Out-of-the-Blue
February 16, 2024 Issue 14 Vol. 4
Building the Next Generation of Teachers at TCSC
Tipton Community School Corporation was among 45 school districts in Indiana to secure a 2023 Digital Learning Grant from the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) Office of Digital Learning. The grant provided funds to help expand technology integration at school corporations to complete work in one or more of the following strands: blended and virtual learning for new educators, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), assistive technologies, and/or digital literacy.
The corporation got a lot of bang for their grant money buck by using it to develop a new teacher mentor program for the 2023-24 school year. The program provided its novice teachers and teachers with new building teaching assignments the opportunity for quality mentorship, coaching, instructional modeling, feedback, and support on their instruction by veteran educators in the same building. The goal was to create a supportive environment for new teachers, enhance their professional growth, confidence, build relationships, and retention - all which benefits students.
One of the initiatives of this program was to pair all new teachers (and new to the building) with a mentor who would spend at least 10 hours with their mentee throughout the first semester. Another was to give the mentee educators the opportunity to lead a professional development session of their choice. This took place on Monday, February 5. These mentee educators rose to the occasion and did not disappoint.
Alisha Foor, Digital Learning Specialist from the Indiana Department of Education, was onsite to see how TCSC utilized the grant money. She said she enjoyed being a part of the day and seeing the digital learning grant initiatives in action. “Reading grant applications is great but being able to see the end results is the best part of my role with grant management,” noted Foor, who attended the Amplify, Science of Reading, and UDL sessions. I really enjoyed hearing their [educators] experiences and processes."
“The mentor program was a very valuable experience for myself and my mentee,” said Tipton Elementary School second grade teacher Lela Gillmann. “It gave us time to sit down and focus every couple of weeks on questions and formal discussions. We used the time to help each other grow and develop as teachers.”
Diane Degenkolb, also a second grade teacher at Tipton Elementary School, said she was thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of the mentor program this year. “It allowed both my mentee and I the uninterrupted time to work together and learn from one another. The structure of the program helped lead us in the right direction towards making sure that we discussed many of the topics that new teachers need to learn outside of their university experiences. I hope this program will continue in the future!”
Abigail Speck, a veteran educator, now in her 12th year of teaching, agrees. Her new teaching assignment was third grade at Tipton Elementary School. She said she loved having the ability to have a structured mentor program that also provided flexibility. “The expectation to meet gave accountability to the program, but the program was set up in a way that we could make it work with our schedules as well as focusing on the topics that were most necessary or valuable to us,” explained Speck, who was one of 13 mentees to participate in the new program.
“As a veteran teacher changing grade levels and building assignments, I found the program to be a very efficient way to provide space to ask questions that I would need to ask anyways,” she continued. “I would have loved to have had this opportunity when I was a first year teacher. I am grateful that the chance to participate was extended to teachers in my position who were taking on a whole new role.”
“The Digital Learning Grant is an annual, competitive grant we have been fortunate enough to earn the past two years,” explained Scott Jaworski, TCSC Assistant Superintendent, who plans to apply for the 2024 Digital Learning Grant with the intention to build upon the success of this past year's program. “We are always looking for ways to maximize the impact of our grant money, so what better way than to provide mentoring for our new staff who can then turn around and offer a unique learning experience right back to our veteran staff. At TCSC, we are developing more than just teachers, we are developing leaders. I feel confident that our mentor program not only integrates new staff into their building level teams, but also prepares TCSC for future success with strong educational leaders."
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TCSC Invites Community to Invest in the Inferno
“The Inferno,” Tipton High School’s landmark gym, is undergoing a long-awaited renovation in
summer of 2024. The Friends of the Inferno group is leading the charge to raise funds through
sponsorships and donations to give the gymnasium a modern look and feel with new paint,
flooring, digital scoreboards, curtain, gym floor planks, and Blue Devil Hall of Fame section to
name a few.
The Inferno, home to Indiana’s only Blue Devils mascot, built in 1961, seats 3,500. It has served
as a symbol of local identity, the focus of hometown pride, and the backdrop for generations of
memories. The upgrades, expected to cost an estimated $450,000, will update the look and feel of the multi-use space with modern amenities and features to best serve players, students, spectators, and the community well into the future.
The Inferno doubles as an educational space by day and an event destination by night. It is a multi-purpose facility that is used as a large classroom, for sports practices, home games and
tournaments, graduation, school-sanctioned events, community gatherings, and as an
emergency shelter. It draws in an estimated 22,000 spectators each year. Beginning in 2024,
The Inferno will host all home boys’ and girls’ basketball games, home volleyball matches, and
IHSAA tournament contests.
All are invited to consider joining this exciting initiative through a number of available
sponsorships or donating toward this effort. Your investment is an investment in students,
faculty, and the community by providing students with a safe and healthy environment to learn
and grow while also serving as a valuable resource for the community.
“Having a modernized gymnasium instills a stronger sense of pride as our student athletes
continue to learn valuable life lessons through competition and sportsmanship,” said Kory
Fernung, THS Athletic Director. “One of our local business partners, Encompass Credit Union,
has taken the lead on this effort by sponsoring the main gym flooring which will be the new
Encompass Court at the Inferno!”
For more information on sponsorship and donor opportunities, contact us at
THSinferno@tcsc.k12.in.us or call Andrea Campbell at (317)385-0872 or Rob Cochrane at
(317)432-6429.
CAMPUS MAP
Calendar of Events
February 19-President's Day (School is In Session)
February 22-IREAD-3 Parent Meeting
March 12-Monthly Board Meeting
March 25-Flex Day (Snow Make-up if needed)
March 26-Flex Day (Snow Make-up if needed)
March 27-Flex Day (Snow Make-up if needed)
March 28-Flex Day (Snow Make-up if needed)
March 29-April 5 Spring Break
April 8-Total Eclipse-Students Dismissed at 1PM