Out-of-the-Blue

Tipton Community School Corporation (TCSC) is excited to share its participation in Tomorrow’s Teachers: Growing Our Own program at Indiana University Kokomo (IUK). This innovative program is in its third year at TCSC and participation has exploded for next year. The program is designed to identify, encourage, and prepare individuals in their own community who are interested in becoming an educator or educational professional. The program matches students interested in education with the resources to help them launch their career earlier. Courses can be utilized for dual-credit purposes and as part of a graduation pathway.

IUK faculty bring the classes to the TCSC campus giving juniors and seniors the chance to get a head start on college, explore teaching to see if it might be the right career choice for them, and learn skills that prepare them to be a successful college student. Through the program, students enjoy a blended format that includes on-campus meetings as well as meetings at the high school.

Students participate in school-based field experiences. These are hands-on and intentionally sequenced in P-8 classrooms that are coordinated and supervised by district educators and integrated into IUK education courses. They will experience hands-on engagement activities on campus where they’ll build community and network to gain a better understanding of the profession.

“What’s cool about this program is that it gives students interested in teaching the chance to explore this option before college while getting a head start on their coursework,” explained Nicole Clifford, Business Education Department Head, Tipton High School, PLC Leader, THS Student Council Sponsor. “With there being a shortage of teachers, it makes sense to encourage students that have an interest in teaching to find out what it is all about. This gives them a chance to spend some time in a classroom before college to make sure this is the right path for them. The students in the program will be visiting and participating in several different types of P-8 classrooms. If the student has not nailed down what they would like to teach, this also gives them a chance to see the options.”

“I'm interested in Tomorrow’s Teachers program because it gives students an opportunity to see what goes into being a teacher of many different age groups and/or subjects,” said junior Wyatt McCartney, who will be a second-year student of the program this fall. “This experience will let me see if being a teacher is a good fit. I think the program will give me insight as to how different age groups function, and how the people within those groups develop and learn. Knowing these things will make it easier to work with them, which will make both my job as a teacher and their education experience better. I also like helping people, so if a student were to struggle with something in my class, I could help them and feel good about it.”

Junior Dylan Rockwell wants to become a school choir director. He has signed up to participate in the program next year to get some teaching experience under his belt sooner rather than later. “This experience before college just will help me to make sure it is actually what I want to do, and also because it is free, and college isn't,” he said.

“ I am interested in being a teacher because I have seen and experienced how teachers can influence their students,” explained sophomore Lillian Cloud. “I signed up for this program because it will give me the chance to make up my mind about being a teacher. I will also be able to see what age level I like best, and what teaching styles suit me. I will benefit from this program by learning if this is something I would be interested in for a career. “

“I think this program can help me get a better feel for teaching and if it is actually the career I would like to pursue,” added Junior Arabelle Capes, who is not positive that she wants to become a teacher, but she does want to work with children and teaching is an avenue for that. “I like the idea that the program will allow me to go into different grade levels which can give me a better idea of the grade I would possibly teach. What is also attractive about the program is that it is dual credit which is great especially if I pursue this in college.” “For me the benefits of this program will be deciding what my career is going to be as well as helping me earn those college credits that I most likely would have struggled to pay for,” added Capes.

Photo caption: Students who plan to participate in IUK’s Tomorrow’s Teachers program through IUK in the 2024-25 school year at Tipton High School include (l-r): Front row: Lucy Burkett, Noah Walker, Lillian Cloud, and Anna Moses. Back row: Akina Minnich, Arabelle Capes, Dylan Rockwell, and Wyatt McCartney. The program offers experience into the teaching profession and dual credits.

Tipton Community School Corporation’s Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) Carolyn Friend, M.A., CCC-SLP and Valerie Watson, M.A., CCC-SLP join colleagues from around the country to inform, educate, and raise public awareness of speech, language, and hearing disorders as part of National Speech-Language-Hearing Month.

Friend and Watson, who bring the district a combined 56 years of years of knowledge and experience in the field, are dedicated to building a strong foundation with the goal of providing information for the detection and prevention of communication disorders. They are invaluable professionals who work to help students succeed in their communication journey and at school. Friend has been a practicing Speech/Language Pathologist for 36 years, and Watson for 22 years.

