A spook-tacular spin on music education

Students sharpen their horse judging skills ahead of national competition in Indianapolis.

Deputy Dan McDermott brings experience and a focus on building student connections.

Dr. Scott Hanback named Indiana Superintendent of the Year

Students in chemistry and German collaborate to explore the cultural and scientific impact of German innovators.

National Healthy Schools Award highlights East Tipp's commitment to wellness.

Battle Ground Middle School students design, test and launch rockets.

Klondike Middle School students explore career options at Caterpillar's Lafayette Large Engine Center.

East Tipp students design astronaut gloves and explore the challenges of space with Purdue Women in Engineering.

Laura Whitcombe contributed articles to a book celebrating Lafayette's bicentennial.

Mintonye Elementary’s fourth graders presented a fantastic Veterans Day program to honor those who have served our country. Students shared meaningful readings, poems, and songs—including crowd favorites Fifty Nifty United States and the Armed Forces Medley, which paid tribute to each branch of service. Veterans in attendance were invited to introduce themselves and received handwritten notes of thanks from Mintonye students.

Active-duty hero and Mintonye parent Jeremy Boden delivered an inspiring speech, encouraging everyone to make a difference in their own way. The program concluded with a moving performance of Taps by guest trumpeters from McCutcheon High School. Mintonye extends heartfelt thanks to all veterans for their service and sacrifice.

Fall colors aren’t just decorating the trees! Mrs. DeGolyer’s kindergarten class at Mintonye Elementary was filled with excitement during their recent Fall Leaf Day. One of the highlights was a graphing activity where students learned about real graphs using actual leaves they had collected. Each child carefully examined the leaves before sorting and graphing them according to color, shape, and size.

First graders at Mintonye Elementary had an unforgettable day on their field trip to Lafayette Fire Station #5! Excitement filled the air as students got to see a real fire truck up close. The firefighters demonstrated how the siren and horn work, which brought lots of smiles and wide eyes. The highlight of the visit was when each student got a turn to spray the fire hose!

After exploring the fire station and learning about the important work firefighters do to keep our community safe, the fun continued with a picnic at the park. Students enjoyed lunch, played with friends, and shared stories about their favorite moments from the day.

It was a wonderful experience filled with learning, laughter, and lasting memories!

This October, Ms. Schurman’s Kindergarten class began their once-a-month IDEA lessons with Mrs. Garrett. The IDEA program is designed to help students start thinking like engineers. During their first lesson, students were introduced to the steps of the Engineering Design Process through the anchor text The Little Red Fort. After reading, they applied what they learned by creating their own forts out of cups.

Each student was given ten cups and challenged to design and build a fort using the five steps of the process: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, and Improve. Students explored different ideas, asked thoughtful questions, and discovered that there were many ways to make their designs work. The activity encouraged creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration—there were no “wrong answers.” Every student was proud to share their unique creation, making it a wonderful start to the year’s engineering adventures!

Our third graders at Mintonye Elementary brought their community social studies standard to life on a recent field trip — and what a journey it was!

We began by exploring our local history, learning how our community was originally established along the Wabash River and discovering the vital role of our county courthouse. As we explored downtown, students uncovered fascinating facts about the place we call home.

After a fun and relaxing lunch at Happy Hollow Park, we capped off the day with an exciting visit to the Purdue University Airport — where curiosity took flight!

This hands-on experience helped students connect classroom learning with the real world and gave them a greater appreciation for the people and places that shape our community every day.