Made ya laugh!

I discovered the School of Knowledge while searching Fox59.com for school delays (I think it was one of those incredibly cold days and I wanted to see which schools were in back from winter break.) The School of Knowledge was the only one listed, so I decided to do some research. Come to find out, the School of Knowledge is the ONLY Islamic high school in Central Indiana. I was bursting with curiosity! I asked my friends and co-workers if they've ever heard of The School of Knowledge and not one person said, "yes." It was nice to introduce people to the staff and students!
I decided to feature the fact that they're a private, Islamic high school and the only one in the area. They are unusually diverse - students and staff combined represent over 28 different countries! They have all Core 40 classes, but many of the students graduate in 3 years by taking 2 outside English credits and Gov't/ Econ. 3 years!! WOW!
One interesting program the School of Knowledge has is called Tarbiyyah "tar bee ah." Each day, students attend a tarbiyyah class to "better oneself." On some days, they discuss important topics with their peers including family life, stereotyping, values, etc. and on others they pick up litter, help clean the classrooms, tutor elementary school students, or listen to a representative from different local professions speak...a nice change of pace to split up the academic day!
I spoke to a few kids who went to nationals at the University of Maryland for History Day. Students have to research a topic in history and do a project in the form of exhibits, documentaries, historical papers, or performances. It's an honor to attend nationals in the first place, but these students actually came back with awards! Looks like their hard work paid off!
If you want to learn more about the school, check out a graduation video one of their students put together: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhl8OclhsQA.

It was a nice change of pace to head out of town this week! Helloooo Shelbyville!!! Shelbyville High School has just received a face-lift, so their entrance was beautiful and very modern. Speaking of modern, the first thing on my list of things to do at Shelbyville was to meet with the Anime (pronounced "Annie-May") Club. I foolishly thought Anime was a Japanese cartoon...NOOOOOOO! I can still hear the students yelling in protest! The word "Anime" is just the Japanese word for animation, but it is considered a form of art with teens and adults in mind. (We're not talkin' Tom & Jerry here!) The Anime club at Shelbyville is a group of students who enjoy watching, reading, creating and acting out Anime and Manga (Japanese word for comic books and animation in general.) I sat and watched a bit with the students and laughed my head off! I highly recommend checking one out...
Next, I met with Shelbyville's drum line. I know...every school has one...what's unique and cool about a drum line? - Let me tell you! They have an instrument called the "drum bone", which is made out of PVC sewer pipe! They play a song that originated from the Blue Man Group - although the students that play the drum bone have never seen the Blue Man Group perform. I applaud them for taking a chance at something fun and different! Rock on!
Last, but not least, I visited with the 4 students (or founding fathers) of Shelbyville's Robotics Team. They build robots using a kit provided to accomplish a certain task. For instance, they have to compete with other robots to lift tennis balls and place them in a "goal." The difficult part is figuring out how to do that! I wish them lots of luck in their upcoming competition...kick some butt and don't forget to take names!

Holy long drive! I was definitely anxious to get out of the car and stretch my legs when we arrived. So, the Batesville Bulldogs...I spoke with two gals right off the bat about their student section and how they come up with "theme nights" for boy’s basketball games. They said their student section cheers crazily loud to drive off the opposing team (and they've only gotten reprimanded twice from a ref!) Sounds like a crazy group of super fans...look out for them!
Next, I headed over to their art room where I talked with students about their online art gallery called Artsonia. If you log onto artsonia.com, you can find Batesville High School and see what their art students are working on. It's like an ongoing art show that you don't have to leave your house to see! This is my favorite part - you can buy t-shirts, mugs, etc. with the artwork on it directly from that website! Sounds like a perfect Christmas gift for the grandparents. :)
Batesville’s art students have paired up with math and & consumer science classes on a project called, "Think Outside the Box." They’re in charge of redesigning the school's cafeteria, back entrance, hallway, stairs and lobby to make it a more community friendly space! Can you imagine being a student and re-designing your school? What would you put in the design? I had the chance to sit down and watch some of the students present their ideas to the class and they were really creative! I'll have to check back in a year or so to see how things are coming along…Until then, thanks for letting me visit Batesville. GO BULLDOGS!

Can I please start off by saying that I ADORE the students here?! I had an entourage follow me everywhere I went and I thought they were the greatest.
I had a chance to play basketball (okay - I lied - I ran ONE drill) with the new girl's team.... they were so nice and fun to be around. We talked about how both teams are relatively new - this being the first year they're eligible to compete in sectionals. The guy's team is young as well, but they're determined to work hard and win as many games as possible - include the state championship! GOOD LUCK!
The kids have a motto at Tindley - "College or die." They students actually attend full time college courses in Tindley's early college program. When you're a junior, you're enter this program and "get blazed." (The older kids get to wear blazers with their uniforms instead of cardigans.) Professors from Anderson University come into the school to teach classes. When students graduate high school, they have 2 years of college completed!! I can't begin to imagine how difficult the workload! The students said it was hard, but well worth it.
They do, however, catch a break every week...on Friday's they always have a half-day! They get to leave school around noon and take time to do whatever they want. Some study, some catch a bit to eat with friends, some play video games! I wish I had a half day every Friday.
Thanks for the great fun everyone! Go Tigers! :)
PS - You may recognize their Vice Principal, Mr. Barnes, from the game show Deal or No Deal. He won a boatload of money from the show!