MSD of Decatur Township
August Edition
A Message from the Superintendent
As we continue on through the days of summer, I am proud and honored to continue to serve MSD of Decatur Township as the 2019-2020 school year has started. From a district perspective, I would like to again say “thank you” to the Decatur Community for supporting our schools with the renewal of our operating referendum at this past May’s election. Being financially sound is the basis for us to truly put students first. As we launch our new Vision for the District: Preparing Students to be Tomorrow Ready! - we continue to strive daily to achieve the vision by living our Mission of Student Learning, Student Safety, and Family Customer Service. Challenging students and all staff to work for the Decatur Community captures the essence of why we are Decatur Proud.
I encourage you to become actively involved with the MSD of Decatur Township. Through the range of our schools, from Pre-K/Kindergarten at Liberty Early Elementary to our goal that every student is prepared for a post-secondary career, we have quality leadership at every level to nurture and guide each student with a certified teaching staff focused on student learning. Being Student Invested & Community Connected, we are excited for another year of growth and achievement by everyone in our school community. We look to work collaboratively as each child has the potential to achieve success and reach their goals. Please take time to work with your child as well as our staff as we continue to build an effective support system for every child. Through the classroom, athletic field, or the performance in fine arts, our goal is to invest in our children, for they are our future. In closing, MSD of Decatur Township takes each day as part of the continuous journey to make a difference and prepare our children for life after they graduate. Together, we are, DECATUR PROUD.
Sincerely,
Matthew J. Prusiecki, Ph.D.
Staff Updates
High school Teachers
Nathaniel Adams
Zachary Burkhardt
Keenan Castetter
Holly Dusek
Jackson Dutton (School Counselor)
Leslie Fairchild
Capriella Fenicle
Maia Gibson
Noah Klick
Matthew Mulinaro
Micah Souder
Marchell Stephens
Cynthia Wassall
Middle school Teachers
Lydia Barber
Meredith Bussing
Jessica Butwin
Cierra Dirroh
Nathaniel Giblin
Shane Girton
Devan Heiber
Angela Keith
Abigail Kutlas-Prickett
Jacqueline Lee
Kaylyn Lukenbill
Jesica MacNair
Nicole Meyers
Angela Newlon
Kaily Nichols
James Storms (School Counselor)
Jane True
Stephanie Vertrees
Robyn Walsh
Jonathan Weeks
Lyujohn White
Shaundra White
grade school teachers
Noah Banks
Emily Casilli
Smantha Centeno
Sarah Curts
Kelsie Deckard
Madison Dorsey
Ann Fox
Ryan Gammons
Jordan Hedges
Samantha Hergel
Toni Hiers
Stephani Jacobi
Payton Livingston
Taylor Madison
Erin Richard
Andria Shook
Makensie Smith
Hanna Theaker
Amanda Thomas
Charity Thomas
Dustin Criswell – Apex SLC Director at Decatur Middle School
Prior to coming to Decatur Township, Dustin held multiple positions in Perry Township as an 8th grade history teacher, basketball and football coach and assistant principal. We’re thrilled to welcome Dustin to our district as the Apex SLC Director at DMS!
“I am #DecaturProud to be part of a place that puts students first, believes in continuous improvement, and is always striving for excellence.”
Kayla Arguello – Explorations SLC Director at Decatur Middle School
Working as a Spanish teacher and mentor for the past 2 years, Kayla Arguello is thrilled to transition into her new role as the Explorations SLC Director at Decatur Middle School.
“I am #DecaturProud because we value the families we serve and do our best to provide quality education and opportunity to the students in our community.”
Tonya Mercer – Reading Specialist
Tonya Mercer previously held the position of Second Grade Mentor Teacher before earning her new title as Reading Specialist. She has over 23 years of experience and expertise in the education field, and enjoys working for Decatur Township due to the collaborative staff efforts to increase student achievement.
Nextech Catapult Program
As part of our ongoing effort to provide valuable work-based learning opportunities, two DTSE students enrolled in the Nextech Catapult program, which kicked off this summer. Both Alexis Allison and Kirsten Maldonado were immersed in a program that allows students to develop technical and workplace skills, establish authentic peer relationships and ignite a passion for community service. As a component of the program, each student receives a mentor in the Indianapolis tech industry, along with first-hand experience in various different facets of the tech world. From coding to human relations, every student has the opportunity to experience the industry in a unique way.
Continue to make us #DecaturProud, Alexis and Kirsten!
School Supply Drive
For the second year in a row, Citizens Bank of Central Indiana generously hosted a school supply collection where they donated over 700 backpacks filled with supplies to Stephen Decatur! We greatly appreciate their efforts to support our mission of providing our students with the tools and resources they need to succeed! Thank you, Citizens Bank!
iPad Camp
This month we are #DecaturProud to highlight the students who participated in the iPad Summer Camp! Twenty incoming seventh graders attended, and were able to work collaboratively in a fun environment to be better prepared for the new challenges of middle school. Jason Seaver led the camp and focused on teaching digital citizenship and competencies.
