Hamilton Heights School Corporation is one of seven Indiana school districts that will share in a $4 million grant from the Central Indiana Educational Service Center (CIESC) to support a transformational college and career readiness approach. The seven districts include Hamilton Heights, Fort Wayne Community Schools, Whitley County Consolidated Schools, Mill Creek Community Schools, MSD of Warren Township, and Hamilton Southeastern.
Over the two years of the grant, all seven districts will implement a community advisory consisting of both internal and external stakeholders. The goal is for all seven school districts to become state models for significant transformational change, positively impacting students, school districts, and communities. The process is already underway at Heights.
“The goal is to build more community partnerships and connections that will allow us to provide even more enriching and focused opportunities for our students,” Hamilton Heights High School Counselor Jessi Cantlon said. “We will begin by creating a portrait of a graduate and spelling out what exactly we expect to see from a Hamilton Heights graduate. From there, we will take that portrait of a graduate and create opportunities so our students have options available to them that will allow them to earn credits, certificates, and/or opportunities to seamlessly move into enrollment in college, enlistment in the military, or focused employment opportunities.”
Superintendent Dr. Derek Arrowood added, “This grant will also help provide the initial funding for a third counselor at the high school and help us better connect our schools with our local business community so that every student who graduates will be ready to Enroll (College), Employ (go direct into the workforce with a high wage job) or Enlist (in a branch of the military) – aka the “3 E’s.”
To get an up close and personal look at this program and its impact in action, Dr. Arrowood, Bret Bailey (HHMS Principal), Julie Davis (HHSC Board member), Brad Batman (HHHS Science teacher), and Jessi Cantlon (HHHS Counselor) traveled to Akron, Ohio, to see how Akron Public Schools is connecting with their community to help their students reach one of those 3 E’s by graduation.
Several members of Hamilton Heights leadership team traveled to Ohio to witness firsthand the impact of the Akron in Action program. Students, of which 50 percent are refugee/non-English speaking, are excelling in college, career, military, and life in general, post-graduation thanks in part to stronger school community partnerships. (Photo provided)
“It was an inspirational experience,” Davis said of the visit to North High School, one of the oldest magnet schools in the Akron in Action project. The school has a population of 50 percent refugee/non-English speaking students who are thriving thanks in part to their 3E program. “The 3E project and associated grant monies will help to determine and best address the needs of ALL students at Heights.”
“I could see our own great individual programs coming together and then deeply partnering with community businesses and organizations to add context, relevancy, purpose, and authentic problem-solving opportunities for our students,” Dr. Arrowood pointed out. “I saw teachers refreshed and excited. I saw students stepping up confidently as they brought transformational change to the problems in their communities. We left excited and refreshed for the possibilities ahead. Our experience here reinforced that Heights is on the right track with many of the initiatives that are proving to be transformational for our students. We plan to continue to keep kicking up our efforts and district looped into our progress and achievements on the 3E’s.”