SATURDAY, SEP TEMBER 19, 2020 • KOKOMO TR I BUNE PROGRESS EDI T ION
15
“Inspiring and empowering our students
to meet tomorrows challenges,”
is the mission statement of the corporation.
Maconaquah inspires and empowers its students
by constantly striving to reach five specific goals:
• Lead nationally in the use of technology for teaching
and learning
• Empower each student to realize his or her
academic potential
• Encourage participation in extracurricular and
co-curricular activities.
• Market Maconaquah Schools as the school system of
choice in north central Indiana
• Demonstrate fiscal responsibility by balancing limited
resources with increasing educational needs.
Maconaquah Schools
Maconaquah School Corporation
7932 South Strawtown Pike
Bunker Hill, IN 46914
765-689-9131 x 1000 •
FROM STAFF REPORTS
D
uring the fluid time of
COVID-19, Northwestern
is providing quality
instruction in a variety of
formats, including in-person,
distance learning and virtual
learning through Indiana
Virtual Academy and the North-
western Alternative Learning
Program. Currently, Northwest-
ern has openings in several
grade levels.
BENEFICIAL TRAINING
This year, in addition to
the Indiana Department of
Education (IDOE) training
requirements including bullying
recognition and response,
homelessness, health emergen-
cies and others, Northwestern
staff completed full course
training on diversity awareness
and Coronavirus awareness.
Furthermore, additional
training on creating a more
equitable school campus will
be provided by IDOE specialist
Tarrell Berry.
Northwestern School Corpo-
ration and IDOE have a unique
relationship. In addition to the
diversity training, Northwestern
was chosen as a pilot district
to implement Professional
Learning Communities. School
improvement specialists from
the IDOE will facilitate a deeper
dive into the PLC process,
support the creation of long-
term goals, and professional
development needs.
All schools in the North-
western School Corporation
were in the inaugural class of
schools to earn Purple Star
school designation. While the
pandemic consumed much
time and energy, Northwestern
forged ahead with many initia-
tives and remained focused on
the needs of students. It was
very important for us to seek
this designation and recognize
our commitment to military
members and families.
TECH TALK
Technology is a big factor
in how things are going at the
middle school this year. New
iPads have greatly enhanced
learning and helped meet the
challenge of learning remotely
at Northwestern Middle School.
Google Classroom and Google
Meets allow staff to work col-
laboratively with students and
parents. Also, QR code tech-
nology has allowed students to
sit with their friends at lunch
while allowing school to follow
guidelines for simplified contact
tracing.
Students have been working
on various projects like the
seventh-grade students working
on biomechanical engineering
with a prosthetic foot that was
printed with their in-class 3D
printer.
Exciting new opportuni-
ties at the elementary level this
year include outdoor classroom
setups, a $50,000 STEM grant
to support our K-6 Project Lead
the Way STEM initiative, and
CurbSmart, a safe and efficient
student pick up system. Students
in grades K-6 will participate
in Project Lead the Way, which
provides transformative learning
experiences in science, technol-
ogy, engineering, and math. It
also offers distance learning for
students K-6 with a dedicated
distance learning teacher for
each cohort of students.
BIG DOG ON CAMPUS
Northwestern Middle School
introduced Rocky the Golden
Retriever as its first ever facility
dog.
Having a facility dog for the
school was a big interest for
Northwestern Middle School
Special Education teacher Paula
Davis. She had been looking into
the possibility of obtaining a
facility dog to benefit students in
a variety of ways, from reading
to relieving stress in children.
After doing her research, she
came across the Indiana Canine
Assistant Network (ICAN). She
said ICAN really fit the mold for
what the school was looking for.
Rocky is also the first facility
dog placement in Howard
County by ICAN.
Northwestern Principal and
self-proclaimed dog lover Brett
Davis gave Paula Davis his full
support, as did the Northwest-
ern School Board.
The process took the school
over a year to complete. Rocky
first came to the school with
another dog to see how they
would function there; he worked
the best for the environment and
won the faculty over.
To become Rocky’s handler
Paula Davis had to go through
intense training including going
to the women’s prison in India-
napolis working with Rocky’s
handler, an inmate who spent a
year and a half training him.
Paula Davis applauded the
program for servicing people on
both ends, those in the prison
and those outside.
“It gives [inmates] an opportu-
nity to work on a skill while they
are in prison, and it helps them
have something so that when
they do get out of prison, they
have a skill that allows them to
get a job in the field of animals,”
she said. “We’re benefiting from
all of her hard work.”
