Indiana Milken Educators are still involved with innovative projects and activities.

Take a look at what Indiana Milken Network Educators are involved in!

Bobbie Owensby MEA '99	Bobbie Owensby will travel this summer with 10 students on a cultural tour to Brazil. She will spend 9 days in Rio de Janeiro and the city of Salvador. Most of their time will focus on the African influence in the city of Salvador. Secondly, her school was awarded a grant from the Milken Family Festival for Youth Community Service Program. She and her students will spend the rest of the summer planning for their community service kick-off this fall. They are really excited about the upcoming events and look foward in sharing the kickoff date with you. updated 06/01
Ray Seale MEA '93	As of May 31, 2001 C. Ray Seale will no longer be employed. After 40 years in education, he has decided to retire. Ray was in the first group of Indiana educators--class of '93 updated 06/01
Cordia Moore MEA 96	Certification as a North Central Accreditation (NCA) Ambassador I received certification as a North Central Accreditation (NCA) ambassador. I present NCA School Improvement workshops to neighboring school districts throughout the year. I will be sharing a presentation at the Annual NCA conference to be held in Chicago April 1 - 4. Improving America's Schools Conference On October 2-4th, I was priviledge to present at the Improving America's Schools Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. It's always a pleasure to hear Secretary Riley's renewed commitment to improving America's Schools. I participated on the panel discussing Education Accountability at the District level. In addition, I presented a workshop on How to Turn Around a Low Achieving School. Kids on Line America Cordia has just completed her role on the advisory board for Kids On Line America (KOLA), which is a new technological support system. updated 06/01
Rex Bolinger MEA 99	Member of National Commission on High School Senior Year I have been appointed by Secretary Richard Riley to serve on the National Commission on the High School Senior Year. The Commission is chaired by Governor Paul Patton of Kentucky. Several nationally prominent educators are serving on the Commission. The Commission has been funded by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the Mott Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Education. We have been meeting since this past fall and a first draft of our work will be made public soon. The goal of the Commission is to develop creative ideas and recommendations on how to make the last years of high school, especially the senior year, more productive and how to improve the transitions to college and the adult world. The broader goal of the Commission is to build partnerships between public and private sectors and between secondary and post-secondary education, laying the groundwork for reforming the high school experience. Angola Named New American High School Angola High School was one of the first thirty New American High Schools to be named by the U.S. Department of Education. A principals' conference for principals of New American High Schools will be held in Miami, FL from January 12 to 13, 2001. I will be speaking at this conference detailing the work of the Commission mentioned above. Upcoming Presentation I am scheduled to speak at the NASSP National Principals' Conference in Phoenix, AZ from March 9-12, 2001. My topic will be high school restructuring. Change in Job Description I have accepted a new position with my school district. On July 1, 2001, I will become assistant superintendent in charge of secondary leadership and curriculum. I hope to continue my work with school leadership development with NASSP and other organizations. updated 06/01
Debra Paulson MEA 93	Since Debra's National Milken recognition in Indiana in 1993, she has moved to Texas. This year Texas has decided to become a Milken state and has identified 10 eduacators this year. She is a member of NAGB, National Assessment Governing Board that is over NAEP. She is also a member of MSEB, Mathematical and Science Education Board. Locally, in El Paso Debra was Dept. Chair over Mathematics where they adopted "Connected Mathematics." She is currently serving on a K-16 Math Alignment Working Committee with the USI Colloborative and UTEP. Most of her time is spent as teacher of 8th grades Mathematics, Algebra and Pre-Algebra. This year she has 150 students. Debra is in a 6 - 8th Grade Middle School with over 1600 students and more than 90 teachers. She is a wife and a mother of a sophomore at University of North Texas. updated 06/01
Sarah Powley MEA 93	Chautauqua Consortium As the coordinator of the Chautauqua Project, I will be attending a small conference in Phoenix (3 people from each state) of people interested in professional development and its relationship to quality teaching. The conference is sponsored by the NEA and its professional development arm, the NFIE. We will be looking at the effect of prof. dev. on student achievement and at issues of documentation--how do you prove that prof. dev. works and what kind of prof. dev.? One of the real interesting things to me is that some of the readings I have to do before I go are reports of research sponsored by the Milken Family Foundation! updated 06/01
