Greetings North Central Panthers! Two minutes in your school and I was already lost. HA! There's door E, B, EE, ZH, K20...okay maybe not that confusing, but I seriously don't know how students find their way around on a daily basis. :) Good thing I had my trusty guide, Karen! She showed me straight to Chief Hayes classroom/ firehouse to "suit up..."He was nice enough to loan me his personal firefighting uniform - which included boots and a hat. Someone actually said, "You look like a kid dressed up in her dad's gear!" I was definitely swimming in it! (Did I mention that the gear weighed 900 lbs?!?!) Whew! I did my best joining in with the students doing drills and exercises, but quickly realized this was a tough profession not to be taken lightly. These students were training to save lives! Very impressive.
After removing Chief Hayes gear, I went to sweat more with North Central's award winning show choir, Counterpoints. I learned that students don't need to have a background in dance to join, but you can't get in the door without being able to sing. (Must be why their choir has won state 8 years in a row!) The students taught me a few steps and were very patient when I kept messing up. Obviously, they're not used to anything less than perfection… :)
So, next Karen took me to WJEL. I was excited for this one because I listen to WJEL everyday. I couldn't wait to see what the studio looked like and to talk to some of the DJ's on how they run the station. It was nothing like I expected! The whole process was extremely laid back - as if they didn't know thousands of people were listening to them on any given moment! I did a quick interview on the radio and talked to some of the students involved. Including Batman – thanks for leaving my very first comment Josh! Rock on w/ your Daft Punk self! Thanks North Central!

I'll admit that I didn't really grasp the concept of Indy Met until I visited. How could a high school have no grades? Did they have principals? Teachers? Books? Clubs? I didn't know what to expect! After spending a few minutes inside the school, I got the feeling that they're all one big family and they do, indeed, have all of the things I mentioned!
The students spend 60% of their day in an advisory or homeroom. Their advisor stays the same all four years and is the one to structure their learning plan based on their interests and strengths. The students rely on their advisor for help in and out of school...almost like a mentor.
Instead of grades, they have exhibitions. I spoke with a girl named Quayla (happy belated birthday, by the way!) who was doing her exhibition on AIDS that day. She told me that she has to do a 45+ min. presentation in front of her family, peers, and advisor based on what she's learned. It's an open forum, so anyone and everyone can ask her questions. After this is done, she gets a personal narrative highlighting her strengths and weaknesses. Quayla said this helps her focus on the content, rather than the grade itself. I think it's an amazing idea!
My favorite part was their internship program. I went to the Greenwood Municipal Airport where a few students go every Tuesday and Thursday to learn about repairing and flying planes. I thought this was so cool because most of the time, students head to college not knowing what field they want to go into...Indy Met students find out what career field they like and/ or dislike at such an early age because of this internship program! I wish I had this opportunity in high school. Students, enjoy and take full advantage of these opportunities!!! GO PUMAS!

The IPS Key Learning Community High School has only been in operation since 2004, but they already have some impressive statistics including “highest graduation rate in their district and 89% of students are accepted to college!” Everything about this school is amazing, but I had to choose only three things to showcase. Here we go...
First of all, I spoke to the seniors about their upcoming trip to Costa Rica. I quickly learned this was not like MY senior trip to Cancun. Key Learning Community students have to raise $1500 per person in order to go and they are going there to work in orphanages, build sidewalks, plant trees, etc. (doesn't sound like they'll have time for shopping, swimming, relaxing...) Nonetheless, these students were sooo excited to volunteer their time to help others! I wish them luck on their upcoming fundraising efforts! Did I ask yet if I could go with you guys? J
Next, I spoke to the students about Community Learning Opportunities or CLO. Every Friday, students go into the community to see a play, a concert, or a museum. This Friday, they were doing research at Butler's library for an upcoming project. How lucky are these students?! They get a field trip every week!!!
Lastly, I visited a few "pods." These are special classes that cater to the student and teacher’s interests, similar to an elective. Topics include fly-fishing, sewing, genealogy, technology, and walking...The list goes on and on! The students told me this was their stress reliever during the day because they get to do something they enjoy and CHOOSE to do. I don't know about you, but I'd choose fly-fishing over math ANYDAY! Great students, great school!

The International School of Indiana (ISI) is a K-12 school with only 600 students...all of which seemed extremely intelligent and well spoken! I choose to highlight ISI's exchange program because it was such a big part of the student's academic stay at ISI. Students in 5th, 8th and 10th grade travel to a foreign country for 2 weeks at a time...Mexico, Spain and France are three of the main countries students visit because of their language of study. During this two-week trip, students immerse themselves in the country's culture. They stay with a host family, speak the language, go to school with student, eat the food, shop, sightsee, etc. I saw so many fun pictures from past trips! What a great experience.
Unlike other schools in Indiana, ISI requires ALL STUDENTS to go through the International Baccalaureate program and sit for the IB exams. I was told that the curriculum is extremely difficult and requires more than just memorizing and reciting. This enables 100% of students at this school to be accepted to college! 100%!!! That's amazing! :)
I finished my stay at ISI by attending a rehearsal for their yearly art show. This wasn't your average display-artwork-on-the-walls gallery tour. These students were dressed in their creations and walked down a runway one by one! I saw outfits made of newspaper, recycled items, anti-war signs, fur...each outfit had it's message to convey. Students called this "art with a purpose." ISI students are well on their way to becoming true global citizens!
Go Griffins!

After visiting small, specialty schools for the past three weeks, it was mighty refreshing to see Greenwood High School on the horizon! How did they greet me you ask? With a sheep's brain!! :) Their AP biology and psychology classes were wrapping up a dissection of a sheep's brain to better understand our central nervous system. So cool! The students that I interviewed said they were excited to have this hands-on experiment and found that they learned much more than just studying diagrams and reading definitions from a textbook. I couldn't believe they didn't seem squirmy or grossed out! It took me back to my high school days of Anatomy and Physiology...we had to dissect a cat!! EWWWW!
Next, we headed to talk to the students that run their newspaper, Timberlines. The room was decorated with trophies and plaques celebrating the newspaper's success! Very impressive. The students explained how they conduct interviews about entertainment, sports, school functions, and community events...pretty much anything and everything in the school that's important they cover. Is this really a class? Sounds like full-time job to me!
Lastly, we headed over to a neighboring elementary school to feature Greenwood's Cadet Teaching Program. Students interested in a child-related career or profession are encouraged to participate in this program. They leave 7th period everyday to go to another school, are assigned to a specific classroom, and assist the teacher with lesson plans, teaching, etc. The two gals I spoke with talked about how working with kids everyday is such a rewarding experience for them. They also get to see put themselves in the teacher's shoes. It's a difficult job and one that is not applauded enough! My hat goes off to all teachers and those wanting to get into the profession.
Thanks for letting me visit GHS! Go Woodmen!