15 phenomenal facts you didn’t know about South Bend’s public schools

It’s no secret that the sheer size and diversity of the South Bend Community School Corp. will inevitably present some challenges. But did you know that there are also many features of the South Bend schools -- innovative programs, special awards, unique partnerships – that greatly enhance the quality of public education in our city? Here’s our list of the 15 most distinctive features you may not know about our community school system.

Magnetic fields

Investing in education is an investment in South Bend's future.

Seven schools within the school corporation – including all four high schools -- offer magnet programs that are designed to draw students from outside the normal geographic boundaries to study a specialized curriculum. Each magnet program works in partnership with professionals from the business and college community to provide an enriching educational experience in a real-world setting.

According to Candace Butler, the high school magnet concept allows the opportunity to concentrate on preparing for their future. Butler, who coordinates the Visual and Performing Arts magnet program at Clay High School, has observed that students who know from an early age what they want to do are willing to take on the extra work that’s required of magnet students.

Here’s a closer look at each program:

1. The International Baccalaureate magnet program at Adams High School offers a rigorous college-preparatory program. The IB concept was originally designed for the children of diplomats to ensure that school credits would transfer across international boundaries.

“Just the fact of Adams being an IB school is a great success for South Bend,” says David Medich, the international baccalaureate magnet coordinator at Adams High School.

“It’s an indicator to the community that we are a premier high school, and demonstrates the very high level at which the students are operating.”

Clay High School offers a challenging arts curriculum.

2. Students in the Visual and Performing Arts magnet program at Clay High School have the opportunity to engage with professionals representing the various disciplines offered there. Students enrolled in the program may choose a curriculum specifically focused on dance, drama, music or the visual arts. The program emphasizes both classroom-based learning and real-world experience; students connect with professionals through apprenticeships, live performances and workshops.

“Clay’s program is different from the other magnet programs in that all arts courses are open to all students at Clay,” Butler says.

“It’s a very deep curriculum. So the entire school benefits because they can take classes that the other schools don’t offer.”

3. At Riley High School, the Technology and Engineering magnet program started with the idea of incorporating the use of computers and emerging technologies within a challenging, hands-on, standards-based curriculum.

But then it went one better, adding a component called Project Lead the Way. PLTW is a national, non-profit organization that provides rigorous and innovative science, technology, engineering, and math education for middle schools and high schools. Riley’s PLTW allows students to receive college credits at affiliated universities for certain courses.

Riley High School students benefit tremendously from the Project Lead The Way program.

“The magnet program has brought many wonderful students to our school and allowed us to demonstrate that a project-based learning approach can be successful,” says John Kennedy, assistant principal at Riley. “We have received recognition and national certification for the program and have been able to maintain great partnerships.”

4. In Washington High School’s Medical / Allied Sciences program, “We don’t say if you go to college,” says Martha Lustik, BSN, RN, MSE, who coordinates the programs. “We say when you go to college.”

Students interested in the medical magnet must enter as freshmen in order to fit in all the required coursework. In addition to a rigorous curriculum that includes advanced math and science coursework, students also take integrated health science classes and a raft of courses on ethics, professional practices, cultural diversity, and individual, family, community and world health issues. The demanding curriculum is designed to develop students’ communication, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

Partnerships with such local health-care organizations allow students to gain real-world experience in a range of areas including ambulance crews, dental care, cardiology, OB-GYN and family practice. In addition, Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center have provided money for scrubs and supplies, two complete hospital units and one exam table, digital monitoring equipment and a 32-unit computer lab.

5 and 6. The Fine Arts Academies at Perley Primary (K-4) and Dickinson Intermediate (5-8) allow students greater arts opportunities than traditional programs.

“In most traditional schools, kids may have some art and music and then in middle school they choose band or orchestra,” says Carol A. Levee, director of the fine arts and Montessori academies. At the arts magnets, they can choose any combination of band, orchestra, art, dance and drama.

Teachers at the schools have written a supplemental guide integrating arts into the regular curriculum, so students can begin seeing connections among those subjects.

7. The Marquette Montessori Primary Academy is the first public Montessori school in St. Joseph County.

“We worked closely with The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes, a private school that offers an Montessori training center for early-childhood certification through Indiana University South Bend,” says Levee. “They’ve been very supportive.”

In all three academies, the climate has changed dramatically.