John Frischie MEA 95	High Schools that Work John is currently coordinating South Newton H.S. "High Schools That Work" agenda. South Newton is one of about 25 high schools in Indiana and 1000 nationwide participating in this school reform model sponsored by the Southern Region Education Board. We have received our first data results from the NAEP assessment, student, and staff survey. Our goals include writing across the curriculum, reading across the curriculum and extra help for students. South Newton is working to eliminate all low level programs in math, language, and science. Project Lead the Way John wrote a grant for his school that will link a typical career technical department with a high level academic program. This $82,500 grant is funded by Indiana School to Work and the Division of Workforce Development. They are also implementing a pre-engineering curriculum major in their school. This program will involve 4 courses for all middle school students in technology and five courses in the high school Technology Program. Students will receive engineering credit from Rochester Institute in New York. The instructors must participate in an annual two week training session developed by Project Lead the Way. South Newton is one of 170 school nationwide to participate in this project. updated 06/01
Ralph Walker MEA 95	Ralph is working on developing the nation's best reading program! As the superintendent of Lebanon School Corporation in Lebanon, Indiana, he is leading his corporation in making systemic change in their reading program by implementing the Baldridge management system in their school district. He is stressing rubrics and is working on differentiated instruction throughout the school district. Ralph just returned from Connecticut with a team of teachers from Lebanon. They visited four school districts and gained a lot of knowledge about teaching reading as they work to truly develop the nation's best reading program. updated 06/01
Marcia Capuano MEA 95	Marcia Capuano, MEA '95, has spent the last couple of months getting ready for their big district technology audit. Cheryl Lemke, previously with the Milken Exchange and now the Metiri Group, is heading the audit. While the audit will assess the connectivity, infrastructure, and hardware, its main focus will be on the teaching and learning. They are anxiously awaiting the results of where they presently are so that they can determine their vision and what they want to do! Marcia says, "It has been a wonderful learning opportunity to work with Cheryl and her group!" updated 06/01
Rick Crosslin MEA 98	Awarded the Christa McAuliffe Award Rick Crosslin, a fourth grade teacher who has served for 25 years at Chapel Glen Elementary School in the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indianapolis, was named by Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed as Indiana's 2001 Christa McAuliffe Fellow. Dr. Reed was joined by Patricia Harvey, principal of the school, and Dr. Philip Ehrhardt, deputy superintendent of the MSD of Wayne Township, as she made the announcement and presented Crosslin with the $35,000 award. Crosslin proposed to use his fellowship year developing a set of standards-based science activity kits for elementary school teachers. His program is called "Reach for the S.T.A.R.S.-Science Teachers And Remarkable Standards." In his proposal, he said that the S.T.A.R.S. activity kits are needed because, although Indiana's new academic standards in science have received praise nationally, some teachers do not clearly understand how to use the standards in their classrooms. The lessons in the kits will use exemplary teaching practices and performance assessments, addressing multiple learning styles for students in Grades 3 through 6. "The activities will be highly motivating, hands-on, cross-curricular models that incorporate science, language arts, and math state standards," Crosslin said in his proposal. He will start by developing a minimum of 16 "model" science activity kits. Grades 3 through 6 will each have four kits that include directions, assessment tools, books, industrial support, language arts and mathematics components, and hands-on materials. The kits will address science standards in the areas of "The Living Environment" and "The Physical World." Crosslin will receive assistance from the Children's Museum of Indianapolis and the Marion County Teachers, Industry, and the Environment Program (T.I.E.). Both groups, dedicated to improving science education in Indiana, have agreed to help in developing and disseminating the kits. Crosslin hopes to make additional connections with business and industry, providing intellectual and financial support for the project after the prototypes are completed. Arkansas Science Expedition Rick Crosslin has taken students on Science Expeditions all over the world. Under his direction students have explored Indiana, the Rocky Mountains, the Quartz Crystal Mines of Arkansas, the Amazon River in South America, the Cities and Deserts of Egypt, the Red Sea, and Kenya. You might want to follow along on his latest adventure, the Arkansas Science Expedition, from his Web site (http://www.rainbowcamp.org/arkansas/). The journey begins on March 31st. updated 06/01