Students in photo: Joshua Kinneman and Sophia Long.
Decatur Central Men's Golf
The Decatur Central Men’s Golf Team had a spectacular season with an overall record of 7-8! For the first time in Hawk history, the team finished 3rd place in the Crispus Attucks Sectional and advanced to the Regional Qualifier after defeating Ritter by 3 where our own Ryan Bostic shot a 75 (+3) which is a school record! Decatur Central placed 16th at the IHSAA Regionals and are hungry to make an appearance again next season. We look forward to watching this team continue to thrive in the years to come!
District Updates
Summer Feeding Program
Did you know that the Child Nutrition department serves free meals each summer as a part of the Summer Servings program? This summer alone, Child Nutrition served over 30,000 meals which amounts to roughly 1,000 meals a day! Child Nutrition partnered with DCHS Football, Girls on the Run and Girl Scouts to provide fun activities alongside the nutritious meals. Thanks to everyone for their efforts in making this a successful summer!
Backpack Giveaway Update
On Saturday, July 27 MSD of Decatur Township partnered with Decatur Township Fire Department and The Goodwin Community Center to fill 715 backpacks with school supplies. These backpacks were made available to anyone in the community in grades K-12. The backpack held standard supply items that can be used at any grade level, such as spiral notebooks, folders, pencils, pens, crayons/colored pencils/markers and composition notebooks. This event gave out 575 backpacks and all leftovers were given out at the central office. Thank you to the Indianapolis Airport Authority for donating the backpacks and to the following community partners for helping impact our students and families with their generous monetary or materials/supplies donations!
- Applebees
- Living Wellness
- Bev Thomas
- Los Patios
- Camby Meijer
- Marwood Kroger
- Camby Wal-Mart
- Mr. & Mrs. Dale Henson
- Citizens Bank
- Nikki & Distin Osborn
- Community Hospital
- P & C Bank
- Decatur Middle School Girls Soccer
- Pasquale’s Pizza
- Decatur Township Fire Department
- Project Hope New York
- Decatur Township Scholarship Association
- Express Restoration
- Evelyn Ditchley
Transportation App
This summer, our school district switched to a new GPS company, Zonar, as a way to ensure the safety of all our students and staff. As part of this change, we will discontinue the Here Comes the Bus app and adopt a new, free app called Safe Stop. With this user-friendly app, parents and students will have access to the exact location of the bus from their phones and tablets. The program’s unique features will allow users to set notifications if the bus is approaching or within a designated geofence, so you’ll always be aware when the bus is near!
This app will also allow students to stay inside their homes longer so they aren’t exposed to inclement weather, traffic, or individuals that could have an adverse affect on them. This added benefit allows our parents to know when the bus has arrived at the stop, as well as at the school. We are thrilled to try out this new technology that will offer safer experiences for our students, parents, and community as a whole!
The free app is available on the iOS store and Google Play.
In The News
Last month, our assistant manager for the Decatur Middle School cafeteria was featured on American Ninja Warrior! Amanda O’dell, dubbed the “Lunch Lady Ninja,” tackled the course in Ohio. Her resilience and go-getter attitude helped her make it all the way to the fifth obstacle. She finished 29th, which qualified her for the Cincinnati City Finals! Join us in congratulating her for this tremendous accomplishment and stay tuned for where it takes her next!
As a way to continue to evolve and grow post-secondary educational opportunities for our students, we recently formed a new partnership with AAR Corp., a global provider of aviation maintenance services. The partnership includes the launch of the Direct Hire Aviation Maintenance program, which is exclusively available to Decatur Township students seeking a career in aviation maintenance upon graduation.
This initiative takes a holistic approach toward supporting MSD of Decatur Township’s ongoing mission to integrate more career-based learning opportunities into its existing educational pathway. We discussed this new partnership and program with RTV6’s Rafael Sanchez to shed light on this exciting new opportunity!
Career Pathway News
We’re excited to announce a new locally created pathway for MSD of Decatur Township students to partake in, the Aviation Sheet Metal pathway. In partnership with AAR Corporation and Vincennes University Aviation Technology Center (ATC), this new LCP will allow students to experience and learn the specifics of the Aviation Sheet Metal career. Upon successful completion of the pathway, students in the second semester of their senior year will earn an Aviation Sheet Metal certification. Additionally, the students will be eligible for employment at AAR and have a tremendous opportunity to continue their education at ATC to earn an airframe and powerplant certification for aviation maintenance. We’re looking forward to getting this pathway off the ground in the spring.
The MSD of Decatur Township has been approved to implement the Civic Arts locally created pathway. This pathway will allow students to engage in coursework and focus on experiences in Band, Choir, Theatre, or Art. Part of the pathway requires students to create an ePortfolio and participate in an internship in business or organization connected to one of the four arts areas.