“Communication is the foundation of everything we do, and it’s the same for our students,” explained Carolyn Friend, noting that students need a way to receive information and express themselves. “We are here to help identify, assess, and treat speech/language problems that impact students’ achievement through interprofessional collaboration, education, and therapies. Our goal is to improve student’s speech, language, social, and cognitive skills.”

In their role, Friend and Watson address areas such as articulation, language, voice, fluency, and augmentative alternative communication. The diagnosis that they often treat include developmental delays, autism, apraxia, aphasia, dysarthria, dysfluency, dysphonia, and traumatic brain injury.

Friend and Watson service preschool (3–5-year-olds) through grade 12 and currently have a caseload of over 140 students. All students are seen at school. Speech/language pathology services are provided during the child's school day. Direct speech/language pathology services can take place in the speech/language therapy room and/or provided in the child's classroom. If a student does not attend school (i.e., homeschool), Friend and Watson offer outpatient speech/language services. The parent/guardian receives a progress report describing the status of the speech and language goals established for their student every nine weeks.

To receive direct speech/language services a child is referred, and paperwork is started to provide a speech and/or language evaluation. Following an evaluation, a case conference is held to discuss the findings and determine if the child is eligible for services. An Indiana Education Plan (IEP) is started if the child qualifies, and a plan is established for the needs of that child according to Article 7.

In honor of National Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) Day Friend and Watson will host a daylong celebration on Thursday, May 16 to highlight their role and function at TCSC.

TCSC’s Speech Language Pathologist’s Valerie Watson, M.A., CCC-SLP and Carolyn Friend, M.A., CCC-SLP, take an interprofessional approach when working with students to help improve their speech, language, social, and cognitive skills.

The Blue Devils MotorSports team proved they had the knowledge and skill to be among the first three karts to cross the finish line for the final race of the year at the Purdue evGrand Prix on Thursday, April 25. Their journey to the finish line was filled with all the twists, turns, and excitement including a surprise ending!

It’s the stuff of big screen action where the underdog overcomes despite the odds. As Dave Case, Automotive Technology Teacher and club sponsor, retells the story. “The day didn’t start off well. First up, a couple of issues with our vehicle were encountered during the tech inspection,” Case explained. “The issues were resolved within minutes of getting to the qualifying round.”

“The morning of the race was pretty hectic,” said THS junior and Blue Devils MotorSports Team cart driver, Parker Fague. “When we left Tipton, our kart was ready to roll. When we arrived and unloaded our kart from Mr. Case’s truck it was broken and needed repaired before we went through the tech inspection!”

“We knew we were missing two bolts but still went to the inspection,” added Senior Ethan Stanley. “While examining the wiring, one of the inspectors wiggled a wire loose so now we had no acceleration, and our tires didn’t spin. While Mr. Case went to get bolts and electrical tape, Blake Deister from Top Kart USA, was on hand to give us some pointers and helped us figure out the problem. The pressure was on because we were getting down to the wire in terms of time. Mr. Case made a miraculous save. With the new bolts in place, he rewired the cart, it was tuned just in time for Parker to drive off to the first of three qualifying rounds.”

Despite not being able to take practice laps, Fague ultimately secured the number 11 starting position. “Parker,” continued Case, “stayed with the pack. The two karts that took the lead stayed there, eventually lapping the rest of the pack. Our kart, complete with a new battery, and tuned to perfection by senior Drake Boyer, turned out to be a force to contend with. Boyer prepared for this moment. He programmed the kart, tweak after tweak until he felt it was ready to stay the course until the finish.”

Fague never lost his focus. He stayed steady passing kart after kart until he caught up and was on the lead lap with his eye on catching the two karts ahead of him! Then the unthinkable happened! He got hit by another kart, spun out, yet still maintained control to stay on the track to ultimately catch up to the second-place driver!

