By DR. DEREK ARROWOOD
Hamilton Heights Superintendent
Update No. 92
Last week, 180 sixth-grade students spent three days and two nights at Indiana University’s Bradford Woods for their Environmental Education Program. This interactive experience gives students the opportunity to learn about how humans and their environment interact and help each other. This science/social studies area of learning, based on Indiana State Standards, has been a highly popular part of the sixth-grade curriculum for more than three decades.
This week is the official kick off to College GO!, the initiative that provides information and resources designed to help Hoosier K-12 students explore and plan for education beyond high school. The annual event, which has been energizing our seniors, focuses on helping students learn the value of continuing education and training, explore career pathways, and discover the variety of postsecondary options to pursue their passion.
On Friday, I get the distinct pleasure of driving art teachers Taylor Myers (HHHS), Erin Goodman (HHMS), and a select group of their art students to downtown Arcadia to participate in a special community project. This group will join a few employees from Duke Energy to bring to life a set of crosswalk murals on West Street facing the new Splash Pad. The murals were designed by local artist Darren Peterson from Peterson Architecture. The project is sponsored by Duke Energy.
Sunday is National Custodial Workers Recognition Day. I would like to give a shout out of appreciation to our facilities/custodial team who help keep our schools clean, well-maintained, and are ever present in making sure our staff and students have a safe space to teach, learn and grow. They often go above and beyond in their service inside and outside our buildings. These employees are among our unsung heroes in public education. Thank you! We appreciate you!
I would also like to give a shout out to our eighth-grade Lady Huskies Volleyball team for bringing home this year’s MIC championship title. Congratulations!
Our latest HHSC Monthly Update has been posted at our website and on YouTube for your viewing enjoyment. Learn about our FFA students giving back, the latest HHHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, our Homecoming King and Queen, an incredible student that has been published in USA Today, and our partnership with Indiana University Kokomo to grow new teachers.
As a reminder, help keep your child safe and the morning car rider drop off process flowing smoothly by having children in their seats (arms, hands, and heads inside windows and sunroofs) as you enter school grounds ready to exit the vehicle as soon as you stop. Please refrain from cell phone use while in line and remind your rider never to go back to the car if he or she forgot or dropped something. Other drivers may be unable to see children who run back toward cars. A staff member can pick up a dropped item. Items left in the car can be taken to the front office to be delivered to your child. Thank you for working with us to help get your child off to a safe and enjoyable start to the school day.
In other reminders, the high school honor society’s annual non-perishable food drive is underway now through Wednesday, Oct. 5. Items collected will help support the community through our onsite, student-run food pantry. Plan to attend our Fall Choir concert on Tuesday, Oct. 4 beginning at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Enjoy special performances by our award-winning middle school and high school choirs led by director Jennifer Kitzmiller. Our first quarter draws to a close on Friday, Oct. 7, followed by our Fall Break Oct. 10 to 14.
As our first quarter draws to a close, I would like to thank you for a successful start of the school year. Our teachers and staff have enjoyed getting to know your children and developing positive relationships to set the stage for greater student engagement and achievement in the weeks and months ahead.
#WeAreHuskies