Indian Creek schools will use its grant from the Indiana Department of Education to focus on expanding its agricultural program. The school’s farm opened in Oct. 2020.
DAILY JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
Center Grove and Indian Creek schools, along with the University of Indianapolis, will receive more than $2.5 million in grants from the Indiana Department of Education to expand career readiness and opportunities for students.
UIndy received largest Explore, Engage and Experience grants awarded to local schools, with almost $2.3 million for two programs. One will expand career and technical education opportunities for high school students at four Indiana high schools, while the other will increase exposure to careers in the medical field for students at Indianapolis Public Schools.
Indian Creek schools has been allocated $168,000, which it will use to expand its student-run farm, the Cattle Creek Company, along with increasing opportunities for students by partnering with Zupanic Farms and Bradley Farms. Those two farms can then provide work-based opportunities for students who want to pursue a career in agriculture.
Center Grove schools was awarded $136,666 to expand its culinary arts program by purchasing commercial-grade kitchen equipment and giving students a chance to work with local restaurants, according to information from the Indiana Department of Education.
The Cattle Creek Company at Indian Creek schools has already produced over 3,000 burgers since the farm opened in 2020. With the additional funding from the grant, the farm may become larger and students will not only be able to pursue opportunities in the field at local farms, but continue their education in agriculture through Ivy Tech Community College, which served as a partner on the grant, said Andrea Perry, assistant superintendent.
The opportunities will not only help high schoolers fulfill career pathways requirements, but will help students in younger grades realize a potential passion for agriculture, she said.
“For (career) pathways, we have agriscience for animals, horticulture, agriscience for plants, and agriculture. Those are all pathways our high school students can collect. We’d like to venture into greater exploration at younger ages for students. We’re looking at improving agricultural experiences for students. When those students get into high school, they can be confident in their pathways selection,” Perry said. “(The grant) would support ag personnel, whether instructional positions or it could support expansion with watering improvements and fencing expansion. It really is a matter of providing our students with really positive exploration to help them prepare for the local workforce.”
At Center Grove High School, there is such a demand for culinary arts classes that students are waitlisted for classes at both Central Nine Career Center and at the high school itself. With the grant, the school district will be able to expand its culinary arts program by hiring additional personnel and purchasing equipment such as stainless steel cabinets and countertops, and commercial grade ovens. With more students having a chance to train using high-grade equipment, they will be prepared for work opportunities at local restaurants, said Shannon Carroll-Frye, director of secondary teaching and learning for Center Grove schools.
Bargersville restaurants Taxman Brewing Company and Our Table American Bistro, have expressed initial interest in the program and served as partners on the grant application, Carroll-Frye said.
“We need to be able to prepare students with the basics of the kitchen here before we send them out into the field,” Carroll-Frye said. “Because of the timing of the state’s grant, we have the opportunity to renovate the high school and give space for students to get the culinary experience.”
The larger of the two UIndy grants, $1.4 million, will increase opportunities in advanced manufacturing for students at four high schools: Logansport High School, Lincoln High School, Perry Central High School and Winchester High School, said Carey Dahncke, executive director for the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at UIndy.
“Oftentimes for students who leave high school, there is support and guidance the high school provides, but as soon as they graduate, these supports evaporate for low-income students who don’t have a family member who can navigate the process. This creates a pathway that gets them educated in post-secondary opportunities before they leave high school,” Dahncke said. “This will create infrastructure and support in the high school through funding from the grant for staff and to bring equipment and programming in place.”
The other UIndy grant, for $852,742, will help expose Indianapolis Public School students to careers in the medical field. The grant will bring equipment, such as virtual reality programming and headsets, mannequins and blood pressure cups to classrooms throughout the Indianapolis Public School system. It will also pay staff who can teach students about the medical field, said Erica Young, executive director for the Metropolitan Indianapolis Central Indiana Area Health Education Center.
Along with opportunities in the classroom, students who want to further pursue medicine can pursue internships with Franciscan Health, which served as a partner on the grant, Young said.
Schools will have until Sept. 2024 to use funds from the grants, Carroll-Frye said.