“I could see Parker flying around the curve passing kart after kart as many of the karts were losing power toward the end,” recalled Stanley. “It was incredible to watch Parker as he made his way toward the front of the pack. Parker caught up to the second driver toward the end of the race. I could see the first and second drivers start to make victory gestures as they crossed the finished line. While Parker crossed the finished line in third another driver also crossed just seconds behind. The other driver thought he was in third and was also making victory gestures as he crossed the finish line. We knew Parker was third but weren’t sure anyone else realized that! In fact, the announcer even incorrectly named the other driver as being the third to cross the finish line! We had to get the lap checkers to confirm that it was actually Parker who was the third kart to cross the finish line.”

“I felt a little star struck on how many places I gained in so little time,” added Fague, as he made his way to the front of the pack. “Thanks to our tune, I was able to keep going while many of the other karts were running out of steam.”

“It was pretty cool,” said Case of the entire experience. “The team really leaned into the experience never seeming to doubt they could be competitive. They absolutely fought to stay in the race and ultimately showed they have what it takes to get the job done. For a relatively new club it was a huge win all the way around.” Despite the obstacles, the team stayed strong, hopeful, and cheered on Fague as he helped make history for the Blue Devils MotorSports team.

On behalf of the team, Stanley and Fague wanted to give a heartfelt shout out to Mr. Case. “He’s a great guy,” said Stanley. “Creating a motorsports team at Tipton High School, the experience of being a part of this team and everything that came with it including building great friendships and bonds, would not have been possible if it weren’t for Mr. Case. We owe him a big thanks.”

THS senior Parker Fague, driver of the Blue Devils’ ev-kart, used his driving skill and focus to break free of the pack, pull out of a hit and spin, and be the third kart to cross the finish line at the Purdue evGrand Prix in West Lafayette on Thursday, April 25.

The Blue Devils Motor Sports team are pictured by their kart at the Purdue evGrand Prix (l-r): Driver Parker Fague, crew chief, JT Vautaw, Drake Boyer, Beck Kwiatt, and Ethan Stanley. Not pictured: Brogan Foerg, Tyler Long, and Brayden Vandergraff.

Click the image to see the video.

“The Inferno,” Tipton High School’s landmark gym, is undergoing a long-awaited renovation in

summer of 2024. The Friends of the Inferno group is leading the charge to raise funds through

sponsorships and donations to give the gymnasium a modern look and feel with new paint,

flooring, digital scoreboards, curtain, gym floor planks, and Blue Devil Hall of Fame section to

name a few.

The Inferno, home to Indiana’s only Blue Devils mascot, built in 1961, seats 3,500. It has served

as a symbol of local identity, the focus of hometown pride, and the backdrop for generations of

memories. The upgrades, expected to cost an estimated $450,000, will update the look and feel of the multi-use space with modern amenities and features to best serve players, students, spectators, and the community well into the future.

The Inferno doubles as an educational space by day and an event destination by night. It is a multi-purpose facility that is used as a large classroom, for sports practices, home games and

tournaments, graduation, school-sanctioned events, community gatherings, and as an

emergency shelter. It draws in an estimated 22,000 spectators each year. Beginning in 2024,

The Inferno will host all home boys’ and girls’ basketball games, home volleyball matches, and

IHSAA tournament contests.

All are invited to consider joining this exciting initiative through a number of available

sponsorships or donating toward this effort. Your investment is an investment in students,

faculty, and the community by providing students with a safe and healthy environment to learn

and grow while also serving as a valuable resource for the community.

“Having a modernized gymnasium instills a stronger sense of pride as our student athletes

continue to learn valuable life lessons through competition and sportsmanship,” said Kory

Fernung, THS Athletic Director. “One of our local business partners, Encompass Credit Union,

has taken the lead on this effort by sponsoring the main gym flooring which will be the new

Encompass Court at the Inferno!”

For more information on sponsorship and donor opportunities, contact us at

THSinferno@tcsc.k12.in.us or call Andrea Campbell at (317)385-0872 or Rob Cochrane at

(317)432-6429.

• May 14-Monthly School Board Meeting
• May 20-24 -THS + TMS Finals Testing
• June 1-Graduation
• June 3-Summer School Starts