“The students believe in themselves,” Levee says. “They lose their self-consciousness, and as they become more involved, their academic endeavors go up. Their attention is improved. Parental involvement has increased.”

To increase the visibility of the magnet program, student artwork is professionally framed and displayed in the main ticket area of the South Bend Regional Airport.

“I got the idea from seeing something similar in Atlanta and essentially used it as a marketing tool,” Levee says. “What better way to let visitors know we have these programs here than to have it greet them when they get right off the plane?”

Special programs and activities

8. Early College High School at Riley blends high school and college into one academically rigorous program. While in high school, students take college courses that can lead to up to two years of college credit or an associate’s degree. With a strong focus on students who are underrepresented in higher education, the goal of this model is to increase college enrollment, help students transition smoothly into college and reduce remediation. The program was implemented in 2009.

9. Each primary center (K-4) in the school system provides full-day kindergarten to offer students enhanced opportunities for academic preparation and social development.

According to Thomas Fujimura, executive director of instruction, research has shown that early childhood education gives an extra boost for growth and development in succeeding grades.

“We believe that with full-day kindergarten, we are able to better cover the curriculum as well as go deeper into every concept,” Fujimura says. For example, students’ writing advances more quickly in the full-day program, and the extra hours allow for educational field trips.

“It has been very positive for our children and they are much better prepared for first grade,” he says.

High rankings

Students line up at Kennedy Primary Academy, one of two advanced academies in South Bend.

10. Kennedy Primary Academy (K-4), one of two advanced academies in the school system, has been designated a Four-Star School by the Indiana Department of Education. This designation indicates that Kennedy is in the top 25 percent of all Indiana schools in attendance, and in language arts and math portions of Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+), Indiana’s standardized testing regimen for grades three through 10.

This is the second time Kennedy has earned this award, according to Principal Kris Torok. She is quick to credit her predecessor, Debra Herring, for launching the academy and leading it to its first Four-Star rating in the 2007-2008 school year.

“This represents the hard work of the staff, students and families who set high expectations,” Torok says. “Our rigorous curriculum keeps the expectations high and creates a positive learning environment where families want their children to go to school.”

11. LaSalle Intermediate Academy, Kennedy’s grade-five-through-eight counterpart, is among the few public middle schools in Indiana to receive a distinguished Great Schools Rating of 10 out of 10, based on reviews and comments from parents.

“Many of the comments made me smile,” says LaSalle Principal Nathan Boyd. “As I read them, I was very pleased to know that parents see our teachers as creative and caring, and that administration and leadership was great. I was thrilled. I’m going to bookmark the page.”

To view the parents’ comments about LaSalle, click here.

Winning ways

Students on LaSalle Intermediate Academy’s robotics teams hone their problem-solving skills.

12. LaSalle also features a highly successful robotics team.

According to Boyd, there are two teams already registered for the current school year. Each team consists of 10 participants to allow for maximum participation, with the option of adding a third team if enough students are interested.

The purpose of the robotics teams is to encourage students to apply inquiry-based problem-solving skills in order to solve real-world problems.

“All of our teams have always made it out of regional competition,” Boyd says. “Two years ago a team came in second in state.”

13. For 10 consecutive years, students from John Adams High School have won the State Mock Trial Championship, advancing to several Top 10 finishes in national competition. In 2009, they were the National Champions.

14. Six years ago, South Bend public schools produced a national champion in the Scripps National Spelling Bee – David Tidmarsh from Edison Middle School. Back in 1928, another South Bend public school student, Betty Robinson, also won the National Spelling Bee.

15. Six SBCSC teachers have received the prestigious Indiana Teacher of the Year Award, the most recipients from any one Indiana school district. They are:

2009 Tania Harman, Warren Primary Center
2001 Kurran Strunk, Muessel Elementary School
1991 Darcia King-O’Blenis, Navarre Middle School
1989 Karen McKibben, LaSalle High School
1985 Paulette Cwidak, John Adams High School
1957 Myrtle Burns, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School

Springboards to success

With so many good things happening in local schools, it’s no wonder teachers and administrators alike are optimistic and energized when asked about the quality of education in the public schools.

“The school corporation has really taken the tact of helping students reach their potential by having programs that capture their interests, skill levels and abilities,” Candace Butler says. “If kids are having success in one area, you can use that as a springboard to help them be successful in other areas.”