Mark Weaver MEA 97	Indiana Milken Educator Network Created and maintained by Mark, this page offers additonal links, pictures, and articles on the activities of the IMEN. Churchill: a Northern Experience This website is created by Mark Weaver, science chairman at Clay Junior High School, Carmel, Indiana, USA and is based upon his experiences, research, and contacts that he has acquired during and since his time in Churchill with the support of the Carmel Clay Schools, the Milken Family Foundation, the Indiana Department of Educaiton, and the people of Churchill. updated 06/01
Jan Carroll Weir MEA 97	ChemCentral This is Jan's "cornerstone" of her chemistry class -- it provides the framework (and a lot of the content) for teaching her first year college prep chemistry class. They do not use a "traditional" textbook. Interdisciplinary Human Biology and Health This year, Jan is also teaching an additional class where her students are the ones creating the web site. While she is the person actually uploading the web site content that the kids do, the kids feel real ownership of the material that is there. Additional Activities Jan Weir will be one of the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township's Instructional Technology Coaches. Part of this responsibility is giving a two week long workshop to other K-12 teachers (which may be elected for college credit) "Navigating the Internet" which includes developing classroom, content-specific web pages, learning how to use effective search techniques and how to validate information found on the internet. Then, this next school year, she will be working one-on-one with other teachers in the school district to help them learn how to integrate more technology into their curricula. Jan is still serving as the MSDLT's Science department chair and will still be teaching one class. updated 06/01
Bonnie Fancher MEA 99	Summer Plans I will be teaching Advanced Placement Environmental Science for Teachers at Illinois Wesleyan the last week of June. This institute is through The College Board. I have facilitated this institute in two previous summers in Illinois and an institute last summer at South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City, SD. Switzerland County Wathershed Project This is Bonnie's website that she and her students maintain -- She and her students monitor the Switzerland County watershed and Ohio River water quality. Her students integrate technology with watershed study in this watershed website. updated 06/01
Tammy Payton MEA 98	Buddy System Project Webdesigner Tammy Payton will be retiring from the Loogootee Community School Corporation to work as an independent educational consultant. She is working with area schools on technology integration and is continuing to design and create information for the Buddy Project website. This is a technology project that has been active in Indiana since 1988. Rotunda Day CD In Indiana, this was the year that the educational budget was being set. The Buddy Project hosted a technology awareness gathering in the state's rotunda. As webmaster for Buddy, she created a CD that was given to all state legislators showcasing the many technology projects that are in Indiana and how they are impacting student learning. Upcoming Presentations National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) Date: June 23 and 24, 2001 Place: Chicago, Illinois Presentation Title: Creating Web Based Curriculum Integrating the Internet School Tech Expo Date: October 19-20, 2001 Place: Chicago, Illinois Presentation Title: Key Steps to Technology Integration Collaboration is Awesome! Additional Activities and Awards Online Museum Educator 2000-2001 Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia Tammy also recently finished a web based curriculum on Bicycles for the Franklin Institute Science Museum's website as part of her role as Online Museum Educator: http://www.sln.org/pieces/payton/ Professional Development Modules Tammy is collaborating with Indiana University to develop inquiry based online professional development modules for teacher training. She has already designed one titled "K-2 Curriculum Integration: How can I integrate the Internet with the K-2 language arts curriculum?" As part of this module, this month Indiana University video taped the reenactments of Loogootee Elementary West students engaged in activities that are included in this module. These video clips will be incorporated throughout the module to illustrate to educators how this can actually work in their classroom. updated 06/01