Education

By: Marc Ransford— With the potential of a major winter storm ready to slam into the Midwest, Marc Ransford writes about a Ball State geography professor’s study concerning why many people are scared of storms.  Muncie, IN—One in 10 Americans may suffer from severe weather phobia that causes them to lose sleep or have feelings of helplessness, says a researcher at Ball State University. “Severe weather phobia is very real,” says Jill Coleman, a Ball State geography professor and lead…

By: Mike Rhodes— You are appreciated! That was the message the Muncie Community Schools Board of Trustees and the newly created Community Engagement Council hoped to communicate to teachers during the first-ever MCS appreciation luncheon held at the Horizon Convention Center in downtown Muncie. By all accounts, they succeeded in marvelous fashion. 550 teachers, principals, board members, staff and featured speakers attended the event emceed by WLBC’s Steve Lindell. Featured speakers for the event included remarks by Ball State President…

By: Emily Anderson, Court Administrator— Muncie, Indiana—The Eighth Grade teachers at Muncie Southside Middle School wanted to give the class a real-life courtroom experience, but transporting all 120 students to the Delaware County Justice Center, along with the necessary staff, proved an impossible task. Judge John Feick in the Delaware Circuit Court No. 4 responded, “Why don’t we hold a Mock Trial at the School?”  Court Administrator Emily Anderson passed the idea along, and on December 11, 2018, the Courts,…

By: Kallie Sullanke— Muncie, Indiana—The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. has selected the recipients of the 2019 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, a four-year award that grants full tuition to any accredited public or private non-profit college or university in Indiana. The Lilly Scholarship also covers fees and provides an annual stipend for required books and equipment. The recipients of the 2019 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship are Jackson Adamowicz of Burris Laboratory School and Cody Brelage of Delta…

By: Christine Rhine— Muncie, Indiana—Muncie Central High School senior Chandler Clevenger’s goal of graduating with a technical honors diploma was at risk for reasons beyond his control. To earn the diploma, he needed to pass a class this fall through Project Lead The Way (PLTW), an Indianapolis-based, nonprofit K-12 program to encourage and prepare young people across the U.S. with an interest in STEM fields such as computer science, engineering, and biomedicine. For a while, however, Central did not have…

By: Michelle Kinsey— Muncie, Indiana and Washington, D.C.—The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS today announced that public media station WIPB-TV, on the campus of Ball State University, has been awarded $175,000 to work with community partners to provide science and literacy resources for young learners in underserved areas. WIPB is one of 14 public media stations nationwide to receive a Community Collaboratives for Early Learning and Media (CC-ELM) grant this year, joining 16 other public media stations doing…

By: Kallie Sullanke— Muncie, Indiana—Eighteen local teachers will receive $4,863 for 13 projects in Robert P. Bell Education Grants from The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. Across the county, 1,000s of students benefit from Bell Education Grants each year. Awards of up to $450 are available through the Bell Grants program. Funded projects are creative or innovative classroom projects designed to stimulate learning in students. All Delaware County teachers are invited to apply during any of the four grant…