about the park’s master plan at broadrippleparkmasterplan.com.

More than 300,000 people visit Broad Ripple Park each year, and we thought of them with every new idea we had for the family center and the park. We’re excited to update you throughout the construction process and to eventually invite you inside!

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WORDS BY NICOLE SIPE FALL FUN in indy Family-friendly ways to celebrate the season.

Summer is slowly turning into fall, and the number of fun activities and events for families is not slowing down one bit. Indiana really shines during this season — there are just so many ways to celebrate autumn with your family. Here are some great ideas to make the most of this wonderful season!

Go for a hike

Take advantage of cooler temps by going on a family hike. Hague Road Nature Haven on the north side, Eagle Creek Park on the west side and Hummel Park on the south side are just some of the parks that offer easy hiking — some with paved trails — that are perfect for walking with young children.

Enjoy the changing colors by train

Indiana is at its most beautiful in the fall, and seeing the fall foliage on a train takes the fall feeling to a whole other level. Nickel Plate Express departs from Atlanta, Indiana, and offers themed train rides for families, and dinner rides for adults. Whitewater Valley Railroad’s Valley Flyer takes riders on a tour of Indiana’s Historic (and beautiful) canal town, Metamora. And if you’re up for a road trip into Ohio, Lebanon-Mason Monroe Railroad’s Turtle Creek Flyer runs through October and will take you through the picturesque countryside of Southwest Ohio.

Pick apples

There’s something about fall that makes you want to pick your own produce. Fortunately, there are plenty of U-pick opportunities in the area. Anderson Orchard in Mooresville is ripe for the picking in the fall, and their annual Apple Festival and Craft Fair on September 25 & 26 is an area favorite. Beasley’s Orchard in Danville opens their farm store and celebrates picking season on September 24. In the mood for a fall road trip? The Apple Works in Trafalgar is worth the drive.

Watching your kids trudge across an orange-speckled field of pumpkins is a parental rite of passage! No matter where you’re located in Indy, you’ll find a place to pick the perfect pumpkin, including Tuttle Orchards in Greenfield, Stuckey Farm in Sheridan, Spencer Farm in Noblesville and many others!

Go for a bike ride

Indy residents are fortunate to have many bike trails throughout this part of Central Indiana. Strap on your helmet and enjoy the changing leaves while pedaling along the Monon Trail, which stretches from the town of Sheridan in the north all the way to downtown Indianapolis. Other popular biking trails include the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Eagle Creek Trail and Fall Creek Trail. Indiana is the land of corn, so why not get a little corny this season? Get lost in Fortville’s Piney Acres corn maze, which is 8 acres of fun. Once you make it out of Conner Prairie’s corn maze, you can hitch a ride on the newly renovated 1859 Balloon Voyager and view the cornfield from above. And on the west side, Hogan Farms in Brownsburg offers a themed corn maze that exits at the pumpkin patch — the perfect spot to grab a pumpkin or two to take home!

Take a hayride

Hayrides are a necessary part of fall. On select dates in October, take a haunted and historical ride on the Headless Horseman Hayride at Conner Prairie. On the north side, visit Kelsay Farms in Whiteland for hayrides and other fall fun this October.

Do a fall festival

It just isn’t fall without festivals. Head to the Nappanee Apple Festival Sept. 16-19 for the 7-foot apple pie and stay for all of the family-friendly fun. History buffs will enjoy a visit from one of America’s most beloved presidents at Lincoln’s Lebanon

and Civil War Reenactment

Festival on September 24-26. And the Irvington Halloween Festival is October 23-30, with a week of east side celebrations of all-things Halloween.

Go trick-or-treating before Halloween

Indy kids have it pretty great — there are tons of opportunities to trick-or-treat before the big night. Visit the Indianapolis Zoo in October for ZooBoo on October 6-31, where little ones can dress up in their favorite costumes and find treats around the park. Also in October, round up your cowpokes and saddle up for a spook-tacular ride through the The Children’s Museum of

Indianapolis’s Frightful

Frontier, and make your way through a spooky (or not-sospooky) haunted house to collect treats.

Top 5

Benefits of Private Schools

Here are reasons why parents are choosing the unique experience of this type of education.

WORDS BY JENNIFER THOMPSON

If you’ve laid in bed with the words public, private, charter, Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia and more swimming through your head — you aren’t alone. For many parents, one of the biggest decisions to make is figuring out where to send their child to school, and with so many options it can feel very overwhelming. If you’re thinking about private school for your child, here are some of the things you should consider, and the unique benefits of a private school education.

#1:

Smaller Classrooms

Typically, private schools will offer smaller classes, which means more opportunities for one-on-one time with the student and the teacher. In this environment, it may be easier for students to participate in class discussions, and have their questions answered as they arise.

With fewer classmates, the teacher is also able to get to know the students strengths and weaknesses better than they may in a large classroom setting, and help to facilitate growth for the student on a more individual level. Smaller classes also can create more of a sense of community within the classroom and with peers.

Aligns with Personal Beliefs

Some may choose a private school that aligns with their personal beliefs. There are many religions represented in the private school sector. In these schools, the students will receive excellent academic instruction in a faith-based environment that supports the values that are being taught at home.

#3:

Exposure to the Arts and Extracurricular Activities

Many private schools have a strong emphasis on the arts and offer their students exposure to a wide range of opportunities. With fewer students, there is a potential for more opportunities for the students to participate in the activities they would like to try.

A Strong Sense of Community

Because of the smaller class sizes and school enrollment, a strong sense of community is developed within the school. There is an emphasis placed on the teacher and parent relationship with many opportunities for parents and teachers to connect throughout the year. This also helps the parents to be involved in their child’s education when they are at home, as they encourage them to learn and foster a relationship that values and encourages their education. In addition, parents are easily able to, and are encouraged to, participate in school activities and events. Many private schools also encourage students and families to serve in the community, extending the community feel outside of the building and into the neighborhood where the school is located. Some schools may even require their students to complete a certain number of community service hours.

#5:

Provide an Enriched Education

Another benefit of private schooling is that many schools will offer classes or courses that are unique to their school, with a focus not only on education, but also on the child as a whole. Character development, personal growth, respect, empathy, self-control and

wellness are just a few of the things that may be emphasized. In high school, they often will offer a wide variety of AP level courses, and encourage students to pursue a degree of choice upon completion of high school. Another plus is that private school students typically do very well on standardized tests and college entrance exams.

Finding the school that is the best fit for your child can feel like a daunting and overwhelming task. Be sure to visit the schools you are considering and ask questions that are pertinent to your family’s unique values, interests and priorities. Talk to friends and join online groups and communities for more personal information. And lastly, take a deep breath and find confidence in the fact that you know what’s best for your child, because nobody knows your child better than you do.

Charter Schools vs Private Schools

Charter schools are another educational option that many parents consider for their children. Although charter schools and private schools share many similarities, there are also some differences between the two.

“Both options have similar classroom sizes, teachers' familiarity with students and families, and emphasis on academic attainment,” says Barb Richardson, director of advancement at Paramount Schools of Excellence, a charter with schools in the Brookside, Cottage Home and Englewood neighborhoods of Indy, as well as an online option. “A family can choose the school that best aligns with their child's needs or strengths. Both options offer parents a choice to their child's assigned neighborhood public school.”

However, unlike most private schools, charter schools are tuition-free. Charter schools are public schools, and they don’t require an admission process or entrance exam. These factors can be appealing to some parents who are looking for these options in a school for their child.