HOPE – Flat Rock-Hawcreek Corp. began the new academic year Tuesday.
Hauser Jr.-Sr. High School sophomore Kaysie Kistler said she looks forward to getting acquainted with exchange students, resuming school sports and enrolling in more classes she wants to take.
When pupils began arriving at Hauser shortly before 7:30 a.m., it wasn’t like last year when students were welcomed at the front doors by a large group of teachers. Instead, they were greeted by members of the Youth Leadership Team, a student group formed to serve as advocates for their peers.
Both Kistler and junior Leah Cloud are members of the leadership team. While Cloud said she doesn’t have to worry about taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses this year, there is still quite a bit on her plate.
“I’m taking the nursing course through the C4 (Columbus Area Career Connection) program,” Cloud said. “I also made the cheerleading squad.”
Cloud will also be participating in organizations that include the Student Council and FFA, she said.
“The only thing I hate about coming back to school is having to wake up early, Cloud said.
District growth
The growth within the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. is perhaps most evident at Hope Elementary. The school only had 437 students when principal Jessica Poe arrived nine years ago. But as of Tuesday, her school had 523 students that included 77 kindergarten students, Poe said. More are expected before an official enrollment count is taken early this fall, she said.
Hope Elementary has attracted 100 students who reside out of the corporation’s district, Poe said. They come from Jennings and Decatur counties, Waldron, the Southwestern Shelby School Corp., the town of Edinburgh and the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., she said.
“Parents appreciate the intimacy and the small school appeal,” Poe said. “I also think we are very fortunate to have a positive school culture.”
Hauser teachers began preparing for this school year last November, when educators and administrators begin to nail down what academic changes and visions they have for the structure of the next school year, as well as for changes in graduation requirements, Hauser counseling director Kelli Hoeflinger said.
By December at the latest, administrators are presenting proposed program changes to the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Board for their approval, according to Hoeflinger. By January, administrators and support staff are in classrooms talking to every single student about scheduling the classes they want or need when they move up to the next grade, she said.
“At Hauser, we meet with every single teenager individually, spend time getting to know them and helping them form their schedule for the next year,” Hoeflinger said.
One of the newest developments at Hauser is a welding class being offered in partnership with Ivy Tech Community College, Hoeflinger said. After the purchase of new equipment by the school, an Ivy Tech instructor will come to the Hope campus to teach the introductory course, she said. More advanced classes will be conducted through the C4 program, Hoeflinger said.
Already working
While Monday may have been the first official day for teachers to return, the administration team has been working since mid-July, she said.
Many teachers have also been busy, Hauser Principal Kris Fortune said. For example, some have been attending professional development training while others were studying new standards put in place by the Indiana State Board of Education, the principal said.
A number of students have also been busy including cross-country and track team member Colin Kistler, who invested much of his summer to improve his competitiveness.
“I got more miles in over the summer than I did during the season,” said Kistler, a senior. “I got in about 50 miles a week.”
Baseball and volleyball team member Nathan Linke said he usually does his physical workout between 10 a.m. and noon. But with school back in session, the Hauser junior will likely do his physical training early in the morning before classes.
Junior Samantha Holzer said she remained quite relaxed over the summer until it dawned on her that the new school year was about to start.
“I’m just worried about some of the harder AP classes I’m taking like pre-calculus and U.S. history,” Holzer said. “I’ve also joined a lot of clubs and do band.”
In contrast, Skylar Christy says he has already completed all of his tough courses and has no plan to get involved in extracurricular activities. But the Hauser senior does have something keeping him busy. Christy said he intends to spend a good part of his free time working at a job in Columbus, he said.