Literacy was a goal Paula
Davis had in mind when
incorporating Rocky into the
classroom. Students already
read out loud once a week and
with a staff member and silently
three times a week to work on
skills. Rocky will now be built
into that rotation. Students will
get to read out loud with Rocky
once a week in place of one of
their silent reading times.
Rocky is also there to lend
his own support for students in
need.
“Oftentimes in a special edu-
cation room we have students
that shutdown emotionally for
whatever reason … if we have a
student who is upset, in distress
or crying, [Rocky] can rec-
ognize that, go attend to that
and simply just be there as a
comfort,” Paula Davis said.
She doesn’t use rules in her
classroom and instead uses
habits such as responsibility,
thoroughness and integrity.
Rocky will be able to help instill
these habits in the students with
tasks like grooming to help work
on hygiene and other life skills.
The kids will get to earn
badges for the different skills
they learn. Each badge will have
an emoji version of Rocky’s face
on them with a different colored
background.
Paula Davis has already seen
the positive outcomes of Rocky’s
presence in her classroom
through one of her students who
typically prefers to not interact
with people. Recently, the
student was excited to talk a lot
about his dog with people now
with Rocky around.
“This is a way for him to
connect and a way for them to
connect with another living
thing … that’s been helpful,” she
said.
“The dog is for everyone, you
don’t need to be in special ed
to have a bad day or to be going
through an emotional trauma,
so we’re just trying to bridge
that gap and be pretty inclusive,”
Brett Davis added.
“He’s a rock star,” he said.
“Rocky the rock star.”
MOVING FORWARD
ONE SUCCESSFUL DAY AT A TIME AT NORTHWESTERN
EDUCATION
SPOTLIGHT
Northwestern Middle School special education teacher and Rocky’s handler, Paula Davis introduces
Rocky, Northwestern Middle School’s new facility dog, to the school on Friday, December 13, 2019.
(Kokomo Tribune file photo)
Farm to School, Expanded
CTE Programs, and Their
Very Own Police Department
Bring Interest and Enrollment
to Maconaquah Schools
In 2010, Maconaquah Schools’ Board
of Education and administrative team
developed a strategic plan for the future
of the school corporation. The plan
included a mission statement, vision
statement, and five goals, all of which
would guide the future of Maconaquah.
Ten years later, we are seeing steady
growth in these areas due in large part to
the implementation of this strategic plan.
A big step in growth came in 2014 with
the addition of The Maconaquah Cattle
Company, a program offering a way for
students to utilize hands-on learning and
real-world applications. Outside of the
classroom, students have been involved
in new initiatives including taste-testing
new meals containing locally-sourced
beef and pork, participating in virtual
and physical visits to local hog farms,
feeding out cattle to finishing barns,
and transporting them to the proces-
sor. This year, the school took a very big
step towards advancing the program
by approving a $2 million bond project
which will include an addition of 47 acres
of land and a renovation of the Ag Room
at the high school.
Outside of the Ag program, Macon-
aquah High School has expanded course
offerings by implementing a welding and
construction trades program in 2019.
These programs offer dual credit or dual
enrollment opportunities along with a
chance to move up through a series of
credentials. Students who complete the
courses see a seamless path into the
career field. Enrollment numbers have
more than doubled from previous years
as the on-site courses allow easier access
for students.
The number of transfer students at
Maconaquah Schools also serves as an
indication of how the corporation is
expanding to meet the needs of more
students. In recent years, Maconaquah
saw between 100 and 150 students trans-
ferring into Maconaquah despite living
outside the corporation’s jurisdiction.
That number increased to 275 students in
the 2018-19 school year, and an impres-
sive 317 for the 2019-20 school year
This year, Maconaquah has imple-
mented growth outside of education
through the addition of its very first
Police Department. Maconaquah first
implemented a full-time School Resource
Officer in the 2013-2014 school year.
Maconaquah School’s SRO was previ-
ously welcomed through a partnership
with the Miami County Sheriff’s Depart-
ment. While that partnership does
continue, Maconaquah has heightened its
security by creating its very own Police
Department. The implementation of an
on duty SRO not only provides crime
prevention, but also gives both students
and faculty a feeling of safety within the
school.
Looking back at the growth that has
occurred since the inception of Macon-
aquah School corporation’s strategic
plan several years ago, it is evident that
we have grown and will continue to do so
in the years to come.
Growth at Maconaquah
School Corporation
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
The Maconaquah Schools Class of 2020 lines up for graduation.
